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Story of a Soul The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux Study Edition
This study edition is designed to assist contemporary readers to apply the spiritual insights of Story of a Soul to their lives. It provides introductions, reflections and discussion questions for each chapter of the text. The index is fully linked. Shortly before she died, Thérèse Martin predicted that her “Little Way” to holiness would be an inspiration for countless people. Time has proved Thérèse’s prediction to be true. Since its publication, Story of a Soul has been translated into over fifty languages. It is acknowledged to be one of the great spiritual testimonies of all times and has inspired millions of readers from all walks of life. Father John Clarke’s acclaimed translation, first published in 1975 and now accepted as the standard throughout the English-speaking world, is a faithful and unaffected rendering of Thérèse’s own words from the original manuscripts.
498 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 17, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 9, 2017
6 stars!
I was more excited to be starting this than any book in a long time. St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face—her full religious title—is my Confirmation patron saint chosen when only in second grade and drawn irresistibly to her ‘little way’ of holiness which seemed the only way someone like me could ever become a saint. Back then Catholic children were set that high ideal.
This makes my fourth full reading of The Story of a Soul, another of those Catholic spiritual guides whose author never intended to produce a book. Fortunately faithful disciples collected her writings preserving them for posterity.
Each time I have come to Soul, St. Thérèse’s autobiography, I have been in a different place in my life so it has affected me differently; each successive meeting has deepened my love of, and appreciation for, my patron.
Our first meeting was in the edited version of her book, unbeknownst to me. Still in high school, saints were saints. Why would anything about their lives or what they wrote need to be censored? The thought would have never occurred to me, naïve as I was. But of course it wasn’t because Thérèse wrote anything unprintable that her text was so heavily edited but because there were still nuns living who could have recognized themselves in her stories and been hurt if they realized her acts of charity were in response to their own blindness and/or character flaws/idioms. Later after most of these persons were dead an unedited version of her life was released. I read this version second. My third meeting was an audio experience. Each time I have been amazed by how much a 24 year old nun who spent most of her life behind walls was able to teach me about God, Love, loving God, charity towards one’s neighbor and the world at large.
This study edition is the best version of her book and I cannot recommend it too highly to anyone who wants to fully appreciate Thérèse. In addition to having the unedited text, it includes the Introduction to the First and Third Editions, a Prologue, Thérèse’s family, Study Guides at the end of all chapters and an Epilogue of her final days and hours.
John Clark O.C.D. is considered the best at translations in Carmelite circles and Marc Foley O.C.D. has done a phenomenal job preparing this Study Edition. He wrote another book, The Love That Keeps Us Sane: Living the Little Way of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, which I recently read and reviewed, also excellent. I have read ahead of my own study group, so I am technically ‘finished’ but undoubtedly I will be going back and rereading much of this again with them. This—along with all of the other ICS Publications Study Editions of Carmelite texts—will remain on my bookshelves until after I am gone. They are worth every penny.
I was more excited to be starting this than any book in a long time. St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face—her full religious title—is my Confirmation patron saint chosen when only in second grade and drawn irresistibly to her ‘little way’ of holiness which seemed the only way someone like me could ever become a saint. Back then Catholic children were set that high ideal.
This makes my fourth full reading of The Story of a Soul, another of those Catholic spiritual guides whose author never intended to produce a book. Fortunately faithful disciples collected her writings preserving them for posterity.
Each time I have come to Soul, St. Thérèse’s autobiography, I have been in a different place in my life so it has affected me differently; each successive meeting has deepened my love of, and appreciation for, my patron.
Our first meeting was in the edited version of her book, unbeknownst to me. Still in high school, saints were saints. Why would anything about their lives or what they wrote need to be censored? The thought would have never occurred to me, naïve as I was. But of course it wasn’t because Thérèse wrote anything unprintable that her text was so heavily edited but because there were still nuns living who could have recognized themselves in her stories and been hurt if they realized her acts of charity were in response to their own blindness and/or character flaws/idioms. Later after most of these persons were dead an unedited version of her life was released. I read this version second. My third meeting was an audio experience. Each time I have been amazed by how much a 24 year old nun who spent most of her life behind walls was able to teach me about God, Love, loving God, charity towards one’s neighbor and the world at large.
This study edition is the best version of her book and I cannot recommend it too highly to anyone who wants to fully appreciate Thérèse. In addition to having the unedited text, it includes the Introduction to the First and Third Editions, a Prologue, Thérèse’s family, Study Guides at the end of all chapters and an Epilogue of her final days and hours.
John Clark O.C.D. is considered the best at translations in Carmelite circles and Marc Foley O.C.D. has done a phenomenal job preparing this Study Edition. He wrote another book, The Love That Keeps Us Sane: Living the Little Way of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, which I recently read and reviewed, also excellent. I have read ahead of my own study group, so I am technically ‘finished’ but undoubtedly I will be going back and rereading much of this again with them. This—along with all of the other ICS Publications Study Editions of Carmelite texts—will remain on my bookshelves until after I am gone. They are worth every penny.
January 4, 2020
I've read this a couple of times before, but never a study edition. This edition is excellent since the information and context provided helped me to understand and appreciate Therese's life more. I liked the literary comparisons made in the extra material. Overall it answered some questions I previous had.
May 28, 2019
A Fitting Vase for a Little White Flower
My review is of this particular edition and not of St. Therese's book generally. Indeed, what is left to say about Story of a Soul? It is a heartbreaking work of theology mixed with childhood memory and written during the last throes of tuberculosis; it will continue to be read for years to come.
The present edition is translated and annotated by Carmelite brothers with apparent devotion to St. Therese. The translation itself has a high degree of formal (or word-for-word) equivalence from the French and is drawn directly from the unedited manuscripts. Earlier editions had been posthumously revised by her sister but that project was undone by order of the Vatican in favor of the original. Minutiae like this is provided in the extensive introductions (plural!) as well as background analyses following each chapter. The saint quotes incessantly and each quotation is sourced in the footnotes, which also place the narrative in its full context. Relevant dates, literary allusions (and even her mistakes) are fully explained, carrying the reader through an otherwise confusing read. After all, these three manuscripts were not intended for publication and were written only for her fellow sisters.
One minor complaint is the lack of quality testing; while the volume is surprisingly nice and the paperback binding suitably durable, there were an exhausting number of typos in the supplementary material. Starting with the back cover one can easily spot many errors. Luckily this does not affect the translation and may be corrected in a later edition. The chapter study questions are useful only for devotional purposes, framing Therese's ideas in terms of practical application and prayer. I often found myself skimming these in favor of the historical framing material.
In sum, this is a great one-volume treatment of a beloved saint. I listened to it concurrently with an audio series called Therese of Lisieux: Wisdom's Daughter, which proved helpful. I followed the series' recommendation to read the manuscripts out of order: A, C, then B, leaving the theological summary of the Little Way (B) for last to heighten its impact.
If you know nothing of the subject or are looking to study Therese in context, this present book may be the best place to start.
My review is of this particular edition and not of St. Therese's book generally. Indeed, what is left to say about Story of a Soul? It is a heartbreaking work of theology mixed with childhood memory and written during the last throes of tuberculosis; it will continue to be read for years to come.
The present edition is translated and annotated by Carmelite brothers with apparent devotion to St. Therese. The translation itself has a high degree of formal (or word-for-word) equivalence from the French and is drawn directly from the unedited manuscripts. Earlier editions had been posthumously revised by her sister but that project was undone by order of the Vatican in favor of the original. Minutiae like this is provided in the extensive introductions (plural!) as well as background analyses following each chapter. The saint quotes incessantly and each quotation is sourced in the footnotes, which also place the narrative in its full context. Relevant dates, literary allusions (and even her mistakes) are fully explained, carrying the reader through an otherwise confusing read. After all, these three manuscripts were not intended for publication and were written only for her fellow sisters.
One minor complaint is the lack of quality testing; while the volume is surprisingly nice and the paperback binding suitably durable, there were an exhausting number of typos in the supplementary material. Starting with the back cover one can easily spot many errors. Luckily this does not affect the translation and may be corrected in a later edition. The chapter study questions are useful only for devotional purposes, framing Therese's ideas in terms of practical application and prayer. I often found myself skimming these in favor of the historical framing material.
In sum, this is a great one-volume treatment of a beloved saint. I listened to it concurrently with an audio series called Therese of Lisieux: Wisdom's Daughter, which proved helpful. I followed the series' recommendation to read the manuscripts out of order: A, C, then B, leaving the theological summary of the Little Way (B) for last to heighten its impact.
If you know nothing of the subject or are looking to study Therese in context, this present book may be the best place to start.
June 8, 2020
There are few words to adequately describe Therese’s autobiography. Although I’ve read her story before, this level of prayerful and particular study in this edition reveals deeper understanding of her soul as well as my own, opening possibilities and love I might never have known existed.
I am grateful for this required Carmelite study.
I am grateful for this required Carmelite study.
February 7, 2022
She forever changed the trajectory of my life when I first “met” her as a young mom. I’m so thankful for her writings.
January 21, 2025
What a great read! Viva St. Therese! A lot of insight and context between chapters to dive in to Story of a Soul. It has some reflection questions that I didn’t use.
We need to realize how good God is! One is surprised by how authentic and blunt she was. She’s a great teacher and also, lover or the cross! People forget how strong she was… Not only flowers, but a lot of thorns!
Pray for us!
We need to realize how good God is! One is surprised by how authentic and blunt she was. She’s a great teacher and also, lover or the cross! People forget how strong she was… Not only flowers, but a lot of thorns!
Pray for us!
March 7, 2021
A true classic, written by the Saint herself.
June 30, 2021
A must read if you would like to be a Saint!
July 10, 2024
Pleasantly surprised to begin the book & liked it, I did not find it over-the-top fluffy-flowering language. Or well: It was, but I mostly found it charming. I found Therese to be in that same “over-the-top dramatic” category as are the Psalms: where they are hyper-emotional to where it is jarring or seemingly disingenuous to most of us. I was also charmed and looked up to & love her family life, particularly if her early childhood. Her parents are canonized saints, & the Dad truly is the peak goal of all “Girl-Dads.” Four adolescent natural deaths in rural 19th Century France before Therese was born. And then the remaining five sisters all enter religious life. By blood the family perishes from the earth, yet in another “realm,” in another Reality the Martins are held up as a pinnacle model of the family as the domestic church to live on in memory as long as men & women live. I couldn’t help thinking how different Therese would be though if she had just ONE brother, so much babying & sheltering would have been thrown off. It is also entirely important that Therese is the baby youngest fully glowingly looking up to her parents & elder sisters. On a 2nd read this book could be a Case Study in Mimetic Desire. “Desire” is perhaps the most written word in the text, if her sisters all got married instead, she likely would too, & her favorite book outside of Scripture was the “IMITATION of Christ.” Upon finishing reading, I somewhat think her popularity & devotions are overhyped, but I also get it too. On one hand so many Catholic women, men, & households GUSH over her, and yet where are the Glut of imitating vocations to religious life, adoringly following her example? On the other hand, her Little Way making a path to sainthood accessible within “ordinary life” for any & every one is not to be downplayed. The Little Way was, too, perhaps much more novel than I realize for the time period (politically, culturally, Jansenism, etc), & the “lack” of its novelty today is a sign of its ubiquitous triumph. In fact, that is part of the point of the ending: the prediction that her death is only really the beginning of her adventure. Only after her heroic & agonizing death can the story of some unknown random cloistered nun capture & inspire hearts around the world with her simple Little Flower Way to sanctification; a work she now assists with from Heaven. In hindsight the last two chapters in the convent showing the Little Way in action become highly instructive & practical. But overall the Italy Trip chapter is still my favorite. I loved many of her descriptions & tales. I even facetiously said: “Man, she could have been a great travel writer [that few would ever have heard of], instead of becoming a cloistered Carmelite [& one of the most beloved saints of all time].”
September 6, 2024
In Story of a Soul: St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s Autobiography, John Clark beautifully translates from French to English the activities of the saint’s devout childhood through to the spiritual insights she perceived during her time as a Carmelite nun. Though St. Thérèse lived a short life of 24 years, she recorded her desire to impact souls for all eternity. “When I die, I will send down a shower of roses from the heavens, I will spend my heaven by doing good on earth.”
I particularly liked two things about this Study Edition of Story of a Soul prepared by Marc Foley. 1) The study guides helped to imprint the material in my memory and that contributed to making the book an important one for me. 2) The appendices added understanding by including additional information not in the body of the text.
As I read of Thérèse’s early life, I found the degree of her spiritual maturity during her youth quite astonishing. Though she lost her mother to cancer at age four, her three older sisters did not neglect their duty to train Thérèse in their family’s Catholic faith. The seriousness with which this undertaking played out was a history lesson in itself. Family life surely has changed since the late 1800’s, and dare I say, not necessarily for the better.
I began to adore this beautiful Little Flower, as she is affectionately known, watching her bloom into the higher and higher levels of grace that God bestowed upon her. It became increasingly difficult to see her physically decline and die to earthly life as a very young woman. I found Thérèse’s courage and the offering up of her suffering to God during her final days spiritually challenging and something to contemplate.
The publication of Thérèse’s writings has allowed her to greatly succeed in her goal of spending her heaven by doing good on earth, and the many miracles claimed by those requesting her intercession have earned her the title of saint. Since completing the book, I have personally requested her help with specific things that are very important to me at the present time. I have experienced a shower of roses from heaven, and I can only think that Thérèse is responsible for these gifts.
I did not always believe in the intercession of saints. My religious background cautioned against praying to dead people. In time, my faith taught me that the saints in heaven are very much alive. I believe that God brought the saints before me at a time when he knew I would need their help, and I gratefully embraced his offering of love and care.
In my past skepticism, I tested praying to a saint. When that became unproductive, I rejected the practice. I now understand that one must first believe and pray with faith. It’s important to have the proper disposition when approaching prayer.
I particularly liked two things about this Study Edition of Story of a Soul prepared by Marc Foley. 1) The study guides helped to imprint the material in my memory and that contributed to making the book an important one for me. 2) The appendices added understanding by including additional information not in the body of the text.
As I read of Thérèse’s early life, I found the degree of her spiritual maturity during her youth quite astonishing. Though she lost her mother to cancer at age four, her three older sisters did not neglect their duty to train Thérèse in their family’s Catholic faith. The seriousness with which this undertaking played out was a history lesson in itself. Family life surely has changed since the late 1800’s, and dare I say, not necessarily for the better.
I began to adore this beautiful Little Flower, as she is affectionately known, watching her bloom into the higher and higher levels of grace that God bestowed upon her. It became increasingly difficult to see her physically decline and die to earthly life as a very young woman. I found Thérèse’s courage and the offering up of her suffering to God during her final days spiritually challenging and something to contemplate.
The publication of Thérèse’s writings has allowed her to greatly succeed in her goal of spending her heaven by doing good on earth, and the many miracles claimed by those requesting her intercession have earned her the title of saint. Since completing the book, I have personally requested her help with specific things that are very important to me at the present time. I have experienced a shower of roses from heaven, and I can only think that Thérèse is responsible for these gifts.
I did not always believe in the intercession of saints. My religious background cautioned against praying to dead people. In time, my faith taught me that the saints in heaven are very much alive. I believe that God brought the saints before me at a time when he knew I would need their help, and I gratefully embraced his offering of love and care.
In my past skepticism, I tested praying to a saint. When that became unproductive, I rejected the practice. I now understand that one must first believe and pray with faith. It’s important to have the proper disposition when approaching prayer.
May 8, 2025
It took me longer than necessary to get through this. I kept putting it down after each chapter and thinking, “Is there really anything so great about this?” And then I would spend the next two weeks thinking about said chapter. It was as if St. Thérèse was haunting me. Anyway, I ultimately was deeply impacted by her story and will be thinking about her words for years to come, I am sure.
Also, the study edition is great if you’re looking for song solid and thought provoking reflection at the end of each chapter.
Also, the study edition is great if you’re looking for song solid and thought provoking reflection at the end of each chapter.
November 25, 2025
The autobiographical musings of the great saint and doctor of the Church. Unfortunately, it was not written with an eye to publication, so it is in truth somewhat disorganized and not easy to read. Still, to know that Therese felt what we felt is a great encouragement to do better.
March 11, 2022
Very Beautiful Story of a young Saint Saint Therese Loves Contemplating God and His Love For Us.
October 16, 2022
Excellent. We used this study version as ongoing formation in our Lay Carmelite group.
January 2, 2023
remarkable edition
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews