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Raving Violet
Dead mothers, missing husbands, disgusting dates, perverted "reverends" seductive gurus, infamous ingrates, and cheese thieves. These are just a few of the cast of characters that pepper Valerie Gilbert's true tales in Raving Violet.
Enter the world of a solitary but intrepid New Yorker. Orphaned as a young adult, this divorced, smartass metaphysician has sought solace and insight from philosophers, seances, channels and a path that has, inevitably, led her back to her formidable fortress within.
Join Valerie as she scales the castle walls on her journey for love, sex, sass, a chuckle, and really good chocolate. Love and Loss! Love and Glory! Love and Nausea! Raving Violet has it all.
Enter the world of a solitary but intrepid New Yorker. Orphaned as a young adult, this divorced, smartass metaphysician has sought solace and insight from philosophers, seances, channels and a path that has, inevitably, led her back to her formidable fortress within.
Join Valerie as she scales the castle walls on her journey for love, sex, sass, a chuckle, and really good chocolate. Love and Loss! Love and Glory! Love and Nausea! Raving Violet has it all.
Audible Audio
First published January 17, 2013
About the author
Valerie Gilbert
68 books14 followersMy fourth book, BRILLIANCE BREWING, is now out from Black Opal Books.
I am a healer and mystic from New York City. I teach psychic/spiritual development/personal growth and write about what I know through the lens of memoir, with liberal doses of humor and irreverence. I am an activist. An outspoken truth-teller. And I encourage you to be the same. Welcome to the world of RAVING VIOLET.
I am a healer and mystic from New York City. I teach psychic/spiritual development/personal growth and write about what I know through the lens of memoir, with liberal doses of humor and irreverence. I am an activist. An outspoken truth-teller. And I encourage you to be the same. Welcome to the world of RAVING VIOLET.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 4, 2013
"Raving Violet" by Valerie Gilbert is an inspirational and humorous selection of short essays on a variety of subjects, be that vegan rules, animal welfare, parenthood or medium-ship to name a few.
The author's world is one of meditation, law of attraction and psychic and spiritual development, so for some readers the concepts discussed may be difficult to grasp.
I am familiar with many of them and enjoyed the down to earth and common sense approach Gilbert has in her pieces. She clears up many common and sometimes plain silly misconceptions and hopefully can break down your barriers to open up to new ideas.
However, the writing has the humorous quality of a great stand-up comedian, many pieces made me laugh out loud and were as difficult to get rid of as an infectious laughter bug. The warmth and the kindness of the author comes through very well and made this a surprisingly uplifting experience, even when talking about more difficult matters, such as child abuse and loss.
Gilbert takes the (often negatively perceived) myth out of her mysticism without losing the magic of her subjects, she is an activist with a mind of her own and a sharp reflective and critical power of observation. She walks a tightrope between scepticism and optimistic belief, which makes her in my view a rare find, a non-offensive, thought-provoking spiritual writer that tries to put the world to right.
The author's world is one of meditation, law of attraction and psychic and spiritual development, so for some readers the concepts discussed may be difficult to grasp.
I am familiar with many of them and enjoyed the down to earth and common sense approach Gilbert has in her pieces. She clears up many common and sometimes plain silly misconceptions and hopefully can break down your barriers to open up to new ideas.
However, the writing has the humorous quality of a great stand-up comedian, many pieces made me laugh out loud and were as difficult to get rid of as an infectious laughter bug. The warmth and the kindness of the author comes through very well and made this a surprisingly uplifting experience, even when talking about more difficult matters, such as child abuse and loss.
Gilbert takes the (often negatively perceived) myth out of her mysticism without losing the magic of her subjects, she is an activist with a mind of her own and a sharp reflective and critical power of observation. She walks a tightrope between scepticism and optimistic belief, which makes her in my view a rare find, a non-offensive, thought-provoking spiritual writer that tries to put the world to right.
April 12, 2018
I've listened to many audiobooks by Valerie Gilbert. This was the first book I've read by her. Big fan of hers here!
I was given a free copy of this book by Ms. Gilbert as a birthday present. My husband contacted her to see if she'd do an audio recording for me, which she did (she sang happy birthday!), and sent me her book as well. Needless to say, it was a great birthday!
I think this was the first memoir type book I've ever read; there might have been another book years ago, but I'm not sure. I like how this is written in a rant-type form. I love rants! Both reading about them and making them myself. Prior to reading this book, I knew Mrs. Gilbert was a great narrator that could do a large variety of accents. She was into the metaphysical world, which I find interesting and overall just from my interactions with her through email (when asking for another audiobook), she came across as a nice person. After reading this, I realize that we have several things in common, most importantly, just because humans are smarter than animals (at least some are), doesn't mean that we have the right to whatever we want to them. Animals have feelings and are just as important as humans (again, at least some are). I always love reading stories about animals being rescued. I hate that they were ever in a terrible situation but knowing that it ended up getting better for them is a major plus in my book.
Another area of similarity is regarding negativity. While it may seem easy to get rid of the negative aspects of your life, in my case, I can't and have to deal with negativity on a daily basis. But, after reading about Ms. Gilbert's experiences, I'm hoping I'll be able to change some of that negativity around so it doesn't affect me in such a bad way.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed reading about Ms. Gilbert's life, at least glimpses of it. She sounds like an interesting person based on her experiences, the people she knows/knew, and her beliefs.
I was given a free copy of this book by Ms. Gilbert as a birthday present. My husband contacted her to see if she'd do an audio recording for me, which she did (she sang happy birthday!), and sent me her book as well. Needless to say, it was a great birthday!
I think this was the first memoir type book I've ever read; there might have been another book years ago, but I'm not sure. I like how this is written in a rant-type form. I love rants! Both reading about them and making them myself. Prior to reading this book, I knew Mrs. Gilbert was a great narrator that could do a large variety of accents. She was into the metaphysical world, which I find interesting and overall just from my interactions with her through email (when asking for another audiobook), she came across as a nice person. After reading this, I realize that we have several things in common, most importantly, just because humans are smarter than animals (at least some are), doesn't mean that we have the right to whatever we want to them. Animals have feelings and are just as important as humans (again, at least some are). I always love reading stories about animals being rescued. I hate that they were ever in a terrible situation but knowing that it ended up getting better for them is a major plus in my book.
Another area of similarity is regarding negativity. While it may seem easy to get rid of the negative aspects of your life, in my case, I can't and have to deal with negativity on a daily basis. But, after reading about Ms. Gilbert's experiences, I'm hoping I'll be able to change some of that negativity around so it doesn't affect me in such a bad way.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed reading about Ms. Gilbert's life, at least glimpses of it. She sounds like an interesting person based on her experiences, the people she knows/knew, and her beliefs.
February 16, 2013
Raving Violet is a compilation of Valerie’s Gilbert’s posts of her blog of the same name. If you’d like to take a look, and I recommend that you do, here’s the link http://ravingvioletvalerie.blogspot.com/
Valerie shares with us in her own spirited (pun intended) words, her magical and metaphysical journey through life in the greatest city in the world, New York. She’s led a fascinating life -met some wonderful and not so wonderful people, experienced her fair share of ups and downs, loves and losses, but always lands on her feet empowered and ready to face her next challenge.
While it’s autobiographic in nature, I didn't feel like I was reading the standard autobiography. I felt like I was sitting across the kitchen table from Valerie, bottle of wine between us, having a meaningful and thoughtful but humorous conversation on life, death and the next realm that we’re all going to visit one day.
Grab a copy of this book, you won't be disappointed.
Valerie shares with us in her own spirited (pun intended) words, her magical and metaphysical journey through life in the greatest city in the world, New York. She’s led a fascinating life -met some wonderful and not so wonderful people, experienced her fair share of ups and downs, loves and losses, but always lands on her feet empowered and ready to face her next challenge.
While it’s autobiographic in nature, I didn't feel like I was reading the standard autobiography. I felt like I was sitting across the kitchen table from Valerie, bottle of wine between us, having a meaningful and thoughtful but humorous conversation on life, death and the next realm that we’re all going to visit one day.
Grab a copy of this book, you won't be disappointed.
September 24, 2017
Loved this memoir.
Having the story narrated by the author added another level of connection to the listener. The use of emphasis and voices, made it even more real. I love how honest and raw this book is. I had no idea what it was about going in, but the reviews and the sample intrigued enough. What an great surprise. I can relate to so many things in this story. It was like talking to an old friend, I hadn't seen in a long time.
Having the story narrated by the author added another level of connection to the listener. The use of emphasis and voices, made it even more real. I love how honest and raw this book is. I had no idea what it was about going in, but the reviews and the sample intrigued enough. What an great surprise. I can relate to so many things in this story. It was like talking to an old friend, I hadn't seen in a long time.
August 21, 2018
Have it in audio
Love how Valerie Gilbert had the forsight to write this audio and narrator it. Valerie wrote about ideas that most of us are afraid to think out load . She wants us to stop and think about our every day life’s and think outside the box as they say . Don’t take everything at face value.
Love how Valerie Gilbert had the forsight to write this audio and narrator it. Valerie wrote about ideas that most of us are afraid to think out load . She wants us to stop and think about our every day life’s and think outside the box as they say . Don’t take everything at face value.
May 6, 2015
Raving Violet by Valerie Gilbert For those of you who have followed Valerie Gilbert on her blog, Raving Violet, you won’t be a stranger to the various essays and stories, ramblings and musings, contained in this book. The collection varies from the humorous to the serious, the ranting to the spiritual, the mundane to the extraordinary. Set in New York over some months in 2011 and 2012, Valerie talks candidly about her life, her friends, her dead parents, and her love life (or sometimes the lack of one).
This book starts with a little forward that explains the author’s acknowledged growth as a writer through these essays and blogging. Initially, she was tempted to cut out some of the earlier works, but in the end, she left them in. As a listener, I could see in the space of this one book how her writing skill grew from start to finish.
There were parts of this book that I thoroughly enjoyed and other parts that didn’t do it for me. First, the good stuff. In general, Gilbert is putting a positive message out there centered around trusting oneself. She shares many stories about her own quest to find this center and learning to trust it. Most of the time, I found these stories amusing, and sometimes insightful. I enjoyed her tales of her pets, of good times with good friends, and of food.
Then there were chunks of the book that were kind of ho-hum for me. The author is very much into seances, mediums, channeling, readings, and various spiritual endeavors, teachings, and workshops. These things hold very little interest to me personally. When these tales were more about the story than the message, they held my interest and some I even found amusing and intriguing. However, there were periods where the narrative got hung up on giving a long, and sometimes rambling, spiritual message along with an explanation of the message. These sections were of little interest to me.
I found some of the spiritual endeavors interesting because human behavior is interesting. First, I was a bit surprised at how many people will pay money for some of these activities, teachings, and workshops. That statement is just me showing my ignorance. After all, people tithe churches, so why not pay for a weekend retreat to learn how to develop your psychic abilities? Then there is also the difference between channeling, being a medium, and simply having psychic abilities or being sensitive to another’s spirit. There are actual definitions and various, certified trainings one can take for each of these. The structure that went into classifying and defining these different abilities was a new thought to me.
Apparently there are many, many famous channelers and mediums and psychics out there. Gilbert walks you through some of her personal experiences with some of these famous folk, such as the hugging lady of India. There was also an Irish guru, who’s style and message weren’t to Gilbert’s liking. While Gilbert focused on the positive experiences throughout much of the book, I often found the not-so-positive more fascinating. The author doesn’t believe every self-proclaimed guru, medium, or psychic. Instead, she cautions that each person should listen to themselves first, and then carefully consider any spiritual messages received from without.
All in all, the book had a few gems that had me chuckling out loud or quirking an eyebrow.
Narration: NOTE: I listened to an older version of this book. Since then, the author/narrator has re-recorded this book and I gave it a spot listen (you can download the new version free from Audible if you have the old) and it is a quality audiobook with no background noises. Gilbert was enthusiastic about the book, imbuing it with emotion, humor, shock, awe, warmth, etc.
This book starts with a little forward that explains the author’s acknowledged growth as a writer through these essays and blogging. Initially, she was tempted to cut out some of the earlier works, but in the end, she left them in. As a listener, I could see in the space of this one book how her writing skill grew from start to finish.
There were parts of this book that I thoroughly enjoyed and other parts that didn’t do it for me. First, the good stuff. In general, Gilbert is putting a positive message out there centered around trusting oneself. She shares many stories about her own quest to find this center and learning to trust it. Most of the time, I found these stories amusing, and sometimes insightful. I enjoyed her tales of her pets, of good times with good friends, and of food.
Then there were chunks of the book that were kind of ho-hum for me. The author is very much into seances, mediums, channeling, readings, and various spiritual endeavors, teachings, and workshops. These things hold very little interest to me personally. When these tales were more about the story than the message, they held my interest and some I even found amusing and intriguing. However, there were periods where the narrative got hung up on giving a long, and sometimes rambling, spiritual message along with an explanation of the message. These sections were of little interest to me.
I found some of the spiritual endeavors interesting because human behavior is interesting. First, I was a bit surprised at how many people will pay money for some of these activities, teachings, and workshops. That statement is just me showing my ignorance. After all, people tithe churches, so why not pay for a weekend retreat to learn how to develop your psychic abilities? Then there is also the difference between channeling, being a medium, and simply having psychic abilities or being sensitive to another’s spirit. There are actual definitions and various, certified trainings one can take for each of these. The structure that went into classifying and defining these different abilities was a new thought to me.
Apparently there are many, many famous channelers and mediums and psychics out there. Gilbert walks you through some of her personal experiences with some of these famous folk, such as the hugging lady of India. There was also an Irish guru, who’s style and message weren’t to Gilbert’s liking. While Gilbert focused on the positive experiences throughout much of the book, I often found the not-so-positive more fascinating. The author doesn’t believe every self-proclaimed guru, medium, or psychic. Instead, she cautions that each person should listen to themselves first, and then carefully consider any spiritual messages received from without.
All in all, the book had a few gems that had me chuckling out loud or quirking an eyebrow.
Narration: NOTE: I listened to an older version of this book. Since then, the author/narrator has re-recorded this book and I gave it a spot listen (you can download the new version free from Audible if you have the old) and it is a quality audiobook with no background noises. Gilbert was enthusiastic about the book, imbuing it with emotion, humor, shock, awe, warmth, etc.
January 22, 2014
Raving Violet has at various different points been on Lenora's list, my list, Lenora's list and finally back to my list and is one of the many books that have been waiting several months to be reviewed. It was well worth the wait and I am glad that I was the one to eventually review it!
The book is a series of succinct and extremely well written essays, covering many areas of the author's life, in particular her spiritual and metaphysical leanings. Her effervescent personality quite literally jumps straight off the page at you and while sometimes I found her energy a little overpowering, I always found myself willingly going back for more! The fact that it is in essay form, means that you can pick up and put down the book at will, my only caveat with that is that because each essay feels like a short story in it's own right, then it took me over a week to read the book, which is way longer than the 2-3 days that I prefer to spend reading a book. (I would never read more than a couple of short stories at any one time)
I could maybe have done without the Foreword by Bridgett Walther, Author and the "KUDOS for Raving Violet" by Debbie Christiana at the very beginning of the book as this REALLY grated on me. The way I see it, if I have picked up a book and I am going to read it, then I really don't want some random person telling me how fabulous it is. That said, I do like to see promotions for future works by the same author at the end...
As with any book of this nature, some chapters/essays are always going to appeal more than others and while there were a couple that I felt were a little laboured (the ones with Francois and his "gypsy gal" I love the notion of spirits being bubbles and absolutely adored Chapter 18 in which the author discusses the concept of your alternate futures shifting accordingly depending upon what is going on in your life. As someone who has visited a lot of mediums in her time, then this statement also resonated with me "Two mediums can present very different versions of the same message from the same spirit."
I was fascinated by the author's accounts of the various metaphysical classes and seminars that she attended and as a direct result of reading this book, I will also when time allows, definitely be exploring the work of Lynn Andrews as I am eager to find out more about her Native American teachers, Agnes Whistling Elk and Ruby Plenty Chiefs.
Overall, Raving Violet was a really enjoyable, roller-coaster ride through the spiritual and social life of the author. I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone with an interest in the world of spirit, or the afterlife.
The book is a series of succinct and extremely well written essays, covering many areas of the author's life, in particular her spiritual and metaphysical leanings. Her effervescent personality quite literally jumps straight off the page at you and while sometimes I found her energy a little overpowering, I always found myself willingly going back for more! The fact that it is in essay form, means that you can pick up and put down the book at will, my only caveat with that is that because each essay feels like a short story in it's own right, then it took me over a week to read the book, which is way longer than the 2-3 days that I prefer to spend reading a book. (I would never read more than a couple of short stories at any one time)
I could maybe have done without the Foreword by Bridgett Walther, Author and the "KUDOS for Raving Violet" by Debbie Christiana at the very beginning of the book as this REALLY grated on me. The way I see it, if I have picked up a book and I am going to read it, then I really don't want some random person telling me how fabulous it is. That said, I do like to see promotions for future works by the same author at the end...
As with any book of this nature, some chapters/essays are always going to appeal more than others and while there were a couple that I felt were a little laboured (the ones with Francois and his "gypsy gal" I love the notion of spirits being bubbles and absolutely adored Chapter 18 in which the author discusses the concept of your alternate futures shifting accordingly depending upon what is going on in your life. As someone who has visited a lot of mediums in her time, then this statement also resonated with me "Two mediums can present very different versions of the same message from the same spirit."
I was fascinated by the author's accounts of the various metaphysical classes and seminars that she attended and as a direct result of reading this book, I will also when time allows, definitely be exploring the work of Lynn Andrews as I am eager to find out more about her Native American teachers, Agnes Whistling Elk and Ruby Plenty Chiefs.
Overall, Raving Violet was a really enjoyable, roller-coaster ride through the spiritual and social life of the author. I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone with an interest in the world of spirit, or the afterlife.
April 15, 2015
Pearls of wisdom with a punch and then some!This hell-of-a-woman entertains with her autobiographic thoughts, full of comedic sass, vulgarity and make-sense reverence of who we are and how we can be better AND enjoy living.
Quotes from her essays:
”Don’t postpone joy.”
“Edit your life.”
“Be yourself. We are not our resumes.”
“Confusion is a terrific state of mind to be in.”
“Don’t buy fear, drink water of life, not death.”
My Thoughts: This book was so powerful, that I immediately turned around and started listening to it again. There are so many gems of wisdom that strike a resounding chord within me. I came away with many uplifting and potent thoughts and ideas that it necessitated a second listen.
The author says not to buy fear, but drink the water of life, not death. Just that thought alone makes us realize that so much of our lives are directed by fear.
This woman has grabbed the world, shaken it and never said no, continually searching for her path. I’m now following her blog, eager to hear what other gems of wisdom she spews. Her words and voice are unique. She’s full of sarcasm and symbolism which requires me some deep pondering.
In some of her essays she rants most vehemently, poking a finger where poking is well deserved. Her narrator, with its ever-present sincerity or sarcasm, kept me listening, highly entertained, following her train of thought most tenaciously. I actually snorted several times during the listen. The woman has guts with unbelievable experiences in her continual search of truth.
I have never listened to a book with the writer and narrator one and the same. I was surprised at the excellent quality of the narration, her capability in not only expressing her feelings in words, but narrating them in such an appealing manner.
Her essays touch upon many issues and many had me smirking with a nod of agreement or laughing out loud with her outlandish remarks. I’m most pleased that I won this book as a giveaway on a blog.
Quotes from her essays:
”Don’t postpone joy.”
“Edit your life.”
“Be yourself. We are not our resumes.”
“Confusion is a terrific state of mind to be in.”
“Don’t buy fear, drink water of life, not death.”
My Thoughts: This book was so powerful, that I immediately turned around and started listening to it again. There are so many gems of wisdom that strike a resounding chord within me. I came away with many uplifting and potent thoughts and ideas that it necessitated a second listen.
The author says not to buy fear, but drink the water of life, not death. Just that thought alone makes us realize that so much of our lives are directed by fear.
This woman has grabbed the world, shaken it and never said no, continually searching for her path. I’m now following her blog, eager to hear what other gems of wisdom she spews. Her words and voice are unique. She’s full of sarcasm and symbolism which requires me some deep pondering.
In some of her essays she rants most vehemently, poking a finger where poking is well deserved. Her narrator, with its ever-present sincerity or sarcasm, kept me listening, highly entertained, following her train of thought most tenaciously. I actually snorted several times during the listen. The woman has guts with unbelievable experiences in her continual search of truth.
I have never listened to a book with the writer and narrator one and the same. I was surprised at the excellent quality of the narration, her capability in not only expressing her feelings in words, but narrating them in such an appealing manner.
Her essays touch upon many issues and many had me smirking with a nod of agreement or laughing out loud with her outlandish remarks. I’m most pleased that I won this book as a giveaway on a blog.
May 7, 2013
Raving Violet
Valerie Gilbert
I listened to this book on Audio the narrator is the author herself Valerie Gilbert.
So when I signed on for this I did not know what I was signing on for.
Right now, I am very glad for that.
Valerie took blog posts she has written and put them together in book form then in audio book form where she decided to narrate herself.
This is not an avenue I would recommend for most authors but she pulled it off brilliantly.
The blog posts, ranging from branding to parenthood to decking the cards towards a positive point of life view is entertaining, funny and at stages makes you think.
I loved this.
I'll keep it for this is the type of thing you can listen to over and over and again and keep learning with every listen.
Some of which the author discuss is not part of my life view.
But that is fine.
I read to broaden my horizons not to keep new ideas out.
waAr
Valerie Gilbert
I listened to this book on Audio the narrator is the author herself Valerie Gilbert.
So when I signed on for this I did not know what I was signing on for.
Right now, I am very glad for that.
Valerie took blog posts she has written and put them together in book form then in audio book form where she decided to narrate herself.
This is not an avenue I would recommend for most authors but she pulled it off brilliantly.
The blog posts, ranging from branding to parenthood to decking the cards towards a positive point of life view is entertaining, funny and at stages makes you think.
I loved this.
I'll keep it for this is the type of thing you can listen to over and over and again and keep learning with every listen.
Some of which the author discuss is not part of my life view.
But that is fine.
I read to broaden my horizons not to keep new ideas out.
waAr
February 21, 2013
I was given this book in return for an honest review. I don't even know where to start, so I'm going to just do a big old fashioned run on sentence. This book is chock full of comedy, drama, deception, depravity, sex, love, chocolate and much much more. True stories of Raving Violet's that will have you shaking your head in disbelief at some points, and laughing your butt off at others. I do not normally read this kind of book, I'm all about paranormal fiction, but this was a laugh riot and I sooooo badly want to go to New York now. Go grab it and hang on to your pants. This book is not for kids.
October 9, 2017
The first thing that drew me to this is the narrator's voice! I usually stay away from female narrators, but Ms. Gilbert's voice spoke to me. So much passion, very well spoken, articulate. I started listening out of curiosity, nothing like I listened to before, except Erma Bombeck yeons ago. The stories told by the author from her real life experiences are captivating. Some made me think, some made me laugh out loud and some made me shake my head and what they have in common is that most of us can relate to these. The accents and temperament of the different people she introduces are so wonderfully executed. I loved it all. I am listening to the next one, the Memoirs!
July 8, 2013
This book is a collection of short stories that deal with life. There are so many topics it is impossible to actually say what the theme is except life. Valerie shares her experiences with us in a openly and honestly. We meet her friends, travel her world, basically see through her eyes. Through each of the stories, we are left with a feeling of hope. Valerie is a very spiritual person and her love for humanity is obvious. Interesting style of writing.
I received this from the author for an honest review.
WaAr
January 18, 2014
Raving Violet by Valerie Gilbert
Short stories about a native New Yorker, masterfully written with humor and wit. Some of the topics include, Gurus, her deceased parents, bad dates, seances, mediums and life in New York. Written with a humorous tone, I really enjoyed this writing style.
The stories were, fun , interesting, exciting, fresh and funny. My three favorites were; The Cheese Thief, Love Little the Sun & Remember Mama. I feel non-fiction/memoir and short story readers will enjoy Raving Violet. I highly recommend to readers of all genres.
Short stories about a native New Yorker, masterfully written with humor and wit. Some of the topics include, Gurus, her deceased parents, bad dates, seances, mediums and life in New York. Written with a humorous tone, I really enjoyed this writing style.
The stories were, fun , interesting, exciting, fresh and funny. My three favorites were; The Cheese Thief, Love Little the Sun & Remember Mama. I feel non-fiction/memoir and short story readers will enjoy Raving Violet. I highly recommend to readers of all genres.
January 25, 2013
Well, I wrote the damn thing so I'm going WHOLE HOG and givin' "RAVING VIOLET" FIVE STARS! I hope you buy it. I trust you'll love it! It's a horse of a different color -Spirituality without Sanctimony. Philosophy with Sass. The Divine with Decadence, Conviviality and Absolutely no Condescension! Liberation, Democracy and Outrageousness all smushed into one tiny person (me) and my cockamamie world view. Try it, you'll like it! Valerie
March 24, 2014
I was sent this book for review and found it unusual, intriguing and different.
The series of stories tackle various issues, in themselves an unusual selection in some cases, however, each topic was written head on, some with humour, but overall, coming from an informed mind, one of which could be said to see beyond the 'norm'.
I don't give spoilers but will say that this book is well written and certainly worth a look if you like to exercise your mind.
The series of stories tackle various issues, in themselves an unusual selection in some cases, however, each topic was written head on, some with humour, but overall, coming from an informed mind, one of which could be said to see beyond the 'norm'.
I don't give spoilers but will say that this book is well written and certainly worth a look if you like to exercise your mind.
April 10, 2016
** I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **
I like a good spiritual perception, I feel there is not enough of that in today's society...and this definitely fit that for me...plus it was funny, touching and super interesting...I completely recommend! well worth my time and a credit!! LOVED IT!!!
I listened to the Audio Version...but I believe all versions of this book would be well worth it!
I like a good spiritual perception, I feel there is not enough of that in today's society...and this definitely fit that for me...plus it was funny, touching and super interesting...I completely recommend! well worth my time and a credit!! LOVED IT!!!
I listened to the Audio Version...but I believe all versions of this book would be well worth it!
June 19, 2013
I did find the essay's to be rather interesting though I can't say they were all that inspirational for me. There's plenty of humor used throughout the entire book which is part of what kept me entertained. The writing style is pretty good also and it had a tendency to pull me along. I will say I also felt it was a bit snarky in places.
June 29, 2013
Valerie Gilbert
Raving Violet
This book consists of a compilation of shorts that the author has posted on her blog in the past. It’s an enjoyable read that’s comical at times and covers a vast array of subjects around living in New York. Easy to pick up and put down, I read this over a few days and some really got me thinking about my own thoughts and beliefs.
Raving Violet
This book consists of a compilation of shorts that the author has posted on her blog in the past. It’s an enjoyable read that’s comical at times and covers a vast array of subjects around living in New York. Easy to pick up and put down, I read this over a few days and some really got me thinking about my own thoughts and beliefs.
April 20, 2016
Life and losses are serious business until one turns it on it's ear and learns to deal with it all with wry wit. There are lots of laughs here, and a lot to learn from the author's spiritual journey. I was fortunate to be able to have it on audio, read by the author (truly fantastic this way). Besides giving you a lot of laughs, this book will give you a whole lot to think about.
August 13, 2015
This is a great collection of shorts. They cover different topics, but all have a great point. Accept yourself, you don't need designer items or to have kids when your a kid. Some of these stories made me laugh until I cried. The quotes were perfectly fit into the story. Great quick read. WaAR
April 9, 2016
I listened to the Audible audio version of this book.
"This Was An Awesome Listen, Loved It! "
I enjoyed listening to RAVING VIOLET so much that I had a hard time turning it off to go to sleep. It was filled with life experiences with people she knew, exploring spirituality and the metaphysical. I also always love when I find someone else who reads the Sedona Journal of Emergence. Much, rather ( ALL) of Valerie's book resonated with me at that level. I love the way she calls out the phony psychics. I especially loved the part at the end where she meets with the medium who DID communicate with her mother.
VALERIE GILBERT is an Awesome writer and I suspect she's a pretty cool person. I agree that the other world is right here alongside us. Perhaps not visible but they let us know in their own way.
A few places I bookmarked were where she talked about love being our new baseline, how the heart chakra will be the new root, and above the heart, there'll be a turquoise truth chakra. Also, don't talk about it; be about it, and that she's a spiritual adventurer.
She hands down does a great job narrating her own book. I'd definitely recommend listening to her.
Audiobook received for my honest review.
June 14, 2025
This book is a glimpse into the amazing mind of the author and her life in New York City. The autobiographical work documents her explorations into mystical subject matter, and expresses her optimistic life philosophy with a flavor of biting sarcasm. I became acquainted with Ms. Gilbert through her prolific Facebook postings several years ago. She had become very politically outspoken around 2016 and had gained a huge following. She was working on a fifth book that has still not seen the light of day, and since that time she seems to have vanished from social media and her blog has remained dormant for several years. Valerie, if you are still out there somewhere, please let us know.
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