Amy Carmichael

Women of Faith

by Kathleen White

A profound look into the life of Amy Carmichael pioneer missionary, poet, hymnwriter and author. Arriving in India as a pioneer missionary, Amy Carmichael had no idea of the dangerous work ahead of her to save young girls from cult prostitution in Hindu temples, and later to take in boys sold to temple service and traveling acting troupes. Not could she foresee the times of material need, physical danger, pain and debilitating illness, disappointment and attack by friends. Her life and the mission she founded in Dohnavur Fellowship are a stunning and inspirational story. Poet, hymnwriter and author, Amy Carmichael's fifty-six years in India and the legacy of her work stand as a lasting testimony to the courageous young woman from Northern Ireland who stepped into the darkness surrounding her and found the greatest "refuge" of all the sheltering love of God. This short biography makes for great reading. The personal story of one whose simple obedience continues to help change the world.

Genres: Biography, Christian, Biography Memoir, Nonfiction, Faith

126 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1990

Reviews

[Della Tingle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subject matter is wonderful: missionary Amy Carmichael. However, the book was disjointed and left me feeling confused like I should have known more on the subject prior to reading. I did look up the Dohnavur Fellowship online, and it is still going strong working for the good of the people in India. Amy’s work is still reaping good, much good.

[Amanda Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this, but I do wish it had gone into more details, especially of her ministry in India. The author seemed to really gloss over the periods she spent doing ministry and in the end I don't actually know much of what she did in India, other than that she wrote many books and they blessed people.

[Janell Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject was what motivated me to pick the book up and I am still very intrigued. I will be on the look out for some of Amy Carmichael’s own work. I wasn’t a fan of the writing. It felt very disjointed to me.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Amy Carmichael’s life story, but this wasn’t written well. I need to read one of Amy’s books, and I think I would enjoy it more.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was pretty bad. The lady clearly read Amy Carmichael's books and a biography and then tried to write a simple version for children.

It simply didn't work. It was slow and boring, it was heartless and dispassionate, and it didn't bring to life any of the things I'm sure Amy Carmichael achieved. This woman went into a deep dark India and pulled children from temples. They saved lives, and struggled against the authorities and the culture to do so. They did it without any modern convenience, any monetary gain, and with very few people. It is an amazing story, so then why was I so bored as we tried to slog through this thing?

Don't get graphic, but you need to tell me what she was saving the kids from. She dispassionately describes the death of children, and gets completely lost in the weeds of random people who mean very little in the grand scheme of things, and the names of places when you won't keep straight anyway.

It was a slog, we didn't finish it, and we will look for a different Amy Carmichael book at some point in time.

[Bradley McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The life of Amy Carmichael merited five stars. The book was for me, however, less than riveting. I would like to have read more of the details of the personal stories.

[Debbi Lico · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book but reads sort of a like a research paper. Much of the information is cited from other sources. I am interested in reading other biographies on Amy Carmichael.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've long enjoyed the writings of Amy Carmichael but didn't know much about her life story. This little book was illuminating and pithy and drew up the beautiful story of her life.

[Rachel N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! What a woman! Amy Carmichael lived a simple and painful upbringing in Ireland and England. She possessed a simple faith in Jesus Christ and demonstrated a sincere love for people, particularly the needy and the outcasts. Her love for God and love for people carried over naturally to her missionary work in India. She rescued many children from Hindu temples, etc. and faithfully fulfilled God’s calling in her life. She remained in India for 53 years without a furlough and died there, leaving a legacy behind and is highly respected by the Indian people to this day. This little book is highly recommended as an introduction to the life of Amy Carmichael. Any reader will be challenged and inspired by her life. “Life’s not a level or a smooth road; but it’s a blessing to scale the hills and trudge over the stones with a good heart, and I think one sometimes does one’s best work on the uphill bits, though one may not know it.” – Amy Carmichael in one of the many books that she wrote.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christian Classic

[jieun · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO beautifully written. Amy Carmichael's story is so inspiring.

[Colleen Forry · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing life story of a woman on fire for God