The Spiral Staircase: A Gripping Memoir of Faith and Self-Discovery in the Modern World
by Karen Armstrong (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (756)
===
CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Praise
Epigraph
Preface
1 Ash Wednesday
2 The Devil of the Stairs
3 I Renounce the Blessèd Face
4 Consequently I Rejoice
5 Desiring This Man's Gift and That Man's Scope
6 The Usual Reign
7 Infirm Glory
8 To Turn Again
Keep Reading
P.S. Ideas, Interviews & Features...
About the Author
Interview With Karen Armstrong
About the Book
Extract from Through the Narrow Gate
Read On
Have You Read?
If You Loved This You'll Like ...
Find Out More
About the Author
Also by the Author
About the Publisher
==
A raw, intensely personal memoir of spiritual exploration from one of the world’s great commentators on religion.
After seven years in a convent, which she left, dismayed by its restrictions, an experience recounted in ‘Through the Narrow Gate’, Karen Armstrong struggled to establish herself in a new way of life, and became entrapped in a downward spiral, haunted by despair, anorexia and suicidal feelings.
Despite her departure from the convent she remained within the Catholic Church until the God she believed in 'died on me', and she entered a ‘wild and Godless period of crazy parties and numerous lovers’. Her attempts to reach happiness and carve out a career failed repeatedly, in spectacular fashion. She began writing her bestseller ‘A History of God’ in a spirit of scepticism, but through studying other religious traditions she found a very different kind of faith which drew from Christianity, Judaism and Islam and, eventually, spiritual and personal calm.
In her own words, her ‘story is a graphic illustration – almost an allegory – of a widespread dilemma. It is emblematic of a more general flight from institutional religion and a groping towards a form of faith that has not yet been fully articulated but which is nevertheless in the process of declaring itself’. Her lifelong inability to pray and to conform to traditional structures of worship is shared by the many who are leaving the established churches but who desire intensely a spiritual aspect to their lives.
‘The Spiral Staircase’ grapples with the issue of how we can be religious in the contemporary world, and the place and possibility of belief in the 21st-century.
========
What are popular highlights?
The one and only test of a valid religious idea, doctrinal statement, spiritual experience, or devotional practice was that it must lead directly to practical compassion.
Highlighted by 678 Kindle readers
Compassion has been advocated by all the great faiths because it has been found to be the safest and surest means of attaining enlightenment.
Highlighted by 566 Kindle readers
=============
Product description
Review
‘An exceptionally impressive autobiography…Karen Armstrong’s account of her spiralling journey provokes thought and inspires respect.’Daily Telegraph
‘The book deserves many readers…Karen Armstrong must be a woman of iron to have survived, made a career and a life.’ Hilary Mantel
‘Admirably lucid…she gives a more exact and vivid account of the pleasures of writing than any I have seen.’ Sunday Times
‘Unputdownable – absorbing, moving.’ Daily Mail
‘A subtle and funny memoir.’ Sunday Telegraph
‘Armstrong manages to put into words something that most of us cannot express.’ New Statesman
From the Inside Flap
The moving story of her own search for God by the highly-acclaimed author of the bestselling A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam; The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism; and Islam: A Short History.
In 1969, after seven years as a Roman Catholic nun -- hoping, but ultimately failing, to find God -- Armstrong left her convent. She knew almost nothing of the changed world she was entering, and she was tormented by panic attacks and inexplicable seizures. Her struggle against despair was fueled by a string of discouragements -- failed spirituality, doctorate and jobs, fruitless dealings with psychiatrists -- but finally, in 1976, she was diagnosed with epilepsy and given proper treatment. She then began the writing career that would become her true calling, and as she focused on the sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, her own true inner story began to emerge. She would come to experience brief moments of transcendence through her work -- the profound fulfillment that she had not found in the long hours of prayer as a young nun.
Powerfully engaging, often heart-breaking, but lit with bursts of humour, The Spiral Staircase is an extraordinary history of self.
"From the Hardcover edition.
Read more
Publisher : Harper Perennial
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : 9 June 2016
Edition : New Ed
=======
==
From Australia
- Reviewed in Australia on 5 July 2019This is a multi layered book
From other countries
- TejasReviewed in India on 23 August 2020
Compassion is the new religion.
The struggle of Karen and her discovery of the new religion which has been oblivious too and which was present in all the religions of the world gives the underlying idea that all comes down to compassion. There are some brilliant insights in the last chapter of the book. - OliverReviewed in the United States on 18 September 2017
This memoir is gripping, fascinating and thought provoking.
This memoir is gripping, fascinating and thought provoking. It is full of passion and human pathos, tragedy and triumphs, affliction and misfortune, it speaks to every human heart. The author had a very rough life indeed. Always a social outcast, the weirdo of the class she always felt like a failure. She also suffered from epilepsy and she didn't even know it. To make matters worse she voluntarily chose to live the convent life for seven years, but it took a deadly toll on her and it took her years to recover after she left the convent. Though she failed again and again she never quite gave up. The author possesses a very deep and analytical mind. A brilliant writer herself she takes the reader through all the stages and explains in detail exactly how she felt in every step of her way (which i found very intriguing). Her religious life is as unpredictable as her secular life, she starts off as a nun and then becomes disgusted with Christianity and organized religion in general, she is so scarred that she stops going to church and starts doubting that there is a god. Only much later is she inspired and converts, she develops a new idea of religion and theology.
Though i do not agree with most of her points on religion, neither do i accept her radical understanding of god, i still think this book deserves a read, it will give you a fresh perspective on religion. Almost everyone that was or is still religious can relate to her, everyone harbors doubts about god and religion and has moments of disgust and moments of inspiration. (Note that the author does not defend the institution of religion. Actually it mocks religion more than it defends it. The author also makes it very clear that even after her conversion she still does not believe in a personal god, so she is basically an atheist, and her religion resembles Buddhism and the eastern traditions more than the Abrahamic faiths--a kind of godless religion which i don't find particularly inspiring). - Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on 27 November 2017
Oh yes
A spiritual journey that does not require believing 20 impossible things before breakfast. The mood of the writing changes as the author goes through her journey. - Ukhuman1stReviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 April 2009
A Journey Towards the Light
One of the reviewers on here refers to Karen Armstrong's book as "a memoir of her journey from nowhere to nowhere along a path of self pity". I could not disagree more. Any autobiography might be considered self-indulgent in its tacit assumption that the author's life might be of interest to others but, frankly, it might very well be. And in Karen Armstrong's case this and her previous book, 'Through the Narrow Gate' (which I would recommend people to read first), provides a fascinating insight both into the brain-washing that nuns were expected to endure in the 1960s and the impact that had on a young vulnerable individual trying her level best to come closer to the concept of God with which she had been indoctrinated. The idea that she is some kind of whining egotist, after many years of undergoing mental suffering in which she steadfastly refused to blame anyone else other than herself for failing to achieve her goal, is one I find impossible to accept. On top of that she had to cope with the extreme indifference shown to her manifestations of illness while struggling to build her life anew once she knew that her life as a nun could not continue. And anyone who has read her other books can see that, far from ending up nowhere, she has gained huge insights into some of the most profound problems that religion poses for the world today. Of course, I would not deny that in writing her book, Ms Armstrong probably gained some huge emotional benefit in terms of her own self-understanding, but I feel highly privileged and grateful that she has chosen to share her journey with us. I would thoroughly recommend it. - JC ReaderReviewed in the United States on 21 July 2006
It is all about empathy....
Unlike many books about faith, religion, and spirituality, this book gave me new, transformative insights that are helping me to live a more meaningful, caring life.
Perhaps she was fated to fail - in the traditional sense - as a religious person, by her capacity and drive to feel and think deeply about the fundamental nature of life. However, it is as a result of this strength that Karen Armstrong has allowed herself to come face to face with the essence of God. She has asked the hardest questions about religion and faith, and has found answers that ring true with her deepest intuition and intellect.
In "The Spiral Staircase," she describes how she began to move toward this understanding as she left the convent and eventually the Catholic Church. Through study and experience, she came to believe that, "If you slavishly follow somebody else's ideas, you will be impoverished and impaired." This belief pushed her to find a new way of thinking and a new way of being. She found that, "... the religious quest is not about discovering `the truth' or `the meaning of life' but about living as intensely as possible here and now."
In the end, it is all about empathy. Amidst her intense study of all world religions, she found that, "If your understanding of the divine made you kinder, more empathetic, and impelled you to express this sympathy in concrete acts of loving-kindness, this was a good theology. But if your notion of God made you unkind, belligerent, cruel, or self-righteous, or if it led you to kill in God's name, it was bad theology. Compassion was the litmus test...." How beautifully simple!
These revelations resonate deeply with me as does her way of learning and growing. Her writing is clear and her approach is considered and humble. I am thankful that she has chosen to spend her life expanding her understanding and sharing her enlightenment with the rest of us.
Highly recommended! - CustomerReviewed in Canada on 25 February 2018
Five Stars
Good - beadleReviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 September 2012
--- Karen Armstrong Autobiography --
I had not heard of Karen Armstrong until the leader of a study group which I attend read a passage from one of her books. By chance I found this autobiography in one of my local libraries. I found the book quite absorbing and was genuinely interested in the obstacles and successes that Karen Armstrong met in her life. I mentioned the book to the aforementioned study group leader and he borrowed the book from the same library. When next I met with him he was profuse in his thanks for making the book known to him. He said it was one of the best books he had ever read. Given that his bookcases occupy space from floor to ceiling, this was quite a well deserved compliment to Karen Armstrong. - DeepsReviewed in India on 16 April 2015
Beautiful take away messages, refreshing tale
Beautiful take away messages from this great writer. Not as engaging as her first book Through the narrow gate but interesting indeed, the way she assimilated herself into 'secular' world, faces 'seeming failures' till she finds her real 'vocation' - writing on comparative religion with focus on the commonalities between faiths & compassionate understaking for interreligious mediations post 12/11 in the US. "Never give up till you find where your heart is!" And again, her return to the 'fold of God' in her own personal way, far removed from any social or communal settings or pressures, her exposure and appreciation of all three semitic religions in depths - very refreshing tale! Good read
- stwkReviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 June 2018
This book is as good as the first one and I enjoyed reading it ...
After finishing 'Through the Narrow Gate' I was very curious about how the author managed to adapt to the 'outside' world. This book is as good as the first one and I enjoyed reading it immensely. It does however repeat some of the convent stories at the beginning unnecessarily, in my opinion. I understand that perhaps a reason for it was that the two books were written many years apart. Also I was looking forward to learning about the author's initiation into sexual life since she stressed quite a lot in the first book that she hadn't known anything about it. She mentions it briefly, but I found the 'wild and Godless period of crazy parties and numerous lovers’ sentence from the book's summary a great exaggeration. - jodakid333Reviewed in the United States on 18 July 2013
The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness
I am enjoying reading this book. Though I am not a nun, personally I have spent most of my life studying and researching religions in the quest of understanding and to know what "It's/God/ Spirit" is all about. I don't share Karen Armstrongs strong negative feelings, obvious her experience was rather traumatic one. What I have concluded in my personal quest is that "God/Spirit" is unknowable in human terms, He/It is the source of All there is, so our so-call searching for God is like the dog who continously chase his tail thinking his tail is a different being apart from himself. God is us, we are Gods as rabbi Jesus of Nazarette said. All we need is to stand still and quiet our endless mind chatter and listen, truly learn to listen. - Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on 16 July 2016
Five Stars
This is a book for the ages - Jaysukh shahReviewed in India on 26 August 2018
Er
More detailed and longish details with her sojourn with Hans family. - HemaniReviewed in India on 13 March 2021
Useless worthless book.
Useless. Pure waste of time. - Jean-Pierre LambertReviewed in Canada on 5 October 2016
Five Stars
Je suis satisfait - MamazabakakaReviewed in the United States on 16 April 2004
A light in the darkness
The first time I ever read a book by Karen Armstrong, I was recovering from a naive conversion to Catholicism. I had taken instruction and joined up, hoping to find a stronger sense of the sacred in my religious experience than I had known previously. After 3 years of trying my best, I was convinced there was something lacking in me. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO WOMAN was so germane to my disappointment and confusion, I almost felt it was divinely sent. When I finally admitted that Roman Catholicism didn't work for me, I was haunted with doubts that I might be spiritually "wishy-washy" (as one other reviewer chose to characterize Ms. Armstrong), but in spite of that, I knew that sticking with a decision made as a teenager that I had come to see was wrong, was just stupid. I still needed to find my way to a relationship with God. I continued to search for a religious position that I could trust for the next 30 years, sometimes coming upon nuggets of gold, often finding nothing but lead, but always growing more intellectually informed, and less spiritually naive. Having travelled a ways down many different religious roads, I was beginning to despair at where my search for faith was taking me. When I picked up Karen Armstrong's latest book, THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE: My Climb out of Darkness, it felt again like divine intervention. Reading her story made me thing that my own turning and turning was not all in vain but a necessary quest to make find my own truth, rather than settling for someone else's. I believe that many have felt the things that Karen Armstrong has felt in her spiritual quest, but few can articulate quite so well and with quite so much academic and personal resonance as she. This book spoke to me on every page and I know that I am better for having read it. There aren't many reading experiences that inspire me to say that. This book may not speak to everyone. Some may not have struggled on the same path, or even struggled at all. Some may feel that she's headed straight to hell--which I doubt she would characterize in quite the same way they do. But for so many of us, this book is a treasure and a light in the darkness. If I could meet her, I would thank her with all my heart for her journey and for her generosity in sharing it so honestly and so well. - lizziebeeReviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 April 2017
An inspiring read
How many of us can look back on our lives and recount them, mistakes and all with clarity and understanding? Well this is exactly what Karen Armstrong does. Tackling the mistakes, disappointments and challenges along the way, Karen Armstrong shows that the human spirit is extraordinarily resilient - as she is. Through her resilience, hard work and humility, she has taken the lessons of her life and developed from them into a success story. This autobiography is a fascinating account of of her life and times. A great read and and inspiring book. - stephenReviewed in the United States on 21 December 2019
fascinating and so relevant
I recently read Karen's excellent book "The battle for God" which traces the roots of contemporary fundamentalism across the world with such clarity and insight and I was equally fascinated by this very honest account of life after her years in the convent and the eventual return of her faith through her studies and solitary life style. In the first half of the book she is staunchly atheist - or at least agnostic - despite still attending Catholic services - as a reaction to the negative approach of the nuns during her noviciate. It did strike me over and over however: noone stays in a convent for seven whole years without some sense of God despite her insisting that she had none. And this, for me, was the crux of the book: the nature of faith and how God manifests himself (or not) in a person's life. She makes the point in a Battle for God , and this was something of a revelation to me despite it being more or less a truism: that it is the practice of one's faith that sustains it. Where there is no practice, faith will eventually wither as indeed it has for so many in the Western world. Her style is always lucid and very very readable. Indeed everyone should read this book! - Pete MuileboomReviewed in Canada on 28 September 2015
Five Stars
Great read
- J. StillReviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 December 2023
A fascinating autobiography of an extraordinary person
I don't know why it took me so long to discover Karen Armstrong's work, but I'm glad I did. This is an honest account of what sounds like a very difficult intellectual and spiritual journey, and the honesty is comforting for anyone who's ever questioned themselves, their faith, their vocation, what makes them tick. - Joseph J. TruncaleReviewed in the United States on 26 March 2015
If you are into the spirtual aspects of someone's life this may be a book you should check out.
I usually do not enjoy reading this kind of a book; however, someone I know read it and recommended it to me. After plowing through this long drawn out story I did find some of the material interesting.
This volume (The Spiral Staircase: My climb out of darkness by Karen Armstrong) relates the experiences of the author, who spent 7 years as a Nun and left the order to explore other interests. The book tells about the many obstacles in her life, one being she had epilepsy. Her search for meaning led her to study "comparative theology." In this respect she studied many different religions and found her purpose in life.
Those who have a strong spiritual side may find this book compelling and possibly relate to the author's experiences. Personally, I found the book to only be okay but not a great read.
Rating: 3 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Haiku Moments: How to read, write and enjoy haiku). - R. LynnReviewed in the United States on 8 November 2008
Strong Both Intellectually and Spiritually
One caveat - this book is a very intellectual read, so if you're not interested in that, you won't like it. There's not much dialogue and though parts of the book are funny, it's very dry humor and I get the feeling it is unintentional. So if you're looking for a purely entertaining memoir, look elsewhere.
I have a background in graduate studies in religion and I kept thinking that this book would have been perfect for one of my classes, most notably the Psychology of Religion, though it would have fit into several others. The author is very bright and perhaps too introspective for her own good. There are some gaps in terms of her personal history, especially in her upbringing and her romantic life, though she explains why she left the latter discussion out of this particular book.
Though everything comes together well at the end, it's not really a happy ending per se - the author is too realistic for that. She understands that her spiritual life is really part of an overall journey that is going to have detours, stops and starts, and plain old confusion. The difference is that she now trusts herself to be able to make the journey on her own instead of relying on and copying the experiences of others.
I highly recommend this book to those who are interested in following their own path. It is thought-provoking and you will be processing it long after reading the last page. - Sandra WoodhallReviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 March 2018
A great read
Poignant, sad, very readable biography of a woman who had an incredibly difficult early years experience of life both in and out of the convent and Oxford uni systems. There were moments when I could have wept for her at how badly or insensitively she was treated. I admire how she has revealed her own vulnerabilities to make this book eminently readable. Not an author I had previously heard of or read, but I am incredibly glad I came across this marvellous book. - Rich GroenReviewed in the United States on 22 July 2008
Finding God
As a memoir, Armstrong's "The Spiral Staircase" succeeds in the first half. She documents her life in a Catholic convent, her physical challenges and her mental state of mind. Readers wonder, Why would she do this to herself when she was so miserable most of the time? Answer: Her goal was to find God.
Her obsessive journey leads me, and I suppose many other readers, to conclude that she tried too hard. But it's a fascinating story.
The last half of her memoir solves the puzzle of her physical (misinterpreted early in her life as mental) disability. Success follows her discovery, but the book gets tedious with her sometimes repetitious account of daily life and re-learning how to cope with job loss. She eventually finds her niche as a writer by publishing "A History of God," a thoughtful review of many religious cultures.
Armstrong realizes that the study of God does not have to include belief in all the dictates of a specific religion. In fact it need not include belief in God at all. She finds out that the journey is more important than the goal. - William LOCKIEReviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 February 2019
The Spiral Staircase
Very interesting Biography about an ex Nun in the 1960's. We written. - C. DoyleReviewed in the United States on 10 March 2006
Climbing the staircase...
In Karen Armstrong's The Spiral Staircase, Karen goes from an eager, excited seventeen year-old girl, to a nun, to a frustrated (but patient) nun, to a depressed nun, to a layperson, to an epileptic, to an outcast, to an atheist, to a researcher, to an author, to a theologian, etc, etc... Yes, she has been through a lot. She vividly describes the pain and anguish she felt during her convent years, the years of frustrating psychiatric therapy (which never did diagnose her epilepsy), and basically feeling that she had been wandering her whole life, at least since entering the convent as a teenager. She ends up leaving with a subconscious animosity towards God and all religion, and, upon encountering the anti-religious England she had never known before, found her feelings surfacing, and culminating, to a point where she stops believing all together, dismissing it all as "bonkers." On the advice of a friend, Karen began to write about her journey, and after more and more writing, found herself immersed into the vast array of the world's religions. She unknowingly started back on the path towards God.
What I found interesting was that instead of turning away from God at seventeen (as many adolescents such as myself do), and later turning back, Karen turned towards God and religion as an adolescent, and later turned away. Because of this, for most of her adulthood, it was hard for her to even think about religion without becoming angry. She felt that it was a prison that held humanity in a mental cage, built of lies, corruption, and covered in blood. Only after experiencing "the experience" of Jerusalem, and spending hours and hours researching such people as Muhammad, Buddha, Jesus, several saints, apostles, and mystics, she realized how deep it really went. Eventually, she "grew to love" what she studied, and made it her life's work to bring them, and their common messages, to others. In a way, trying to make sense of her hatred for God, actually led her to dismiss it, and to "turn again" on the same "stairway" that she had been on when she was seventeen.
I've never actually read anything of Karen's before, but I have noticed her for a while in the "Religion" section of the local bookstore. Perhaps I wanted to know about why she had written such a variation, as opposed to many religious authors, who mostly write on one particular religion. Now I know, and when you finish this one, you will too. It is a great story of growth in the midst of sickness and confusion, in regret and frustration. Little by little, Karen had been climbing the "Spiral Staircase" without even knowing it. In the end, she makes peace with God, whether real or not, and finds, in the incredible, inspirational messages of history's religious "artists," a common ground within herself that she never knew was there. - FrankieReviewed in the United States on 16 December 2021
Food for thought ANYONE can taste
There was a lot of food for thought. I am grateful to the author for her transparent disclosure to the point of vulnerability. The book prompts anyone who is thinking about their own response to the prospect of God in their life, to think a little harder.
She DOES come across as a wee bit wrapped up in herself, I must say. But don't we all to some degree? Otherwise there would be no need to strive towards becoming compassionate towards others - a topic she explores towards the end of the book, and in subsequent books and talks.
About her take on compassion, I was disappointed that in THIS book at least, she goes no further - in essence - than "put yourself in the other person's shoes," and "if you can't say anything good about someone, don't say anything at all," sage words I learned from my mother a long time ago. I assume that she ventures into more positive territory in this regard in her subsequent work, but I don't know, and after reading her "Case for God" book and this book, over six hundred pages in all, I need to move on to other pastures in my reading. - AugustusReviewed in the United States on 25 November 2025
Sobresaliente
Excelente, como toda la obra de Karen Armstrong. máxime cuando se trata de su propia experiencia. - Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United States on 25 October 2006
Memoir: an account of a personal experience
I am boggled by many of the reviews I've read so far. One person downgrades it for not being for medical professionals. Another condemns Armstrong for her views of the Islamic faith. Someone else resorts to comments about Armstrong's attractiveness. Perhaps it's just my copy of the book that's labeled MEMOIR. Not a medical journal, not commentary by a political pundit, not a beauty tips book. If you didn't enjoy the book, fine. If you were personally involved in her life and found falsehoods, fine. But criticize the author's account of her life? How absurd!
This is a book about the events of one woman's life and the conclusions she has reached thus far based on her experiences. I thought Armstrong's experiences were often extraordinary, often mundane. That's how life goes. This was not supposed to be a page-turning piece of fiction. Her earlier years in the convent were often traumatic and they had long-reaching effects on her life now. I found her journey to be an interesting one and appreciated her frankness on so many personal and religious issues. She's entitled to tell me how much she wants. I have no problem if she's reached conclusions that I may not have arrived at in her shoes (not that I have walked a mile in her moccasins). In the end, I've rated her book on how much I enjoyed what she did tell me.
- Paul GiurlandaReviewed in the United States on 2 January 2020
Revealing, honest, sometimes sad
Basic warning: she spends a lot of pages on some awful experiences in the convent and later. Hey, it's an autobiogaphyI But it does get depressing until she manages to get over it.
I identified with a lot of KA's life experiences, having entered a religious community around the time she did, though her community was clearly pretty awful. She went through a lot and came out the other side, once she got properly diagnosed as epileptic. It's a useful journey, and I'm glad I read it.
At this stage of my life, it's hard for me to understand how people can come to any other view than the one she came to about God. Once you read (for example) Thomas Aquinas's teaching that all talk about God is analogical, not literal, the game should be up. Theology is poetry. I get it! True, yes, just not literally so. One small cavil would be that she was an English major, so this is probably the way an English major would view theology! Others of us might like a dip into the waters of philosophical speculation. Pick your poison. - Karl LopesReviewed in the United States on 16 July 2020
Well written
Karen Armstrong and I have very similar interests and by extension I guess similar world views. In a sense she is a verbal ratification of what I experience and believe.
I am born Christian, love the parables and the New Testament. I also count myself fortunate to have been born at a time and place of relative acceptance in India, whereby these interests were allowed to bear fruit.
Exposure to people of different faiths as Karen observes, helps us realize that in compassion we can transcend ourselves.
Hinduism and Buddhism Teach us how to live in the now and transcend our egos. The mystical traditions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism have almost identical ends. Reading some passages of Thomas Merton for example is akin to reading a passage from the Upanishads on self. Religion is a transformative, not an intellectual experience.
My take on how to read this book - read it with observations on how you feel, specially if you have the urge to criticize. Ask yourself why you do not like something she says. Do not read it as a work of scholarship but as a work to be first experienced and then critiqued. I think that is a form of compassion. - Pat Perrier, AuthorReviewed in the United States on 28 February 2013
Amazing Armstrong
I read Karen Armstrong's first story about her convent experience in (shudder) a Reader's Digest Condensed Book selection years and years ago. I wish it was available in Kindle or at least still in print.
She is a gorgeous writer - she writes in a clear style which is not self-serving or apologetic. You can tell that she put a lot of thought into what she wanted to say and how she wanted to say it. I have not yet read any of her theological tomes, but if this is indicative of her style, those books will shed a lot of light on the Catholic faith and the history she has chosen to write about.
I admire her clear-eyed gaze into her own history. It shows maturity and the mark of a scholar who can stand aside from the angst of her own experience and write it so that others will appreciate it - not antiseptically or in an overly-dramatic fashion - just what it was and how she perceived it in the moment. She does imbue her writings with her own personality. But she writes it in a way where you can see how her mind works and appreciate what she went through. And admire her. - Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United States on 1 December 2024
Searing with emotion
Armstrong here revises her previous account of her first years after 7 in the convent. Why didn't superiors take us as we were, she asks, instead of imposing archaic methods of breaking one's spirit. PTSD and worse are evident. Supported by laity friends, she begins to create the person whose scholarship we now value. - AlexReviewed in the United States on 8 July 2013
Armstrong's depictions of history are so inaccurate & far off that she is simply not credible
It's a memoir so I assumed the facts surrounding her experiences to be accurate. First half of book was fascinating as she depicted her training to be a Nun (of which I knew nothing.) Last half of book depicted her life thereafter during which her depictions of concurrent history were so inaccurate it ruined her credibility, and cast doubt on the veracity of her observations about her convent training. Examples: She charges that Western Countries were responsible for Auschwitz! My recollection was that Western Countries, the US and her home country of England in particular, went to war with Hitler losing 1/2 million men to defeat him, liberating Auschwitz and other such camps. She states that "Since Auschwitz, the civilized West had become the culture that had massacred its Jewish inhabitants, and this act of genocide tarnished all our other achievements." Really? Genocide of Jews by the West after Auschwitz (or even before) ? Where? When? It's poppycock. Re Operation Desert Storm - She states that the UN, led by the US "invaded Iraq in Operation Desert Storm." She states that in a vacuum with no acknowlegement that it was prompted by Sadam Hussein gassing the Kurds in his own country, invading his neighbor Kuwait, and setting their oil fields on fire. He then ignored multiple UN warnings to withdraw from Kuwait before the UN finally went it & got him out. That was ignored, just "a UN coalition, led by the US, invaded Iraq." She states that Margaret Thatcher created an impoverished Britain when, in fact, the economy was horrendous beforeThatcher was elected. The year before her election, 1/3 of the British labor force was on strike at any one time, their manufacturing exports had ground to a complete halt, unemployment was rampant. I lived there during this time & saw this happen. Re the Crusades: She rightly states the hideous nature of the Crusades without mentioning that they were to RECOVER territory conquered by Muslims using the same tactics.
I noted that she wrote this book after studying and becoming greatly influenced by Islam. I fear her clear anti-West statements and agenda resulted from that. But it's depiction of the the world in which she was living was just inaccurate, incorrect, if not full of blatant lies. - Beryl S BissellReviewed in the United States on 22 December 2005
Hope for disillusioned "saints"
I first encountered Karen Armstrong thirty or so years ago when I read "Through the Narrow Gate." Of the many hundreds of books I have read since then, the memory of that book hummed through my subconscious.-- perhaps because I'd also entered the convent with the distinct expectation that I, too, would become a mystic. Like Armstrong, I left religious life. Unlike her, I did not lose my faith -- I just loosened the institutional Church's hold on it. It was a delight then, to encounter her her again in the Spiral Staircase: this honest and wise exploration of the journey she undertook on leaving religious life. What enchants me most about this book is the story behind all those other books she's written -- the reclaiming of the voice she lost in the convent, the happenings that led her, step by step, to become an authority on world religions while negotiating her way to a concept of the divine that is beyond thoughts and words. I find in the Spiral Staircase the exposition of what it means to let go of idolatry and open oneself to God. - Myra SymonsReviewed in the United States on 25 August 2007
Inside the Mind of a Religious
I read the other reviews on this book, not because I wasn't going to buy it, but to see what others thought. Of course, I was going to buy it, after all this is Karen Armstrong we are talking about here. I am interested in what ever she thinks. I loved the book. I am always interested in stories about people overcoming difficulties. Karen Armstrong had to overcome a lot. It is interesting, to say the least, to know what the religous view of this writer actually is now after she's been through everything she's been through.
The book takes us with her on her spiritual and vocational journey. It answers the question of "Why did she write all those diverse books about God Anyway" I would recommend this book to anyone who in their own spiritual search is looking to see how someone else came through it and ended up apparently whole. This is a book I will keep. I find the last chapter especially captivating and I will need to review it until I can internalize what she is saying so beautifully. - Ignatius J. ReillyReviewed in the United States on 15 December 2024
Fascinating, Spoke to my Faith Journey
This book was difficult to put down. I found each leg of Karen Armstrong’s journey to be filled with meaning and depth. Interesting, often humorous, introspective, and thoughtful. Leads me to want more from this author. I’ll definitely read other books she has written. - R. HerreroReviewed in the United States on 25 August 2004
So enriching, so mature, but Karen, where are your feelings?
This review considers the CD audio. Such a wonderful experience to hear Karen read her own words about her own life. I had read her first autobiography, Through the Narrow Gate, so I found that the first expositions were a bit repetitive, without a clear new insight -though the second book has been written many years later. I love Karen Armstrong, because I can really relate to her yearning for God, to her sufferings emanating from struggling with Catholicism, the world and herself, to her persistance and to the confusion of not knowing if the world is misunderstanding you or if you are simply misunderstanding yourself. Her last chapters are mind-blowing. There is a giant leap to new and enlightening considerations and, in this leap, I feel that Karen has been courageous and admirable. The only regret that I feel is that I would have liked to hear Karen speak more about her intimacies and the feelings that go with them. Very briefly and very superficially does she mention aspects of sexuality and intimate relationships...subjects that are fundamental in the portrait of a human being. This is, after all, an autobiography. The beautifully exposed concluding chapter is, in itself, a reason to want to buy the book, after having heard this audio CD. Comments may be addressed to rherrero@club-internet.fr. - R. BULLReviewed in the United States on 10 May 2004
Painful jouney toward the light
Karen Armstrong has produced a series of thoughtful and intelligent books about the major religions, and seeking the divine, which I read without knowing much about her. I found her Through the Narrow Gate which was a narative about her seven years in a convent to be alternately enlightening and horrifying about how she was treated as an adolescent and then a young woman hpoing to become a nun. The Spiral Staircase describes what happened next and it continues to show both how sensitive and how cruel we human can act toward one another. The author moved from the cloister to the world of academia and then to teaching treasuring the moments of unexpected grace and surviving the insults of narrow minded tormentors. All the while she had undiagnosed temporal lobe epilepsy. Psychiatric (mis)treatment seems to be the only part of her life in which she found no redeeming features. With the publication of Through the Narrow Gate, Ms. Armstrong became engaged in activites designed to show the exploititve side of religion. When she became medically stable and through academic exploration of her unbelief she found herself slowing climbing the spiral staircase toward the re-experince of the holy. This is a fascinating account of one person' spiritual journey.
- SkeepReviewed in the United States on 4 November 2015
There's no blinding light here but a steady journey of spirituality.
Fantastic. I read this with rapt attention having seen it for years and years and never paid attention until I was required to read it in a post-doctoral class I took on Spirituality. Many of us may share Karen's struggles and not realize it. Her way and insights are not mine but they do me good to listen to and reflect upon. I felt humbled to know how she fought with her faith in the midst of her attempts at spirituality and how she never seemed to find her way academically but found rejection instead. But out of rejection she found her way and out of loss of faith she found faith. It is an honest spiritual chronicle, not spun towards luring you into a straw-man apologetic for faith but helping you understand your humanness and the goodness that surrounds us every day despite our feeble attempts at faith and spirituality. It strengthened me as a person and it helped my faith too. - J. L. WeaverReviewed in the United States on 25 November 2012
Enlightening!
Karen's journey spoke to my heart, enabling me to accept myself as being "different." I searched for transcendance through close association with cloistered nuns. I was deeply hurt by their lack of compassion even though I did a lot of work for them. I felt used and excluded from the blessings of monastic life. Like Karen, I was shocked to learn about the Catholic Churches' role in the brutal persecution of the Jewish people. Read Fr. Flannery's book, "The Anguish of the Jews," and you will see what I am talking about. However, unlike Karen's experience, I continue to believe in the One God, who spoke from the darkness of the cloud to Moses, and others. One day we will no longer look through a dark glass, but walk through the darkness into the light, and see God face-to-face. - Suzanne KalloReviewed in the United States on 17 May 2023
The spiral staircase, a review by a nonbeliever
I loved this book because of what seemed a difficult life and spiritual journey taken by the author. An academic who was denied a position in academia, but found peace and her place in the world studying and writing about the different world religions to help others better understand that true religion is compassion and believing in the sacredness of humanity. - Jeffrey EversReviewed in the United States on 4 July 2013
Brilliant description of living as a Catholic Sister while the Vatican II changes were taking place around her!
The author is a brilliant woman. She was able to explain the 1960s down to 2005 or so. This book is extremely educational. As a practicing Catholic, the book impacted me tremendously. There's no missing why my church had to have the Vatican II Council. Prior to 1962 we were a mid-evil church!! As Catholics we must continue to promote Vatican II and disable the Mid-Evil church that Karen Armstrong entered into in 1962 as a Catholic Sister.
This book will change your spiritual beliefs from a Catholic that is lead by an Institutional church to a Catholic that has your own relationship with God.
Karen Armstrong is in a class all her own when writing about the Catholic Church and the changes in our church and our world! - Peter LittlewoodReviewed in the United States on 7 August 2015
The most perceptive writer on religion.
Most books on religion either start from an assertion that God exists in the form the writer imagines him to be or attempt to prove scientifically that he doesn't exist and that it is all superstition. So we either get a sermon or a condemnation. There are very few people that have researched the leading faiths and tried to understand what they really mean. I say this as someone who looks at the World from a scientific point of view but tries to understand the totality of our living experience. Karen Armstrong's research has produced deeply perceptive writing on religious thinking that is relevant to both sides of the current debate. She does so from the remarkable position of a person who rejected a belief in God but still wanted to understand religion. - marewReviewed in the United States on 6 February 2007
I didn't want it to end.
I just finished this book. Karen Armstrong is incrediby insightful and a marvelous writer. I couldn't put it down. She writes with an elegant simplicity and honesty.
I think those who wrote some of the poor recommendations on this site were not able to grasp what she was saying. Unfortunately, they have brought their own biases to the book.
Karen generously shares with us her incredible journey towards self-knowledge and shows how the quest for God is different for each of us. As she so rightly says, when we insist that our way is the only way, we have injected our ego into our search for God which only makes it more difficult if not impossible.
I cannot say enough good things about this book. - Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United States on 17 October 2016
The Unmaking of a Nun; the Making of a Celebrity Talking Head
Ms. Armstrong's memoir is highly engaging as she recounts the tale of a highly unusual life that brought her on a long road from one apparent failure to another in her attempted careers (first as a nun, then as a PhD candidate and as a school teacher) and ill-health and misdiagnosis, and eventually to unanticipated success and renown. The tale is well-written and quite engaging up until the last 10 or 20 pages, in which the author turns a bit didactic and sententious in explaining her evolved theological position. - Mary M. RamirezReviewed in the United States on 5 July 2013
The realities of a gifted person
These book appealed to me because it was real, showing all the imperfections that we humans have to struggle with, even when labeled as “gifted”. Those in authority were so vastly ignorant in guiding their pupils. It makes one think that maybe we need to always be charge and question those in authority. Karen Armstrong was gifted and also real In expressing her journey so that we might learn that life is not all it seems even for the very gifted. - Suzie ThompsonReviewed in the United States on 14 December 2023
enlightening
She uses her life experiences as an intriguing trip enriching her (and the reader’s) understanding of the similarities of the world’s religions and their call for humanistic action. - Richard A. RobertsReviewed in the United States on 26 May 2015
A Quest for Peace.
I mentioned in my eval of Karen's book on "The Bible" that I found her loss of faith and quest to regain it a fascinating journey between these two books - it did not bring me back from my loss or my current position of agnosticism. The books were well worth the read and I got a great deal of very positive feed back from her quest - and was most surprised by the end, and I might say pleased for her.
- Margaret Placentra JohnstonReviewed in the United States on 4 February 2005
a gem of truth in a muddy land
Ths book should be required reading for all those making our foreign policy in this country, for all religious leaders, all religious people, all atheists, and all those who are not sure. It should be required of all those claiming certainty, all those claiming self-satisfaction and all those condemning others for their beliefs. If only ten-percent of our population had reached a level of spiritual maturity near that of Ms. Armstrong's we would have far fewer problems in this world. If just one-third of people ever came to realize, as she did, that our belief-system/religion/spirituality is an unending path, not a fait-accompli, we would be well on our way to a society we could all be proud of, instead of one we just shake our heads at. - William H Wimsatt IIReviewed in the United States on 4 January 2023
Well Said
Great read. Life experience is so necessary for understanding our thoughts, beliefs, and each other. Organized religions need to rethink how to share the message of caring for all people. Each seems to exclude too many people
Interesting that life"s lessons are never resolved here. - Discriminating ReaderReviewed in the United States on 8 December 2013
WONDERFUL!
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end: her revelations about the convent and the difficulties she had when she left; her subsequent trials and tribulations trying to find her place in the world; dealing with her health problems; and finally finding some resolution. The book was thought out, from the title to the chapter headings to wrapping it around part of T.S. Eliot's poem, "Ash-Wednesday." I admire this author tremendously for hanging in there, and I especially liked the last part of the book when she discussed her writing and trying to find the truth in some religious issues. - Diane DrufenbrockReviewed in the United States on 22 August 2011
Diary of a Valiant Soul
I share most of the experiences Karen describes from the traditional Church and Sisterhoods. Her bitter responses are understandable and coupled with the eventual diagnosis of her health ring out with the glory of survival. Some of us have continued through the wrenching renewal times and I among many of my companions have also embraced the views of Islam and Buddha, Teresa and John of the Cross with an equanimity not unlike Karen. My next project is to enter into a deep book discussion group with The Twelve Steps of Compassion. We all have the same goal. The collective union of spirit is awesome. - J P JonesReviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 April 2014
A moving and insightful pilgrimage.
The author gives a wonderfully readable and insightful account of her journey from the confines of unquestioning Catholicism in the convent to her discovery of real nature of belief in God and the emergence of her true vocation as a writer. The clarity with which she expresses ideas on the true nature of religion, and her account of progress on the spiral stair of life, is inspirational. For those who reflect on the mysteries of life this book is a must read. - Cynthia J. BurtReviewed in the United States on 23 December 2013
Spiritual Autobiography and More
This book was selected to be read by a Spiritual Autobiography "book club." I am so glad I read it. Although the physical experiences are different, the spiritual journey of Armstrong highlighted the milestones of my own journey. Her struggles are my struggles. Her last chapter is my current chapter. Her wisdom and insights spoke to me. It is my hope that Karen knows her book is an act of compassion. My sincere gratitude today is for Karen Armstrong for sharing with me, with all of us. - Stanley W ThomasReviewed in the United States on 30 June 2021
Thought-Provoking
Offers a fascinating and engaging view of the author's life, as well as important insights on religion versus spirituality. If you've ever felt different, been involved with religion, or suffered from chronic health (or mental health) issues, you might find this a good read as well. Not over-long at 305 pp. - N. BrennanReviewed in the United States on 5 March 2007
Complete and utter rubbish
After reading glowing reviews on Karen Armstrong, I ordered two books. One was the book my friend recommended, A History of God. The other was The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness, which is the book she wrote about her convent years and the process she went through as she decided to leave. A red flag went up when she continually mentioned a previous book she had written on the topic (and expressed how poorly written it was). The short story: she never goes back to Catholicism and is now a bitter, vindictive nun lacking in knowledge on her own religious roots.
I've tried to pick up A History of God but can't read it through. It's a very popular book, which is sad because it's highly biased. She provides evidence, but only uses the 10th that corroborates her story.
I'm heartbroken. I was excited to pick up a supposedly great book by a woman said to be well educated and masterful, and instead ended up reading a marginal work at best by an angry ex nun.
Christian study maybe, Christian fact, VERY loosely. - G F HarperReviewed in the United States on 23 April 2017
An Extraordinary Journey to Self Discovery
An extraordinary book. Armstrong takes an unflinching look at her personal and spiritual development from her entry and departure from a convent, a doctoral candidate at the British University, her modest success as an educator, to her gradual emergence as a highly successful author. It is a personal story of self discovery It is a story familiar to anyone who has experienced a spiritual crisis and emerged with a fuller understanding of the universality of the religious experience and a faith that is not handed down, but discovered. Strongly recommended. - MargeReviewed in the United States on 3 April 2014
True to Life
Ms. Armstrong spoke in great honesty in her book while staying true to the facts of her life, both inside and outside the convent walls. The book , at times, dragged a bit for me but eventually showed its true colors when the totality of the story came together. Being a former nun myself, I found Ms. Armstrong's book quite thought provoking.
- Marion MercerReviewed in the United States on 22 September 2013
Spiral Staircase
I recommended this for our Book Club because I had heard her speak several times at Chautauqua, NY. My friends had a lot of questions about her journey and no one had heard of her before. She is quite delightful in person and very famous worldwide for her books on Islam and Christianity. The convent time was very sad and hard to read. - Jennifer SadlerReviewed in the United States on 14 November 2015
Slow start; fascinating finish
I cannot even begin to tell you how or why this book speaks to my heart like it does. It just does. The life, the journey--spiritual, religious, and otherwise--is one to which everyone and no one can relate. Yet, she comes so finally to a place of some understanding and therefore peace. But not really peace. Isn't that life though? We jump around in a state of unrest and rest only to find ourselves in unrest once again. Read it. My soul needed it. - magicnfunReviewed in the United States on 2 June 2019
Mind expanding
Karen Armstrong is a deeply thoughtful person. Her observations on Theology are wide and well thought out even though I have come to some very different conclusions (at least for now) than she has... I respect her thoughtfulness, insights and vulnerability. I will revisit many passages from this book and I look forward to exploring some of her other works. - Benjamin ShobertReviewed in the United States on 17 September 2004
A life spent searching lands.
Karen Armstrong's most recent book covers her time after leaving the convent, completing her education, and finding her way in the world. I am so very, very thankful to her for her honesty in her spiritual struggles and her own journey. I wish more people would be as honest about their questions. Many people could be helped if we were to nurture a forgiving and gracious culture that allows others to open up, being honest about their failures, mistakes, guilt and questions. - Li-Yi ChenReviewed in the United States on 21 March 2017
A healing and enlightening read!
I am about forty years younger than Ms.Armstrong and comes from a totally different background, but I feel that her road to mending her own brokenness echoed my own comapratively very minor path of adversity. And maybe the history of mankind, though often violent and pathos, will move up its spiral staircase as the our race gradually sees compassion as a necessity. A big THANK YOU from Taipei Taiwan in 2017! - PaulReviewed in the United States on 18 February 2021
A Search for Peace
Karen Armstrong searched for God decade after decade and found him in her actions.....not her belief system. These actions changed her and brought her to a knowledge of what she had always looked for. Her search often paralleled my own. - pineconeReviewed in the United States on 27 October 2009
Spiral Staircase by Karen Armstrong
This is a wonderful account of Karen Armstrong's struggle with her life as a nun and eventual departure into the world of books and learning. She is a superb writer and has a brilliant mind. Her battle with depression was moving and academic disappointments disheartening. But she has triumphed over adversity and is now a world-renowned and respected academic with a vast knowledge of the Middle East. Her other books are difficult for the average reader but this one is abundantly readable. I highly recommend it! - Louise DevineReviewed in the United States on 26 September 2010
Amazing Story
Being a recovering Catholic I found Karen Armstrong's biography from a nun to a woman in search of answers relative to my own life. It is a good preview to her other books because it gives insight as to why she went on this quest. I highly reccomend it for those who don't blindly follow the teachings they grew up with and wish to explore on their own religion and spirituality. She allows you to make you own call on God and religion. She supplies the data. - D.H.ChoudhuryReviewed in the United States on 17 February 2015
Transcendence is not an easy ride
Karen Armstrong's observation that transcendence is distinct from beliefs and faith was eye opener for me. She observes, utterances of verses and chanting of mantras do not necessarily lead one to God. That realization brought an end to her search for God, made her leave the convent and relinquish her journey as a Nun. The book is neither an ordinary memoir nor an adventure in religious life. It is a story of intense spiritual experience. - Susan SmithReviewed in the United States on 9 January 2014
Informative
Chock full of information we should all be interested in especially regarding Islam. As a Western Christian, I am woefully ignorant of Islam and Muslims in general. I learned to be much more open minded from Ms. Armstrong's vast knowledge and willingness to research and learn. She is an International Treasure.
- Mr. Moshe EliasReviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 March 2011
spiral staircase
Absorbing in every respect. The last chapters are particularly good as Karen puts her past behind her, picks herself up and starts a new life doing what she was supposed to do if only she had taken herself more seriously earlier in life. A lesson for all young people starting out in life to live it and not look for an escape. - MarieReviewed in the United States on 19 March 2020
An interesting interpretation of the sacred triad
This was a pleasant surprise and fascinating to read through Armstrong’s experiences. So many times I found her insights to be “Ah-ha,” moments or times when I recognized her thoughts as something I felt. Great, great book! Can’t wait to read it again! - Grace EllenReviewed in the United States on 14 March 2015
But Karen has written one of the best. It is just so hard to explain a ...
Memories of ex- nun ( I am one) are hard to write. But Karen has written one of the best. It is just so hard to explain a life that cuts off your emotions, takes away any initiative and asks you to strive for perfection. Yaweee! - clarenceReviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 February 2018
absolutely brilliant. I highly recommend this book to everyone who ...
Very interesting memoir, full of insight and written in a very accesible but elegant style. Karen Armstrong is, once again, absolutely brilliant. I highly recommend this book to everyone who could decribe himself or herself as a searcher or is merely interested in serious ideas or religion. - Chas. H. BarfootReviewed in the United States on 30 January 2017
Gifted & Honest...
Karen Armstrong is incapable of a single star! Gifted & honest--a rare combination. Hard to believe this academic superstar had so many struggles--many not of her own making! When in doubt about religion, read Harvey Cox & Karen Armstrong. They don't always agree, for instance the future of fundamentalisms. But they will never disappoint their reader. - John MichaelsonReviewed in the United States on 9 March 2013
Pilgrim's Progress Redux
Karen Armstrong's journey will resonate with many people of faith. No, not many of us have been nuns. But a lot of us have come from an unexamined belief in the anthropomorphic God of supernatural theism to the search for faith with an integrity that admits uncertainty. Armstrong lights the way. This is powerful stuff, honest, compassionate, and intellectually stimulating without being overly academic. - LeeLocyReviewed in the United States on 31 July 2021
Loving Non-fiction
Karen knows how to make it live. I read with not a moment of editing thoughts coming up. I really enjoy her angst. - Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United States on 21 July 2013
My thoughts
Excellent reading. It brings forth the issues of her life and how she was able to deal, and learn by them. She taught us that God is always with us in all our journeys and that He is with us during our trials whether they are good or challenging. I learned a lot from her. Very good reading. Congratulations on your accomplishments. - LLHReviewed in the United States on 2 April 2015
This is a book for people who enjoy philosophical ideas
This is a book for people who enjoy philosophical ideas. The story is an interesting one and how the main character works her way out of her darkness was interesting reading, It wasn't depressing and raised interesting questions. - Frank Healy, HSAMReviewed in the United States on 17 October 2015
A Personal and Descriptive GUide To Spirituality
In The Spiral Staircase Karen Armstrong takes you through her own journey to find true spirituality in such descriptive detail that you will relate to her if you are a serious seeker. She makes strong distinctions between religion and spirituality. This book is not a bashing of formal religion but an inspired guide to finding non denominational spirituality.
- chinc in AZReviewed in the United States on 11 September 2013
Great Book
I really liked this book. It was a real eye opener for me. I am Catholic and grew up having nuns as religious education teachers but could not imagine how this one particular nun endured so for such a long time but was still able to finally leave the religious life and not have it make her a bitter person. Was hard to put down. - Ginnie Siena BivonaReviewed in the United States on 29 September 2013
An amazing book!
I so enjoyed this book...I really wanted to call the author and have a lovely chat with her....because I could completely relate to her story. Although I never became a nun, as a young Catholic woman, I lived another version of the same life. The writing is warm, friendly and engaging. Karen Armstrong is a remarkable, courageous, brilliant woman. I highly recommend this book. - BookmarkReviewed in the United States on 13 April 2014
Karen Armstrong's Religious Redemption
Interesting account of Karen Armstrong's life after the convent. It documents how, after deciding that she was not cut out to be a Catholic nun, she discovered the beauty of comparative religions and her vocation as a writer. - Christian RReviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 October 2016
Karens language is like a painting
Karen Armstrong's journey through life is fascinating, almost spellbinding, and gives food for thoght about my own life. As a Norwegian I roften e-listen to the audio to improve my English. Karens language is like a painting. Or a symphony. Just sit back an listen! - Kindle CustomerReviewed in the United States on 15 July 2014
which are amazing, and I am glad to understand how she ...
A moving account of a difficult journey. I have read some of Armstrong's other books, which are amazing, and I am glad to understand how she came to write them. Out of darkness can come light! - whisperReviewed in the United States on 23 October 2012
The Spiral staircase
Liked this, easy to read and get into. Brought up many things that in part are relevant to life.
Not heavy, spiritual, in the end shows how loss can be recovered whether it is loss of faith or self - Meg GourleyReviewed in the United States on 20 April 2015
Cozy and good read
Very interesting account of someone who gave life her all; had a few notable setbacks and then got up and went at it again. Very British. Insightful intellect. Good for someone interested in coming of age during the late '60's early '70s. Woman has an interest in religion; all of them. - R. MarinelliReviewed in the United States on 30 May 2016
Living rent free with an intelligent family. Poor her
Gee, a free education at Oxford. Living rent free with an intelligent family. Poor her. Sorry she was misdiagnosed but I felt manipulated by her whining, her "anorexia" and her lack of friends. Who would want to be her friend? She did get shafted by the dissertation committee. I can't imagine ANY doctoral program allowing anyone to spend 3 years conducting research then told her topic was not "research worthy". She must have angered someone. The last two chapters were wonderful--that's why the 2 stars. - Mary SimpsonReviewed in the United States on 4 August 2021
An inspiring book
Karen Armstrong is a thoughtful person who helps many of us who struggle with questions about God - JBTReviewed in the United States on 14 August 2012
Inner Peace
Reading this book helped me to get through a dark time in myself, as well as, learn more about myself, my reason for where I am at and why I am where I am at.
- Ernesto ValenciaReviewed in the United States on 18 November 2013
The Spiral Staircase
I have experienced some of the same predicaments as the author and could identify with the struggles. I am still struggling but reading this book has given me some hope of resolution. - Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United States on 16 March 2004
A keeper, don't wait for the paper.
If you have trouble believing in God, this may be the book for you. Especially if you find Sunday School depictions a bit off-putting. Possibly for the first time, Miss Armstrong reveals how she lost faith and then found it in a new and better form. Her insights are both bold and unavoidable. Her journey, from feeling isolated and resigned, to a confident and articulate advocate is remarkable. - Sarah Elizabeth MalinakReviewed in the United States on 16 March 2015
A hero's journey of the descent into darkness and her climb out of it
Karen Armstrong's memoir held my attention throughout. Having been a religion major and seminary graduate and being perhaps a decade younger, it is exactly my cup of tea. But I also found that her mastery of the major world religions is relevant and vital to the world in which we now live. - David LaJeunesseReviewed in the United States on 11 February 2017
I really enjoyed reading the Spiral Staircase
I really enjoyed reading the Spiral Staircase. Karen's life story was very interesting, but what made it great was her execution. Her vocabulary is impressive but not overdone, and she phrases things in a way that is fresh and thought provoking. Well worth the read. - K. WoodReviewed in the United States on 12 May 2017
The Best of Karen Armstrong
Karen is a superb truth-teller. With her amazing ability to look at herself and her experience from many angles and express them all, she illuminates the exact point she is trying to make about humanity and religion: the "everything" within the particular. - Kindle CustomerReviewed in the United States on 6 January 2019
Great Book
A thought provoking book, which (hopefully) opens the minds of the readers to other cultures, religions and opinions.
Additionally, Karen's climb from despair and depression to strength, compassion, and ultimately God, is quite inspiring. - Katherine J. Hall, PhDReviewed in the United States on 7 May 2016
Starts slow but a WOW ending
I loved the last portion of this book. If you start reading, hang in there. It is worth the journey. - ABReviewed in the United States on 9 April 2020
Loved it
Been waiting to read this book for a while. The pandemic presented the possibility and i took it. Really enjoyed this book - Rusty PrestonReviewed in the United States on 6 July 2014
Good read
Definitely a good read
but I had watched a story about this
before reading.. Big mistake, knew outcome, etc.
Still written well. - Edward D. SyReviewed in the United States on 2 May 2018
Four Stars
Must read for Catholics and Christians struggling with their religion. It is for real!
To see more, s
==
==
==
==
