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Summary: Some universal meanings - even for a Presbyterian
Review: I enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. First, I am a Presbyterian. There are no virgin Mary statues in my church. However, my religion instructs me to have faith. This book has is the encouraging story of a person who started out with little faith , but developed a great deal through trial and error. Second, it is a rather universal story of a person who makes mistakes, learns from them and becomes better and more at peace. Instead of just meditating on her mistakes, she learns to understand herself better as she grows in her faith. Third, the author is so easy to read and enjoyably weaves her life experiences into her search for Mary. Fourth, it was educational to learn about the role of Mary in Catholicism. This was a good book with an empathetic narrator.
This book reminded me a little of Anne Lamott, who also writes about spirituality. Even though I think Anne Lamott is Presbyterian, her work is much more "new agey" than Ms. Donofrio.
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Summary: Finally found something to touch my soul.
Review: I finally found a book that touched my soul. I cried when I came to the end. This is a must read for those Catholics that question many things that the Church has done. This book gives some background on Mary that I either forgot or didn't know anything about. For instance, that Joseph was a widower and how yound Mary was when carrying Jesus. Some may find the jumping from past to present confusing but in the end everything comes together. The end does not tie things up as neat as a present, but that is what life is about, who knows what will happen.
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Summary: Enhhh... I liked it but.....
Review: I found myself skipping around a lot through this one looking for the interesting parts. I realize that D'Onofrio makes her living demonstrating her lack of mothering skills in literature, but this one tends toward the self-pitying from time to time. Her journey to find Mary leads her around the world and is somewhat lacking in structure. I wouldn't put it on the top of your "to-buy" list, but if you see an affordable or library copy, it is worth the afternoon it took me to read it.
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Summary: Second time around
Review: I just finished reading "Looking for Mary" for the second time. I meant to pass it on to a relative when I was done, but I can't give it away; I know I'll reread it again and again. I'm a lover of fiction and mysteries, but something (Mary gets what she wants!) called me to buy this book, to read and ponder over the words, and to tell others about it. It's a glorious blend of story-telling and meditation. It will make you smile, and make you think...maybe make you begin to believe. Read it, and pass it on--or at least buy a copy for a friend!
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Summary: My Kind of Spirituality
Review: I love the skill with which Donofrio weaves the stories of her past, her pilgrimage to Medjgorge/Italy, and Mary, the Blessed Mother (or Our Lady). That and the honesty. I haven't made Donofrio's mistakes, but have had my own brand of sordid past, and I learned from Donofrio and myself and still want to heal and have God or some representative (Mary?) in my life. This books shows how the truth --raw, unflinching -- makes for breathtaking narrative. I wish I had Donofrio's guts.
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Summary: Donofrio's book is a Godsend
Review: I love when God sends us unlikely teachers. Beverly Donofrio is to renewed adult Catholic faith as Anne Lamott is to renewed adult Protestant faith. Both are women with pasts who have worked through them to ask for forgiveness. I LOVED this book. I am at a place where I am coming back to God after a 10 year absence. When we baby boomers rejected our Catholic faith it was for the very same reasons Donofrio did: birth control, a woman's right to chooses, and the antiquated patriarchal hierarchy of THE CHURCH. But organized religion and faith are two different things. By tossing out the perceived bad, we unfortunately threw the baby out with the bath water. There are so many positive aspects to Catholicism. Donofrio reminds us that one of those pluses is Jesus' mother, Mary. I was truly moved by this book. And it has accelerated my own walk of faith back to the Catholic church. Having women who decry the unfairness of some aspects of the Catholic Church as members of the church is not a bad thing. It's like having liberals in the Republican party. Donofrio has given us an important work. Perhaps she will start a revolution of sorts. Millions of baby boomers praying the rosary. (I just ordered one.) Mary is also a comfort to the many women who are victims of male abuse who have trouble with the image of father as God. Mary is the mother we all need; the mother we want to be. Thanks Beverly for reminding us.
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Summary: Guilt! Travels! Miracles! And The B.V.M!
Review: I loved this autobiography; one really comes to like and admire Beverly (hard to imagine not being on a first name basis with her by the book's end ) both for the courage in pouring her heart out and the witty charm of her writing style. A rare combination indeed.For Protestants who believe that Mary equals idolatry, do not worry, sometimes whole weeks go by and we Catholics do not see a statue of Mary weeping tears of blood at our local parish. Besides, this narrative is unlikely to make it into a Catholic Book of the Month Club (Is there such a thing?) what with Beverly deliberately writing that she hoped Jesus and Mary Magdalene got it on, that she couldn't bring herself to see J.P # 2 despite being granted a Papal audience because his stance on birth control and women in general is barbarically primitive; and that she loves worshipping (she knows damn well the party line is 'venerating') The Blessed Virgin Mary--or as Beverly refers to her, the B.V.M. What we've got here is a repentant Christian, who is brought back to the Church, in spite of herself, through the Grace of The B.V.M.--who is frankly aware of the absurdity of her condition and yet tremendously grateful. As for the travelogue, Beverly takes us to the spiritual heights of Medjurgoje; where seeing the sun spin out of orbit or having silver medals that turn into gold is commonplace enough to be blase, to the abyss of whitebread West Los Angeles, California, where a young priest beams at the congregation while recounting how much he likes to rollerblade (Like, groovy, dude!) In the end, our heroine finds a home, liturgy and peace in Mexico. But the travels are only part of the panorama of sinners, saints, zealots, bigots, and other assorted lunatics which make up The Church (and this book.) The redemption of Beverly is a bittersweet story. Hardest to take is her self-flagellation at not having been a good mother to her son, Jason,---who must be pushing 30 and sounds like he's turned out really quite well. Even though to hear Beverly tell it, she sounds as if she sold him to child prostitution and broke his bones to get alms from strangers on the adcvice of her boyfriends. Beverly, ease up, you weren't THAT bad of a mother! She was a teenage mom who married a loon because she got pregnant. She resented her son for 'grounding' her during her youth, and avoided some tough choices by being his "pal" rather than his Mom. Oh yes she also (gasp!) got involved with even weirder men and made a mess of her life while Jason tagged along--Ok, so it won't win he Donna Reed/ Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, but she wasn't exactly a Kennedy who could afford 3 nannies for Jason. As a matter of fact, she was essentially a kid herself who got very little help from anyone. Plus there were episodes in which her behavior in defending her son were brave and truly exemplary but she dsmisses them when contrasting them to her acts of selfishness. In any case, above all, this is a touching story, remarkably free of sentimentality and very, very human. thanks, Beverly.
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Summary: Great read!
Review: I noticed that some of the other reviewers were concerned about Donofrio's Catholicism -- I am a Catholic and may disagree with her religious views, however, this is not, and I do not believe was meant to be, a "religious" book, or any attempt to teach Catholic doctrine. This book can almost be thought of as the sequel to the author's first novel, "Riding in Cars with Boys", in that it further documents Donofrio's own personal struggles with developing her identity and a coming to terms with what her life has been thus far. Anyone who is familiar with Donofrio's first novel can expect more of the same.
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Summary: Make a change in your life and read this book
Review: I really hadn't thought about who the author was until throughout the book she made a few references to her book Riding in Cars with Boys. This book was wonderful. I don't know if I would read that book though, because I have the sense that she has grown into a better human during the course of this book. I don't want to read about a selfish mother. I want to read about transformation and this book is it.
I am Catholic and Mary of course is important but now I have a sense that she and other women of the Bible are more important than we will really ever know. I loved reading about the main character's confessions to the priest and her idea that Mary was guiding her to Jesus. And also guiding her to be a better mother. Was there ever a better mother than Mary? I don't think so.
If you are a mother, this is a book to read. Once in a while, that human emotion of selfishness rears its ugly head and mothers sometimes regret and wish... I wish I was single and free... I wish I didn't have to wash dirty underwear... I wish I could go back to college and get my MFA in poetry but i have four children and ultimately they come first.
Read this book. I guarantee you will transform.
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Summary: Finally, a human being on a spiritual quest
Review: I truly loved this book. It is so true and so enlightened at the same time that it is funny and enjoyable ala Anne Lamott or Natalie Goldburg. This book seemed to me to be every ex-Catholic woman's search for what Catholicism means to her...what she can accept and what she cannot. What is abiding about our Catholic upbringing and what we need to throw out (If we haven't already.) I wanted to loan it to everyone I knew but I kept it to read again.
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