Either John O’Donohue knew everything or he was full of it. Either way, these big ideas are beautiful.

If you have the ears to hear these words, may they resonate true with your heart and soul. More than ever we need to notice the beautiful, in ourselves, and all around us.

This is one of the best books I have ever read, and I have read a lot of books. John O'Donohue has this talent to put the beauty of the world into words. His book is very simple to read, broken into simple sections that can be read daily or all at once. He points out the beauty of the simplest things that most of us don't notice but have always been there. His book will jerk your emotions and show you the world in different light. THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ.

This book explores the concept of beauty and its effect on the soul. It makes some good points, especially as to the need and longing that beauty can both awaken and soothe within us, but I also found it lacking in several aspects.

In concept contradicted itself several times, per example in stating in one chapter that beauty is everywhere and eternal and in another that it is fickle and rare.

I also found it disappointing that it was about the soul and the spiritual side of beauty while almost completely disregarding God. The author used to be a Catholic priest but left the priesthood, but continually in the book makes references to great Catholic saints and authors (St Augustine - he's quoted many times but one example is on page 23, Hans Urs von Balthasar p. 14, Meister Eckhart p. 27) without for that sake joining his teachings to theirs. Ironically the view which both the Church and I hold to be true is one which the author explains as "medieval" in a few chapters starting on p. 54, citing several quotes by the great Doctor of the Church St Thomas of Aquinas. This view entails that all beauty comes from God and has God as a goal. Beauty points us to Him as He Himself is all beautiful and good (see per example CCC §341). Mr O'Donohue doesn't suggest a different source or goal, which I wish he would have. Instead he leaves out his reflections about this to continue rambling about what beauty is and how it manifests itself, same as he spends most of the book doing. It got quite repetitive after a while. Indeed, it gave me the sensation of a student trying to reach a word limit. Sometimes I would read entire chapters and then look back and realise that nothing new had been stated, or that the same point had been made in several different ways. It made me disappointed that this book did not seem to actually have anything to say.

All in all it felt like very watered-down theology and writing, though I do appreciate the attempt of bringing attention to the importance of beauty because I feel like it is often overlooked these days - just look at modern architecture :(

I didn't see a point in finishing the book once I had read most of it without getting anything out of it, so I put it down. At least if we had opposing views it could've been interesting to go on simply to understand a different perspective. Instead it was vague and noncomittal and I felt like I was wasting my time. I have read other works on Beauty and its connection with God and the human soul, so after I've had a look in my (physical, not goodreads) bookshelves I can come back and recommend some more constructive reading if you're interested in the subject.

Great audiobook - just the narrator voice you would expect for an author of this delicious content. A book to come back to again and again.

I looked this book up after listening to a gorgeous conversation between O’Donohue and Krista Tippett on the “On Being” podcast. While I found O’Donohue’s words had more power for me when I could hear him speaking them, I still enjoyed this book. Each chapter contains a loosely connected collection of meditations on a particular aspect of beauty, and the book glitters with keen observations of the subtle workings of the mind and gaze in the presence of beauty. Sometimes I wanted more structure from the book, but there are so many bits of brilliance scattered throughout that it was still well worth the read.

This book about beauty by Irish poet and philosopher John O' Donohue is incredibly powerful. O'Donohue writes with wit and grace about Celtic spirituality, and the importance of music, poetry, literature, and art in everyday life. I really like the quotes from George Herbert, W. B. Yeats, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, St. Augustine, and St. Patrick that O'Donohue included in the book.

I cherish my copy of O'Donohue's book that I got from Topping & Company bookshop in St. Andrews, Scotland when I was with some dear friends in 2022. The first piece in my next book, Artists, Myth & Hope, being published by Grant Hudson of Clarendon House Publications, is about the legacy of the great Irish poet and philosopher.

I need to read this book again immediately. Every sentence is poetically crafted and it's just a beautiful book.

I found myself rereading passages many times before moving on because I longed embed the message into my soul.

All of John O'Donohue's books are good. I particularly enjoyed "Anam Cara".

For more information on John O'Donohue, go to: http://www.johnodonohue.com/

Peace and Blessings...

John O'Donohue has a magical way of writing what you never knew you always knew. This book stimulated my mind and stirred my soul.

One of my favorite thinkers and writers. He breathes life into me with every word he writes. The first section of this book touched me deeply.