In sum, this is a masterful portrait of a very important saint.' - Philip Zaleski, coauthor ofPrayer: a Historyand editor of theBest American Spiritual Writingseries., 'Thomas R. Nevin is deeply sympathetic to the life of the cloister, understands and appreciates Catholic principles and practices, and seems entirely at home in nineteenth-century French culture. Nevin's life of Therese is a gem: thoughtful, graceful, and groundbreaking in its exploration of material largely ignored by others. ' shows readers the flesh-and-blood Thérèse who emerges from a careful stuy of her family history and a close reading of her entire corpus, including unpublished manuscripts, poetry, and plays.doubters (like this reviewer) begin to see, in the extreme integrity of her experience, what all of the fuss has been about.'-hoice 'Thomas R. Adding substantially to our knowledge and appreciation of this immensely popular and attractive figure, this book should appeal to many general readers as well as to scholars and students of modern Catholic history. Finally, he offers a new understanding of Thérèse as a theologian for whom love, rather than doctrines and creeds, was the paramount value. He delves into the French medical literature of the time, in an effort to understand how the tuberculosis of which she died at the age of 24 was treated and lamentably mistreated. He gives close attention to her poetry and plays usually dismissed as undistinguished and argues that they have great value as texts by which she addressed and informed her Carmelite community. He charts the development of Therese's career as a writer. He draws extensively on the correspondence of her mother and documents her influence on Thérèses autobiography and spirituality. He explores the dynamics of her family life and the early development of her spirituality.

As a consequence he is able to offer a much fuller and more accurate portrait of the saints life and thought than his predecessors. Nevin has gained access to many untapped archival materials and previously unpublished photographs. Therese has been the subject of innumerable biographies and treatises, ranging from hagiographies to attacks on her intelligence and mental health. As daughter of Allah, she is venerated widely in Islamic cultures.

Having long transcended national and linguistic boundaries, she has crossed even religious ones. Her autobiography Story of a Soul has been translated into sixty languages. Pope John Paul II described her as a living icon of God. Thérèse is not only one of the most beloved saints of the Catholic Church but perhaps the most revered woman of the modern age. A Carmelite nun, doctor of the church, and patron of a score of causes, she was famously acclaimed by Pope Pius X as the greatest saint of modern times. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, is popularly named the Little Flower. Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897), also known as St.

Therese of Lisieux C by Thomas R. Nevin