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English Lessons: The Crooked Path of Growing Toward Faith
The Questions Would Teach Her More Than the Answers
It wasn’t long after arriving in Oxford for graduate school that twenty-two-year-old Andrea Lucado – preacher’s daughter from Texas - faced not only culture shock, a severe lack of coffee, but also some unexpected hard Who am I? Who is God? Why do I believe what I believe?
“So many nights in Oxford, I felt like the details of my faiths were getting fuzzier. Nights turned restless with the questions and the thoughts. I questioned God’s existence and the doubt, it was getting into my bones….”
In this engaging memoir, Andrea speaks to all of us who wrestle with faith, doubt, and spiritual identity. Join Andrea as she navigates the Thames River, the Oxford Atheist Society, romance in ancient pubs—and a new perspective on who God is. As Andrea learned, sometimes it takes letting go of old ideas to discover lasting truth.
It wasn’t long after arriving in Oxford for graduate school that twenty-two-year-old Andrea Lucado – preacher’s daughter from Texas - faced not only culture shock, a severe lack of coffee, but also some unexpected hard Who am I? Who is God? Why do I believe what I believe?
“So many nights in Oxford, I felt like the details of my faiths were getting fuzzier. Nights turned restless with the questions and the thoughts. I questioned God’s existence and the doubt, it was getting into my bones….”
In this engaging memoir, Andrea speaks to all of us who wrestle with faith, doubt, and spiritual identity. Join Andrea as she navigates the Thames River, the Oxford Atheist Society, romance in ancient pubs—and a new perspective on who God is. As Andrea learned, sometimes it takes letting go of old ideas to discover lasting truth.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published May 2, 2017
23 people are currently reading
675 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
June 27, 2017
Andrea writes beautifully and with the voice of a friend sharing a story that means much to her and that you really want to hear. As a memoir, this is delightful and thoughtful and honest. It does not bog down or become self-aggrandizing or self-flagulating the way so many do. It moves forward and shares reflections and scenes without lingering too long.
As a fellow Baptist-raises pastor's kid I especially resonated with parts of her story about the deep grooves church left on life, for better and worse.
As a fellow Baptist-raises pastor's kid I especially resonated with parts of her story about the deep grooves church left on life, for better and worse.
March 30, 2017
I struggled with reviewing this book. As a Christian, a writer, a woman, and one who has traveled in England, I think I know what she's trying to say with this book. The problem is, she doesn't actually say it---and that makes it difficult to decide how to go about evaluating it. The book's subtitle, "The crooked little grace-filled path of growing up" alludes to the author's growth throughout the period of time the book describes. The problem is that she doesn't actually grow---or if she does, she doesn't make that very clear.
Here's what I was expecting when I picked up this book: The cover info implies a physical journey, as well as a spiritual one. I was expecting her to have visited "the roads of England" as the back cover states and to have "grown up" a little spiritually or emotionally during that journey.
Instead, I got 200 pages of a pampered Millennial rambling about her issues with "British culture"---opinions that were based on what she experienced within about a three-mile radius of her classes at Oxford Brookes. {If you don't see the issue with this, imagine someone basing their knowledge and opinion of American culture on only the people, conversations, food choices, accent, and political stances of the people in one state--like New Jersey---or Texas---or Oregon---or Minnesota.}
So fine---not every story has to have a deeply spiritual ending. She's still on her journey---I get that. We all are. My question is--what is the point of this book? It's not encouraging to a mature faith and it's not the greatest example to an immature one. I thought maybe all her mentions of drinking and hangovers would culminate in some choice to maybe lay off the liquor a little in the end---but...nope. I think it's one of those preacher-kid rebellion things where it makes her feel edgy and relatable to talk about all her boyfriends and drunken parties and hangouts with the atheist club. All of this would make a great backstory for a redemption tale. But, by the last page, I'm still not seeing a redemption tale.
Why are we publishing the diaries of a wandering preacher's kid? She's careful not to mention on her site's About Me page that she's Max Lucado's daughter so I get it that she doesn't want to stand on the fame of her father, but the thing is---the people who are going to pick up this book are people who have been reading her father for the last 20+ years. People older than me. Then they're going to be super annoyed that they're reading something that sounds like the whiny kids they just scooted out of the house and which should be very clearly marketed to the back end of the Millennial generation. This is a rant, yes. My point is---there is no solid point to this book. That bugs me. Moving on...
Andrea's back cover says, "What she didn't expect to find was that God would be so much bigger than she believed." She did not reveal a big God here. The constant whining about her circumstances got really old, really fast. 100 pages in, I was still wondering if she was going to have a growing up moment. I'd really had enough of the diva drama. Besides the fact that scores of intelligent women would highly covet the opportunity to study at Oxford and explore England without much responsibility for a year, her spoiled attitude {no microwave, no coffee maker, no instantly heated room, etc...} makes me wonder if this woman even realizes what a real problem is? You know---things like hunger, fear, abuse? It makes me embarrassed for her parents and undermines their credibility to have raised such a selfish drama queen. I kept thinking she was overdramatizing herself in order to come around later and talk about her big revelation and change---but nope. As she says, "I tried to have a very serious and contemplative moment with myself, but I couldn't....I looked the same. Maybe all the clothes I had on were European brands and maybe my hair had grown longer, but overall, still me." If the point of this book is to tell the story of how a spirit-filled girl spends a year in one place without having any sort of spiritual or emotional change, then let's make that plainly known from the outset, shall we?
Now for the redeeming bits...
The mature voice does show itself, if just now and then, in the second half of the book---although the chapter on My Frontlight in the first half of the book provided a great mental picture about how we often need to be carried by those spiritually stronger. I thought her insights in chapter eight were spot on. My favorite quote was this: "If the gospel can be portrayed by someone who isn't even a Christian, it must be an inescapable story. It must be an inescapable story, a thread that runs through everything and everyone." She really does share some great perspectives and truths when she's in the contemplative mood, but her diva-ness obscures a lot of them. Too bad. Sometimes less is more and we writers don't have to share every. single. thing. to be authentic.
Since anyone who has read this far probably already hates me by now, I'm going to go ahead and say this next part and then be done. The author talks a lot about huge cultural differences and how she feels alone. Everyone is "speaking a different language", even though it's all technically English. The problem here is proper education. She nails it on page 26 when she says, "It made me wish I had read more as a child and watched less Saved By The Bell." America's education priorities are ridiculous. {I am aware she was privately schooled. That means little in this case as many are modeled on the same failed system.} Why are we not preparing our children to maturely interact on a global level? Many of the Americans I've traveled with (and some older Canadians, for that matter) come across as very ignorant and irritated when the things we experience in England aren't simple or convenient enough for them. However, when one is traveling, isn't the experience of the new and unexpected the whole point? It's up to us to adapt, not for them to conform. The author's rambling, self-interested dialogue is grating and makes it difficult to understand the point of what she's saying. (13 pages of rambling about a spoon in her tea ends with, "I didn't get it and honestly I still don't." WHAT?!!) If this is how she spoke to the people "over there", I can see why the not-too-wordy British seemed a little standoffish.
In short, the book was full of way too many attempts at artsy poetic-ness and way too little substance. The book needs a resolution---some kind of take-away to make the reader feel like there was a reason for both the writing and the reading of it.
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinionated opinions have been opined without coercion.
Here's what I was expecting when I picked up this book: The cover info implies a physical journey, as well as a spiritual one. I was expecting her to have visited "the roads of England" as the back cover states and to have "grown up" a little spiritually or emotionally during that journey.
Instead, I got 200 pages of a pampered Millennial rambling about her issues with "British culture"---opinions that were based on what she experienced within about a three-mile radius of her classes at Oxford Brookes. {If you don't see the issue with this, imagine someone basing their knowledge and opinion of American culture on only the people, conversations, food choices, accent, and political stances of the people in one state--like New Jersey---or Texas---or Oregon---or Minnesota.}
So fine---not every story has to have a deeply spiritual ending. She's still on her journey---I get that. We all are. My question is--what is the point of this book? It's not encouraging to a mature faith and it's not the greatest example to an immature one. I thought maybe all her mentions of drinking and hangovers would culminate in some choice to maybe lay off the liquor a little in the end---but...nope. I think it's one of those preacher-kid rebellion things where it makes her feel edgy and relatable to talk about all her boyfriends and drunken parties and hangouts with the atheist club. All of this would make a great backstory for a redemption tale. But, by the last page, I'm still not seeing a redemption tale.
Why are we publishing the diaries of a wandering preacher's kid? She's careful not to mention on her site's About Me page that she's Max Lucado's daughter so I get it that she doesn't want to stand on the fame of her father, but the thing is---the people who are going to pick up this book are people who have been reading her father for the last 20+ years. People older than me. Then they're going to be super annoyed that they're reading something that sounds like the whiny kids they just scooted out of the house and which should be very clearly marketed to the back end of the Millennial generation. This is a rant, yes. My point is---there is no solid point to this book. That bugs me. Moving on...
Andrea's back cover says, "What she didn't expect to find was that God would be so much bigger than she believed." She did not reveal a big God here. The constant whining about her circumstances got really old, really fast. 100 pages in, I was still wondering if she was going to have a growing up moment. I'd really had enough of the diva drama. Besides the fact that scores of intelligent women would highly covet the opportunity to study at Oxford and explore England without much responsibility for a year, her spoiled attitude {no microwave, no coffee maker, no instantly heated room, etc...} makes me wonder if this woman even realizes what a real problem is? You know---things like hunger, fear, abuse? It makes me embarrassed for her parents and undermines their credibility to have raised such a selfish drama queen. I kept thinking she was overdramatizing herself in order to come around later and talk about her big revelation and change---but nope. As she says, "I tried to have a very serious and contemplative moment with myself, but I couldn't....I looked the same. Maybe all the clothes I had on were European brands and maybe my hair had grown longer, but overall, still me." If the point of this book is to tell the story of how a spirit-filled girl spends a year in one place without having any sort of spiritual or emotional change, then let's make that plainly known from the outset, shall we?
Now for the redeeming bits...
The mature voice does show itself, if just now and then, in the second half of the book---although the chapter on My Frontlight in the first half of the book provided a great mental picture about how we often need to be carried by those spiritually stronger. I thought her insights in chapter eight were spot on. My favorite quote was this: "If the gospel can be portrayed by someone who isn't even a Christian, it must be an inescapable story. It must be an inescapable story, a thread that runs through everything and everyone." She really does share some great perspectives and truths when she's in the contemplative mood, but her diva-ness obscures a lot of them. Too bad. Sometimes less is more and we writers don't have to share every. single. thing. to be authentic.
Since anyone who has read this far probably already hates me by now, I'm going to go ahead and say this next part and then be done. The author talks a lot about huge cultural differences and how she feels alone. Everyone is "speaking a different language", even though it's all technically English. The problem here is proper education. She nails it on page 26 when she says, "It made me wish I had read more as a child and watched less Saved By The Bell." America's education priorities are ridiculous. {I am aware she was privately schooled. That means little in this case as many are modeled on the same failed system.} Why are we not preparing our children to maturely interact on a global level? Many of the Americans I've traveled with (and some older Canadians, for that matter) come across as very ignorant and irritated when the things we experience in England aren't simple or convenient enough for them. However, when one is traveling, isn't the experience of the new and unexpected the whole point? It's up to us to adapt, not for them to conform. The author's rambling, self-interested dialogue is grating and makes it difficult to understand the point of what she's saying. (13 pages of rambling about a spoon in her tea ends with, "I didn't get it and honestly I still don't." WHAT?!!) If this is how she spoke to the people "over there", I can see why the not-too-wordy British seemed a little standoffish.
In short, the book was full of way too many attempts at artsy poetic-ness and way too little substance. The book needs a resolution---some kind of take-away to make the reader feel like there was a reason for both the writing and the reading of it.
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinionated opinions have been opined without coercion.
August 11, 2017
An interesting look at the young adult daughter of a preacher that questions her faith while spending a year living in England. Equally interesting was the insight into how life is different in England.
September 27, 2017
An honest look at her year at Oxford, Andrea questions her faith. A "preacher' daughter" and growing up in the church gives her a firm foundation that she had never questioned before. Once out on her own in a foreign land and amongst unbelievers she comes to grips with her doubts. She matures quite a lot in this year in England and the essay chapters in her book are introspective and not sugar coated. I expected a bit more of the English life from this but was not totally disappointed.
Read
May 4, 2017In English Lessons, Andrea recounts her year abroad in England, where she went to college. Her voice is fresh and unique, and I found it intriguing to read something that makes it okay to search and ask difficult questions. That’s what this book is comprised of: her struggles, her doubts about faith, and her search for answers all wrapped up in the stories of her time at Oxford. What happens when we are taken completely out of our comfort zones?
The little illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are charming and add a touch of whimsy to this book. They sweetly complement Andrea’s stories and I just really loved that design element.
The chapter on art was the part I most enjoyed. She talks about how if truth is found in art, God is there, too. And I think that’s why I love to read. Art, the written word, can express truth. And that is a powerful thing to realize. That’s why Andrea’s experience at this art conference was one I enjoyed reading in chapter eight.
If you’ve ever been to or are fascinated by England, I think you will enjoy this book and your vicarious travels with Andrea.
*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.*
To see full review, visit https://bookshelvesandwindows.wordpre...
The little illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are charming and add a touch of whimsy to this book. They sweetly complement Andrea’s stories and I just really loved that design element.
The chapter on art was the part I most enjoyed. She talks about how if truth is found in art, God is there, too. And I think that’s why I love to read. Art, the written word, can express truth. And that is a powerful thing to realize. That’s why Andrea’s experience at this art conference was one I enjoyed reading in chapter eight.
If you’ve ever been to or are fascinated by England, I think you will enjoy this book and your vicarious travels with Andrea.
*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.*
To see full review, visit https://bookshelvesandwindows.wordpre...
March 29, 2017
I had the fortune of receiving an ARC of this book and it is wonderful!
May 16, 2017
This wasn't my favorite Oxford-faith-search memoir (Surprised by Oxford wins that category) but this was a fun little read from the daughter of Max Lucado. It was a little scrambled in my opinion, and it didn't seem to have super strong themes or really convicting stories, but it was enjoyable to read and I appreciated some of her thoughts about doubt and identity, especially for those of us who have grown up in church.
January 10, 2025
“When you go somewhere for the first time and you learn so many things there for the first time, you leave, and forever that place, that city, holds so many of your ‘lessons’ that you can’t let it go. It’s just with you forever.”
“In the gritty, unique, odd details are the sights, sounds, and smells that changed us. We were someone before we knew and experienced them. We were someone else after.”
This book is not one that I would've picked up on my own. But when a sweet older man from your home church suggests it, you read it!
I'll be honest. This isn't the best book out there. But as I read Andrea's stories of her year studying abroad in Oxford, I couldn't help but think of Quito and my three years of life in that wonderful city. The above quotes sum it up perfectly - falling in love with another place like this changes you. And for that, I am forever thankful!
“In the gritty, unique, odd details are the sights, sounds, and smells that changed us. We were someone before we knew and experienced them. We were someone else after.”
This book is not one that I would've picked up on my own. But when a sweet older man from your home church suggests it, you read it!
I'll be honest. This isn't the best book out there. But as I read Andrea's stories of her year studying abroad in Oxford, I couldn't help but think of Quito and my three years of life in that wonderful city. The above quotes sum it up perfectly - falling in love with another place like this changes you. And for that, I am forever thankful!
October 21, 2019
I had high hopes for this book. A Christian girl raised in Christian schools from elementary to college has her first experience at a secular school and in another country. She struggled with culture shock, although she could speak English, and was overwhelmed by the lack of a microwave and a toaster. Seriously?? She had a crisis of faith after coming into contact with agnostic and atheist people for the first time in her life. This book made me grateful that I didn’t send my daughters to Christian schools if this is the result. What an isolated, pampered existence. It was tiresome reading about her boyfriends and their debates. Not surprised that none of her relationships worked after her naive views were displayed. Also surprised by her drinking and hangovers - she seemed to acclimate in that area fairly quickly.
I listened to an audio version, read by the author. The sound quality was so poor, that I could hear her turn the pages. Even though she was the author, several passages seemed to be read in a monotone.
I listened to an audio version, read by the author. The sound quality was so poor, that I could hear her turn the pages. Even though she was the author, several passages seemed to be read in a monotone.
May 14, 2023
I accidentally stumbled across this great little book and I’m so happy that I did. The author, Max Lucado’s daughter, writes about her upbringing in Texas and how moving to England for grad school shaped her faith. A definite, recommend for anyone who grew up in church and has questioned if you would still be a Christian if you had not been raised in a Christian community. Andrea is humble, clever, and a gifted writer. I appreciate her transparency and wisdom.
March 16, 2025
she gets it.
September 11, 2017
I'm finished, at last. This just didn't captivate me. Seemed more like a memoir of a year at Oxford with lots about boyfriends. It didn't feel as much like the journey of faith I was expecting. I never got the feeling that Ms Lucado got very close to anyone. I missed hearing more about classes and girlfriends and the day to day happenings. I did not feel the depth I had hoped for. I am grateful to WaterBrook & Multnomah Publishers for sharing this book with me in exchange for an honest review. I'm sorry that it was just not my cup of tea.
October 16, 2017
Andrea Lucado journeyed to rainy, chilly Oxford, England from always-sunny Dallas in hopes of earning a Master's Degree. She did this successfully, but she received so much more than a piece of paper. For a year, the struggled to fit in during a rocky period of self-examination and culture shock. But she pressed on and lived to tell us the tale. I'm so happy she did. I'm happy that a Christian Texan "made it" in Oxford. And I'm happy for all the lessons she learned in the process.
I picked up this book for a few reasons. First off, having just returned from the UK, I felt I would relate to the subject matter. Also, I am near the age Andrea was when she spent time in Oxford. Secondly, I have been reading Mac Lucado books for years, and my dad is obsessed with him. Thus, I was curious about his daughter's life and stories. It doesn't seem fair to compare father and daughter's writing, but I will say that Andrea is a fantastic writer. I am leery of memoirs because they are often melodramatic, but hers achieved a nice balance of hardcore lesson and flowery prose. I enjoyed hearing about her experiences in a land that I now love. She was candid about tough issues, like regret, romance, and eating disorders. I loved the flashbacks to her youth, especially when she attended an Episcopal school. The book makes me nostalgic for a complicated past that I haven't yet lived. Lucado's insights about her Christian faith inspired me to want to write my own memoirs detailing my faith experience. This work stirred me to action, and what more could I ask for in a book?
I picked up this book for a few reasons. First off, having just returned from the UK, I felt I would relate to the subject matter. Also, I am near the age Andrea was when she spent time in Oxford. Secondly, I have been reading Mac Lucado books for years, and my dad is obsessed with him. Thus, I was curious about his daughter's life and stories. It doesn't seem fair to compare father and daughter's writing, but I will say that Andrea is a fantastic writer. I am leery of memoirs because they are often melodramatic, but hers achieved a nice balance of hardcore lesson and flowery prose. I enjoyed hearing about her experiences in a land that I now love. She was candid about tough issues, like regret, romance, and eating disorders. I loved the flashbacks to her youth, especially when she attended an Episcopal school. The book makes me nostalgic for a complicated past that I haven't yet lived. Lucado's insights about her Christian faith inspired me to want to write my own memoirs detailing my faith experience. This work stirred me to action, and what more could I ask for in a book?
May 26, 2017
I enjoyed this book that was a memoir and christian living title rolled into one. It interested me partly for the last name because I'm familiar with her father's books, but I ultimately chose it because I wanted to experience Oxford through a person's eyes who was more than a tourist since she was going to live there for a year, but not really a resident. I was also intrigued by her faith journey because I could relate to growing up in the church and being used to that culture, then going out into the world and meeting people who didn't grow up that way or had left that way behind. The culture shock in England, though, was part of what she had to deal with, along with the way society views religion and faith over there. I didn't have as jarring an experience.
I liked how she thought deeply about things and found meaning and metaphor in different situations. One of the stories she tells is about a battery being stolen from the headlamp on her bike and how it was required to have a light. A friend of hers rode in front of her for weeks so she would have light to see by and she compares that to faith and how we don't do it alone. She talked about people who confused her, who didn't fit neatly into a box, such as her friend, Ben, who used to be a Christian and then had changed his mind. He was a deep thinker and she didn't think he would have made either decision lightly. He made her realize people have more layers than she had thought. I thought it was interesting, too, what she learned at a conference on art and the Christian. Christian should make sure their art portrays the truth, whether it's film-making or music, etc. Maybe instead of thinking of art as Christian or secular, we should ask is it telling the truth or covering up the truth.
I really appreciated her honesty with struggles she had, such as her struggle to share her faith or to even tell people she was a Christian who didn't seem interested and when she had so many doubts and questions of her own. I was also glad for the reminder that our faith isn't static and that we're constantly changing, feeling uncertain, learning and questioning. I could relate a lot to her and her questioning nature and her stories were interesting. She was a talented writer, too, with a poetic and funny voice. I would recommend this book if you like memoirs about faith!
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
I liked how she thought deeply about things and found meaning and metaphor in different situations. One of the stories she tells is about a battery being stolen from the headlamp on her bike and how it was required to have a light. A friend of hers rode in front of her for weeks so she would have light to see by and she compares that to faith and how we don't do it alone. She talked about people who confused her, who didn't fit neatly into a box, such as her friend, Ben, who used to be a Christian and then had changed his mind. He was a deep thinker and she didn't think he would have made either decision lightly. He made her realize people have more layers than she had thought. I thought it was interesting, too, what she learned at a conference on art and the Christian. Christian should make sure their art portrays the truth, whether it's film-making or music, etc. Maybe instead of thinking of art as Christian or secular, we should ask is it telling the truth or covering up the truth.
I really appreciated her honesty with struggles she had, such as her struggle to share her faith or to even tell people she was a Christian who didn't seem interested and when she had so many doubts and questions of her own. I was also glad for the reminder that our faith isn't static and that we're constantly changing, feeling uncertain, learning and questioning. I could relate a lot to her and her questioning nature and her stories were interesting. She was a talented writer, too, with a poetic and funny voice. I would recommend this book if you like memoirs about faith!
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
July 9, 2021
Audio
If I had read this book in my early-to-mid 20s it may have resonated more. But mostly the observations seemed to me sophomoric as the author observes life outside the very Christian bubble of her youth and in a foreign culture for the first time.
Also…you could hear the pages turning as the author read, and that was kind of annoying.
If I had read this book in my early-to-mid 20s it may have resonated more. But mostly the observations seemed to me sophomoric as the author observes life outside the very Christian bubble of her youth and in a foreign culture for the first time.
Also…you could hear the pages turning as the author read, and that was kind of annoying.
August 28, 2017
I received this free from Blogging For Books in exchange for my honest opinion.
Maybe because I studied abroad in Oxford (in fact, Andrea and I just missed being there at the same time) or because I grew up in the church and wouldn't necessarily have it another way, but I really resonated with Andrea Lucado's journey in English Lessons. Her stories are memorable, her writing approachable and engaging. I was left chewing on the conclusions Andrea made at the end of the book weeks after I finished.
The cover is so lovely. I will probably buy a hardback copy so it doesn't have the ARC imprint on the front.
She writes memoir much like Shauna Niequist - descriptive, narrative prose in short chapters. English Lessons is more chronological than Shauna's work, but it has a similar vibe that I find infinitely readable. Not all of Andrea's chapters landed for me as I was reading, but the end of the book seems to make all her stories adhere together with one purpose.
With so many memoirs that tell how growing up in a Christian environment wrecked them, I appreciated Andrea's unique perspective about enjoying her Evangelical upbringing (without discounting the challenges to faith her background brings to the proverbial table).
I also loved her exploration of relationships, how time and confidence and things unsaid can change their trajectory in an instant.
English Lessons is a book I will remember and read again.
Maybe because I studied abroad in Oxford (in fact, Andrea and I just missed being there at the same time) or because I grew up in the church and wouldn't necessarily have it another way, but I really resonated with Andrea Lucado's journey in English Lessons. Her stories are memorable, her writing approachable and engaging. I was left chewing on the conclusions Andrea made at the end of the book weeks after I finished.
The cover is so lovely. I will probably buy a hardback copy so it doesn't have the ARC imprint on the front.
She writes memoir much like Shauna Niequist - descriptive, narrative prose in short chapters. English Lessons is more chronological than Shauna's work, but it has a similar vibe that I find infinitely readable. Not all of Andrea's chapters landed for me as I was reading, but the end of the book seems to make all her stories adhere together with one purpose.
With so many memoirs that tell how growing up in a Christian environment wrecked them, I appreciated Andrea's unique perspective about enjoying her Evangelical upbringing (without discounting the challenges to faith her background brings to the proverbial table).
I also loved her exploration of relationships, how time and confidence and things unsaid can change their trajectory in an instant.
English Lessons is a book I will remember and read again.
November 18, 2017
Once I adjusted my expectations & thought of this simply as a memoir, it was a pleasant read with a touch of arm-chair travel. As a *spiritual* memoir, however, I'm sorry to give it only 2 stars. The author has her faith tested for the first time while in Oxford (of all places!). She writes a great deal of the doubts that begin to plague her. What she does not share, however, is how she moved beyond those doubts to a more deep-rooted faith. Maybe it wasn't fair to expect some apologist influence to shape this story. So, I dropped the *spiritual* and simply enjoyed this as a sweet memoir.
July 25, 2017
In my excitement to read Andrea Lucado’s book, I’m a frequent reader of her father’s, I skipped a key word on the back cover…memoir! In my mind’s eye, I anticipated a logical thread running from beginning to end building to a conclusion …it is, in fact, a meandering, anecdotal recounting of Andrea’s time in Oxford and how it asked her tough questions. Each chapter has a central story to which a question is tied and I related to several of the questions as I am similar in age to Andrea, no Oxford required, life challenges our faith and the clarity of our belief. I enjoyed the “Me too!” moments, laughed at the American meets British culture shocks but, it was a long haul to the end of the book. I am impressed though, as far as first books go, I think Andrea did a great job! I particularly enjoyed Chapter 8’s discussion about secular art in religion, I hope the future holds more books from Andrea with this thought provoking and engaging style! It’s a solid three on the enjoyment scale for me.
A few favourite quotes:
“Even when it looks like it, even when it feels like it, no one is really doing this faith thing alone. No one can do it along. We simply wouldn’t be able to find our way.”
“What helped me that day, more than the details of the lecture, was a man who had gone before, who had asked these same questions and had somehow logically found the answers. And this confidence that lay in someone else’s confidence comforted me greatly.”
“If you get nothing else from this book, please hear this: instant coffee is not coffee. And I would rather drink the hot water by itself, thank you.”
“I learned that I can’t limit God’s presence in the arts, or anywhere for that matter. Stories of sacrifice, death, and life can’t help but reflect Jesus in some way. It’s not up to us to decide where he is and where he is not. If the truth is there, so is he.
A few favourite quotes:
“Even when it looks like it, even when it feels like it, no one is really doing this faith thing alone. No one can do it along. We simply wouldn’t be able to find our way.”
“What helped me that day, more than the details of the lecture, was a man who had gone before, who had asked these same questions and had somehow logically found the answers. And this confidence that lay in someone else’s confidence comforted me greatly.”
“If you get nothing else from this book, please hear this: instant coffee is not coffee. And I would rather drink the hot water by itself, thank you.”
“I learned that I can’t limit God’s presence in the arts, or anywhere for that matter. Stories of sacrifice, death, and life can’t help but reflect Jesus in some way. It’s not up to us to decide where he is and where he is not. If the truth is there, so is he.
April 14, 2019
In English Lessons: The Crooked Path of Growing Toward Faith, Andrea Lucado, a born and bread Texan and preacher’s daughter, rehashes a year’s experience studying at Oxford-Brookes for her Master’s degree. As I’ve been living in England for the past few years, I appreciated her take on being an American juxtaposed against the British despite both cultures being western and English speaking.
In particular, early on in her memoir she writes, “ … I feel out of place here a lot. I feel like I try too hard, with British people especially. I feel like I’m too much or something. Like too loud. And I’m not. Where I come from, people consider me pretty quiet and reserved.” As soon as I read this sentence, I knew Lucado was going to do a brilliant job of capturing what it feels like to be an American in Britain and a Bible believing one at that.
Lucado’s memoir explores uncertainty and doubt in her Protestant faith that she’s never entertained before as she’s far away from her family and friends. Church was the sun in which most of her life’s happenings revolved around as she grew up, for better or worse. Lucado was forced to face her uncertainty and questions in Oxford as this was the first time she’d stepped away from the way of life that influenced her faith.
I didn’t grow up near the Bible belt as a preacher’s daughter like Lucado, but I can relate to her grappling with the struggle of doubting or having questions about the faith she was raised up on.
Her memoir is refreshing in that it’s a simple look, from the perspective of a 22 year old, at the questions we all have at some point in our faith walk if we’ve grown up in the faith. ...
For my full review, please click here: https://heartaftergod.co.uk/a-book-re...
In particular, early on in her memoir she writes, “ … I feel out of place here a lot. I feel like I try too hard, with British people especially. I feel like I’m too much or something. Like too loud. And I’m not. Where I come from, people consider me pretty quiet and reserved.” As soon as I read this sentence, I knew Lucado was going to do a brilliant job of capturing what it feels like to be an American in Britain and a Bible believing one at that.
Lucado’s memoir explores uncertainty and doubt in her Protestant faith that she’s never entertained before as she’s far away from her family and friends. Church was the sun in which most of her life’s happenings revolved around as she grew up, for better or worse. Lucado was forced to face her uncertainty and questions in Oxford as this was the first time she’d stepped away from the way of life that influenced her faith.
I didn’t grow up near the Bible belt as a preacher’s daughter like Lucado, but I can relate to her grappling with the struggle of doubting or having questions about the faith she was raised up on.
Her memoir is refreshing in that it’s a simple look, from the perspective of a 22 year old, at the questions we all have at some point in our faith walk if we’ve grown up in the faith. ...
For my full review, please click here: https://heartaftergod.co.uk/a-book-re...
May 23, 2017
What a profound yet enjoyable book!
I had been looking forward to reading this since I knew about it. Andrea Lucado’s writing style is amazing, so real and faithful to the truth at the same time.
The author’s experiences connected so much with some of my own, especially those regarding doubts and the struggle of being a witness of Jesus in midst of them.
In my walk with God, there was a time in my life when I could not allow myself to speak about my conflicts with faith. I was ashamed of it. However, through the pages of this book I could see a person that dared to be completely honest about it, and that helped me in ways I can't describe. It was so liberating to learn that I'm not alone.
I realized that there are others who’ve been through the same kinds of hardships I’ve experienced, and they found a way in God to grow in the middle of them, and sometimes because of them.
It also amazed me that in this book you won’t find final answers. You will encounter lots of questions and real attempts to solve them, but there won’t be a true sense of closure in any aspect, and I think that’s intentional. You won’t find complete answers because the author herself doesn’t have them; we’re all in a journey learning little by little. There is no way we will have everything figured out on this side of Heaven.
It's a very good book, I enjoyed it a lot, and especially the beginning brought healing to my soul. I’ll be forever grateful for that.
**I received a copy of this book from WaterBrook & Multnomah through Edelweiss+ in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own**
I had been looking forward to reading this since I knew about it. Andrea Lucado’s writing style is amazing, so real and faithful to the truth at the same time.
The author’s experiences connected so much with some of my own, especially those regarding doubts and the struggle of being a witness of Jesus in midst of them.
In my walk with God, there was a time in my life when I could not allow myself to speak about my conflicts with faith. I was ashamed of it. However, through the pages of this book I could see a person that dared to be completely honest about it, and that helped me in ways I can't describe. It was so liberating to learn that I'm not alone.
I realized that there are others who’ve been through the same kinds of hardships I’ve experienced, and they found a way in God to grow in the middle of them, and sometimes because of them.
It also amazed me that in this book you won’t find final answers. You will encounter lots of questions and real attempts to solve them, but there won’t be a true sense of closure in any aspect, and I think that’s intentional. You won’t find complete answers because the author herself doesn’t have them; we’re all in a journey learning little by little. There is no way we will have everything figured out on this side of Heaven.
It's a very good book, I enjoyed it a lot, and especially the beginning brought healing to my soul. I’ll be forever grateful for that.
**I received a copy of this book from WaterBrook & Multnomah through Edelweiss+ in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own**
June 12, 2017
http://www.wendinunnery.com/2017/06/b...
I usually start with the good stuff and leave the cons for way, way down in the review (I'm a people pleaser, okay?) but I'm gonna lead with them this time because they specifically address claims made in the very first paragraph of the book's back cover blurb.
While I thoroughly enjoyed English Lessons, I didn't ever fully get the impression that Lucado "expected to meet God" in Oxford or that she left feeling He was "much bigger than she believed." In fact, it was kind of the opposite. It seemed as though her entire year abroad taught her a great many lessons about growing up, handling relationships, and experiencing connections outside of the American Christian Church, but her doubts about who God is and His role in her life didn't appear to ever get resolved. At least not in the way this book has been marketed. Lucado left for Oxford with doubts and a desire to meet people who didn't see her as just "Max Lucado's daughter"...and seemed to go home with those same feelings, albeit with more maturity and perspective.
Still, that doesn't stop English Lessons from making a great number of solid points about the difficulties of growing into one's faith, most of them in the second half of the narrative. On journaling about her struggles, Lucado wisely opines, "Sometimes faith comes very naturally, and sometimes everything we've ever believed is suddenly thrust under a microscope and we are forced to examine it. It's okay to look. In fact, please look. Because if you don't, what are you looking at instead?"
Good stuff.
(I also really appreciated her ode to coffee earlier in the book. Lucado is a woman after my own heart!)
Most of all, I appreciated Lucado's current insight into personal relationships, especially as the 22-year old Lucado who experienced them was clearly as uncertain as I was in my earlier years. I think if the marketing team in charge of English Lessons had done a little more to focus on that part of Lucado's year in England, rather than prioritizing the book as a faith memoir, my expectations about this read would have been more realistic. I get that the "Max Lucado's daughter" bit makes readers—especially readers like me who grew up reading her father's work—perk up, but it seems like Andrea has already made it pretty clear she's more than just a famous pastor's daughter.
I usually start with the good stuff and leave the cons for way, way down in the review (I'm a people pleaser, okay?) but I'm gonna lead with them this time because they specifically address claims made in the very first paragraph of the book's back cover blurb.
While I thoroughly enjoyed English Lessons, I didn't ever fully get the impression that Lucado "expected to meet God" in Oxford or that she left feeling He was "much bigger than she believed." In fact, it was kind of the opposite. It seemed as though her entire year abroad taught her a great many lessons about growing up, handling relationships, and experiencing connections outside of the American Christian Church, but her doubts about who God is and His role in her life didn't appear to ever get resolved. At least not in the way this book has been marketed. Lucado left for Oxford with doubts and a desire to meet people who didn't see her as just "Max Lucado's daughter"...and seemed to go home with those same feelings, albeit with more maturity and perspective.
Still, that doesn't stop English Lessons from making a great number of solid points about the difficulties of growing into one's faith, most of them in the second half of the narrative. On journaling about her struggles, Lucado wisely opines, "Sometimes faith comes very naturally, and sometimes everything we've ever believed is suddenly thrust under a microscope and we are forced to examine it. It's okay to look. In fact, please look. Because if you don't, what are you looking at instead?"
Good stuff.
(I also really appreciated her ode to coffee earlier in the book. Lucado is a woman after my own heart!)
Most of all, I appreciated Lucado's current insight into personal relationships, especially as the 22-year old Lucado who experienced them was clearly as uncertain as I was in my earlier years. I think if the marketing team in charge of English Lessons had done a little more to focus on that part of Lucado's year in England, rather than prioritizing the book as a faith memoir, my expectations about this read would have been more realistic. I get that the "Max Lucado's daughter" bit makes readers—especially readers like me who grew up reading her father's work—perk up, but it seems like Andrea has already made it pretty clear she's more than just a famous pastor's daughter.
March 16, 2020
3.5 stars, rounded up - A sweet little memoir on growing up and confronting questions of faith, Andrea Lucado's story of her time studying abroad is best read by those who are about to go off to college themselves.
I picked this book up from a friend, and while the writing style is clear with strong descriptions, I wasn't terribly compelled by the story. This is why it took me nearly three months to read it. The tone feels very young, which makes sense as she is focusing on a year in her life as a twenty-two-year-old. But as much as I liked the ideas she explores and the conclusions she reaches, I think this would have more impact on me if I read it when I was the same age. Interestingly enough, our UK study abroad programs overlapped each other, as she was there from 2008-2009 and I was there spring of 2009. But I was more accustomed to British culture and did not struggle in Edinburgh as she did in Oxford. This added level of difference between us made me less sympathetic to the things she complained about, which is more about me as a reader than her as a writer.
Still, her metaphors and explorations are really interesting, and I definitely related to her struggles as an evangelical being challenged for the first time in her faith. If you like memoirs, especially on faith, give this one a try!
I picked this book up from a friend, and while the writing style is clear with strong descriptions, I wasn't terribly compelled by the story. This is why it took me nearly three months to read it. The tone feels very young, which makes sense as she is focusing on a year in her life as a twenty-two-year-old. But as much as I liked the ideas she explores and the conclusions she reaches, I think this would have more impact on me if I read it when I was the same age. Interestingly enough, our UK study abroad programs overlapped each other, as she was there from 2008-2009 and I was there spring of 2009. But I was more accustomed to British culture and did not struggle in Edinburgh as she did in Oxford. This added level of difference between us made me less sympathetic to the things she complained about, which is more about me as a reader than her as a writer.
Still, her metaphors and explorations are really interesting, and I definitely related to her struggles as an evangelical being challenged for the first time in her faith. If you like memoirs, especially on faith, give this one a try!
June 18, 2017
This is a very well written book and enjoyable to read. Andrea shares her faith and her struggles as she goes to Oxford for college. Suddenly, she has to stand on her own beliefs and takes us along on her journey.
She was raised in the church, her father being Max Lucado, and she has, for lack of a better word, taken her faith for granted. She has been around other Christians and had Christian friends her whole life and then she lands at Oxford. Suddenly, she is around others with totally different beliefs and she also has to get used to the new culture.
Andrea has to figure out what she truly believes and why. Many long walks along the Thames help her in her quest to walk more boldly in her faith. I love how she shares the atmosphere of her time in Oxford and what it brought to her faith-wise.
Her writing is poetic, yet readable, and you feel like you are with her on her adventure both in England and on her spiritual journey. It's a lovely book and would especially be great for the young adult who is going to college. However, it's a wonderful read for anyone. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
*This book was provided to me for my honest review by Blogging For Books
She was raised in the church, her father being Max Lucado, and she has, for lack of a better word, taken her faith for granted. She has been around other Christians and had Christian friends her whole life and then she lands at Oxford. Suddenly, she is around others with totally different beliefs and she also has to get used to the new culture.
Andrea has to figure out what she truly believes and why. Many long walks along the Thames help her in her quest to walk more boldly in her faith. I love how she shares the atmosphere of her time in Oxford and what it brought to her faith-wise.
Her writing is poetic, yet readable, and you feel like you are with her on her adventure both in England and on her spiritual journey. It's a lovely book and would especially be great for the young adult who is going to college. However, it's a wonderful read for anyone. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
*This book was provided to me for my honest review by Blogging For Books
June 17, 2020
This was a great read!
As a Brit with imperfect teeth and messy hair I was fascinated by Andrea's observations on the English...(though as others have mentioned, Oxford is not exactly England). I would love to have heard more from her on daily life, her course, her dissertation and her church.
St Aldate's is such a great community of faith- it is strange to me that it didn't feature more. So that is why it is a four star rating and not five.
The shining positives for me were: the winding back and forth of the narrative- I loved the non-linear reflections and connections which joined up so many dots past and present. (eg eating disorders and overgrown gardens). And her candid disclosure of things in way that could seem to be sacrilegious (envy of the agnostic) or plain trivial (coffee, microwave). It is real stuff that makes us human.
Appreciated the lack of exclamation marks and constant bouncy emphasis that is so typical of American memoirs.
Finally- just appreciated her love of location and place and the way that you can appropriate a place in time as being your very own.
As a Brit with imperfect teeth and messy hair I was fascinated by Andrea's observations on the English...(though as others have mentioned, Oxford is not exactly England). I would love to have heard more from her on daily life, her course, her dissertation and her church.
St Aldate's is such a great community of faith- it is strange to me that it didn't feature more. So that is why it is a four star rating and not five.
The shining positives for me were: the winding back and forth of the narrative- I loved the non-linear reflections and connections which joined up so many dots past and present. (eg eating disorders and overgrown gardens). And her candid disclosure of things in way that could seem to be sacrilegious (envy of the agnostic) or plain trivial (coffee, microwave). It is real stuff that makes us human.
Appreciated the lack of exclamation marks and constant bouncy emphasis that is so typical of American memoirs.
Finally- just appreciated her love of location and place and the way that you can appropriate a place in time as being your very own.
May 20, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. Andrea had some great stories and thought provoking comments on Christianity and our lives today. The book focuses on her college years at Oxford and the cultural differences and how she had to decide for herself why she was a believer. The first part of the book I enjoyed the most and it got a bit slow in the middle. I think that I could relate to this book because of how I was raised, for others they might not. One main thing that I found to be important is how she kept saying she was a Christian because her dad was. This was part of her struggle and how she searched for more than that. While thankful for her upbringing, it is important for everyone to believe in something because of their own studies life lessons. Why do you believe what you do? You aren't a Christian just because your parents are. So I am glad the subject was brought up and I enjoyed reading Andrea's journey.
Four stars.
"I received this book from Blogging for Books for free. All opinions are my own."
Four stars.
"I received this book from Blogging for Books for free. All opinions are my own."
June 26, 2017
One might expect the daughter of a best-selling author to have picked up a few tricks from dear old dad over the years. Andrea Lucado meets those expectations, but devotees of Max Lucado and his inspirational Christian messages will find the prose of his middle daughter more reflective than prescriptive, more instinctive than instructive.
Miss Lucado's first book, English Lessons: The Crooked Path of Growing Toward Faith is a charming account of her year abroad studying for her masters in English at Oxford-Brookes University. She shares her fears and excitement navigating the culture and customs of a foreign country, describes a colorful cast of characters who shaped and sharpened her journey, and offers an honest view of how the experience led her to an even more foreign place of questioning God's existence and her own Christian faith.
Baby-boomers have long admired Max Lucado's brand of spiritual encouragement. Millennials will relate to the authenticity of Andrea Lucado's faith journey and the hope it inspires.
Miss Lucado's first book, English Lessons: The Crooked Path of Growing Toward Faith is a charming account of her year abroad studying for her masters in English at Oxford-Brookes University. She shares her fears and excitement navigating the culture and customs of a foreign country, describes a colorful cast of characters who shaped and sharpened her journey, and offers an honest view of how the experience led her to an even more foreign place of questioning God's existence and her own Christian faith.
Baby-boomers have long admired Max Lucado's brand of spiritual encouragement. Millennials will relate to the authenticity of Andrea Lucado's faith journey and the hope it inspires.
June 21, 2019
This was a good book. It was fun, humorous, raw and real. I didn't have many expectations going into it and wasn't sure what it was going to be all about, but I found Andrea's personal memoir fun and inspiring. I myself studied abroad for a semester at Oxford during my undergrad, so reading Andrea's experiences brought me through my own trip down memory lane.
I got a little confused halfway through the book not quite understanding what her purpose was. There were times when I felt like she was going down a rabbit trail and I began to lose some interest. Other times I was left wanting way more detail than she disclosed. I can't really fault her because that is the nature of a memoir.
I appreciated her thoughts and ponderings about her faith. I appreciated her honesty in dealing with her doubts, fears, and other theological questions. And finally, I appreciated her willingness to engage and enter the gray with all types of people - Christians, agnostics, atheists, etc... Her experience has much to encourage, teach, and inspire anyone navigating life's most important questions.
I got a little confused halfway through the book not quite understanding what her purpose was. There were times when I felt like she was going down a rabbit trail and I began to lose some interest. Other times I was left wanting way more detail than she disclosed. I can't really fault her because that is the nature of a memoir.
I appreciated her thoughts and ponderings about her faith. I appreciated her honesty in dealing with her doubts, fears, and other theological questions. And finally, I appreciated her willingness to engage and enter the gray with all types of people - Christians, agnostics, atheists, etc... Her experience has much to encourage, teach, and inspire anyone navigating life's most important questions.
June 5, 2017
I'm a sucker for anything to do with Oxford, having had a family member live there for many years, so when I saw this audiobook available for review I jumped at the chance. It's a lovely short memoir beautiful written in a poetic style making it a delightful listen. As I Brit listening to an American struggle with a new country, language and culture I cringed at times but also laughed as she got to grips with it all.
Sometimes when an author reads their own book it doesn't always work for me, as they can seem unsure and rather mechanical. Fortunately Andrea Lucado read this perfectly, full of emotion as if she was reliving each moment as she was reading. I particularly enjoyed her recollections of giving up caffeine for Lent, going along to the Oxford Atheist Society, and getting used to living without a microwave.
I definitely recommend this for anyone going off to college or moving to a different country and suggest it could be used in a youth group setting or given as a gift to a new student.
Thanks so much to christianaudio.com's reviewers program for my free copy.
Sometimes when an author reads their own book it doesn't always work for me, as they can seem unsure and rather mechanical. Fortunately Andrea Lucado read this perfectly, full of emotion as if she was reliving each moment as she was reading. I particularly enjoyed her recollections of giving up caffeine for Lent, going along to the Oxford Atheist Society, and getting used to living without a microwave.
I definitely recommend this for anyone going off to college or moving to a different country and suggest it could be used in a youth group setting or given as a gift to a new student.
Thanks so much to christianaudio.com's reviewers program for my free copy.
October 27, 2017
This book chronicles one year of the author's life, living in Oxford and getting her master's degree, doubting and believing and asking questions. It was really lovely to read. Andrea's voice is light and honest; she is unafraid to tell the truth. Her story is encouraging to someone like me, whose faith was formed at a young age by the experience of living in the family God made me a part of. I'm not a Christian because my parents are Christians, that isn't how it works, but God used my family and environment to lead me to Himself. And even though I believe, I have questions and need more faith day by day. Also this book made me want to visit Oxford again... Her descriptions of that beautiful town are so inviting.
November 8, 2017
A sweet little book. I appreciate Lucado’s honesty. I stopped reading a couple times I think because I wasn’t connecting. She shares that she grew up in a Christian home with a pretty sheltered life, and it is obvious in this book. She just feels young if that makes sense. And not that that is bad! It just was hard at times to keep going. And I felt a bit defensive of the British culture that she criticizes, but again I know it was her journey. The way she described her experience just made me cringe a little. It felt a bit harsh and extreme. Overall a good, easy read. I have a few nuggets I will keep with me.
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