The Enduring Melody

by Michael Mayne

A moving and tender meditation on loving, living and dying by one of the greatest Anglican spiritual writers. Michael Mayne, author of three of the best-selling spirituality titles of recent years, Learning to Dance, Pray, Love, Remember, and A Year Lost And Found, set out to complete a final book that would tackle the linked questions of what is the solid ground of a belief which for him has proved authentic and survived into old age, and how ageing may affect us physically, mentally and spiritually. On completing it, he discovered that he was suffering from cancer of the jaw, and in a nine-month journal he reflects (among much else) on whether his faith stands firm, and where God may be found in the challenging country of cancer. The Enduring Melody is a moving and tender meditation on loving, living and dying by one of the greatest living Anglican spiritual writers. Michael Mayne is the former head of religious programmes at the BBC and Dean Emeritus of Westminster.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Spirituality

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Ann Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Christian humanist perspective on lovingkindness and the value of believing in God from a well-known (in the UK) Anglican priest who was open-minded and widely experienced; this would be an excellent read for a Christian going into health care as a profession, especially someone dealing with cancer care or elder care.

Mayne writes of his faith but not in a thou-shalt way. Very touching and honest, including the usefulness of doubts and the inevitability of fear as one faces death.

Christian readers will probably like this book better than non-religious or non-Christian people, and Mayne is unlikely to persuade anyone to become a Christian--but that is not his purpose here at all. He explores, most of all, the importance of love, agape, compassion among human beings. One need not be a believer of any kind to appreciate that aspect of his writing.

For people who have no patience with religious thinking, this book may prove irritating in places--because Mayne is truly a believer in his Christ and his all-embracing God. Despite making all kinds of connections between diverse ways of valuing human beings, he does tend to lean on his personal beliefs. Which is fine, really, since during the last half of the book he is being treated for, and dying from, jaw cancer, and the personal part of his narrative must embrace his personal beliefs.

More "fundamental" types of Christians may find Mayne too "liberal." But his thinking, his approach to Christianity and fellowship, reminds me very much of the kind of Christian thinking I was raised with (my father is not an Anglican priest but he is an ordained minister and, like Mayne, was extremely well educated by good universities in the early 1950s).

So while I liked the book very much in some ways I am not sure I'd recommend it to everyone.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

What started as a reflection on life as a Christian turned into a diary of dealing with cancer, from a physical, emotional and spiritual point of view. A brilliant book but not an easy read.