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Mountain Breezes
Book by Carmichael, Amy
472 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1999
38 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Amy Carmichael
130 books332 followersAmy Wilson Carmichael was a Protestant Christian missionary in India, who opened an orphanage and founded a mission in Dohnavur. She served in India for 55 years without furlough and wrote many books about the missionary work there.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 1, 2015
Some of her poetry is incredible, beautiful, and thought provoking. If you'd like to save the best 'til list, get the last two chapters out of the way. :) Definitely some beautiful pieces I'll want to go back to.
May 12, 2023
I have been slowly reading through this wonderful book of Amy Carmichael s collected works of poetry. It really is a gem. I have loved it and plan to revisit it again in the future and even incorporate it into the kids homeschool. I'd recommend it to anyone one who likes poetry or Amy Carmichael's writing!
March 10, 2015
A beautiful book of poems that I enjoy reading and re-reading!
December 29, 2024
“For who can contain the zephyrs which sweep refreshingly across the mountainous terrain? And such are these ‘mountain breezes’...the same Spirit who moved the heart of His servant to express herself in these vibrant stanzas will captivate your heart and mind also as you enter into the cascade of these inspiring words…The love which formed the climate of the Carmichael home was sinewy…holding the conviction of her father side of the family and the courage of her mother side.”
As a 21st century, social media saturated reader, I was struck by the contrast between the Kardiashian motto: “I haven’t come this far just to come this far and not be happy” and their Carmichael predecessor: “Thou hast not brought us, Lord, so far To leave us without pilot star.” May my life be characterized by the latter! Below is a patchwork kaleidoscope of my favorite quotes:
“Holy Husbandman, I pray
Keep the field of my Today…
Who miscalled calamity
That which perfecteth thy story…
Where should my nest be,
Dear Lord, but in Thee?...
In my tall Tree of Life my nest is set,
Sheltered by careful leaves from winds that fret…
Under Thy covering wings Thy bird would dwell;
Safe nested in my Tree, all, all is well…
Before my face a mountain frowns,
Above me all the sky is grey;
The mist is lying on the downs;
But Thou dost know the way.”
In a society polluted by the chaos of sin, Amy Carmichael’s Mountain Breezes is a breath of fresh air.
As a 21st century, social media saturated reader, I was struck by the contrast between the Kardiashian motto: “I haven’t come this far just to come this far and not be happy” and their Carmichael predecessor: “Thou hast not brought us, Lord, so far To leave us without pilot star.” May my life be characterized by the latter! Below is a patchwork kaleidoscope of my favorite quotes:
“Holy Husbandman, I pray
Keep the field of my Today…
Who miscalled calamity
That which perfecteth thy story…
Where should my nest be,
Dear Lord, but in Thee?...
In my tall Tree of Life my nest is set,
Sheltered by careful leaves from winds that fret…
Under Thy covering wings Thy bird would dwell;
Safe nested in my Tree, all, all is well…
Before my face a mountain frowns,
Above me all the sky is grey;
The mist is lying on the downs;
But Thou dost know the way.”
In a society polluted by the chaos of sin, Amy Carmichael’s Mountain Breezes is a breath of fresh air.
June 28, 2020
A gift from my aunt, who also loves poetry and God. Mountain Breezes is the full collection of poetry written by Amy Carmichael, a Catholic missionary from England who spent most of her life working in India caring for orphans, neglected children, and fighting sex trafficking and child prostitution in temples. The book is arranged by theme, each section devoted to a different theme. I did actually like this major division. It makes it easier to find what poems you need, whether you need encouragement, assurance, reminders of God’s power and awe, etc. There were quite a few poems that I highlighted or dog-eared in the book. Carmichael has a fairly simple way of writing they makes it easy to understand. She does use a lot of thees, thous, etc (she lived from late 1800s-mid 1900s) but otherwise it is simple, lovely, and rhythmic.
I will say I enjoyed the first half-2/3 of the book more than the last couple of sections, and sometimes I would tire easily of reading the poems. I think this is at least partly because within the major thematic divisions, poems are arranged by sub-theme and other similarities. So you’ll have a bunch of poems all together referencing Fire, a bunch of poems about prayer, about nature, etc. I would have preferred to see the poems arranged chronologically within those same major divisions. Especially considering she wrote about faith so much, it would have been interesting to see her own growth as a Christian as well as the context in which she was writing. For example, there’s a series of poems praying over sick/dying children. What was going on (as seen through other poems written around that time), how was the situation impacting her faith, etc. I wanted the arrangement to further humanize Carmichael.
I will say I enjoyed the first half-2/3 of the book more than the last couple of sections, and sometimes I would tire easily of reading the poems. I think this is at least partly because within the major thematic divisions, poems are arranged by sub-theme and other similarities. So you’ll have a bunch of poems all together referencing Fire, a bunch of poems about prayer, about nature, etc. I would have preferred to see the poems arranged chronologically within those same major divisions. Especially considering she wrote about faith so much, it would have been interesting to see her own growth as a Christian as well as the context in which she was writing. For example, there’s a series of poems praying over sick/dying children. What was going on (as seen through other poems written around that time), how was the situation impacting her faith, etc. I wanted the arrangement to further humanize Carmichael.
December 29, 2025
One of my favorite poetry collections! It is stuffed full of rhyming pieces that encourage, speak truth, challenge, point out beauty, and ultimately, honor God. A section of child-like pieces remind me to live and look at life "like a child," and they delight my younger siblings. :) (We laugh so hard at "The Butterfly!") I am thankful for the unabashed truth in these pages, and they are sweet encouragements to continue on as a follower of Christ. <3 Beautiful poems to draw your mind to Jesus.
January 22, 2023
To read again and again!
July 9, 2022
Amy Carmichael was not a great poet, but she wrote a few great poems. I have read through the book more than once, as a help in my devotion to Christ, and several poems have become my favorites for beauty and truth.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews