REVIEW: PEACE FROM BROKEN PIECES BY IYANLA VANZANT

Peace from Broken Pieces by
Iyanla Vanzant
KINDLE EDITION

I saw Iyanla on Oprah and immediately ordered her book on my Kindle and basically could not put it down until I was done. She is such a powerful person to listen to, the things she said on Oprah just made me go, "Ah ha!" all over the place. Her book was very good, one of the most candid and absolutely raw memoirs I have ever read. This woman lays it ALL out there, she is so blatantly honest about every single moment in her life, but it's not just about that. This book is so much more. She gives us little lessons along the way, real soul lessons that we can actually take in and use. I truly read her book and felt that I had learned something about myself. 

It is a compelling read from a woman who once had it all, fame, fortune, a regular appearance on the Oprah Show, and then she lost it all. Everything. She was shaken to the very core of her being, and yes she was even angry at God whom she adored above all else. 

The only thing I will say that was a bit confusing was although I totally understand that Iyanla is a woman of God, sometimes I felt like her friends (near the end anyway) kept reassuring her that nothing was her fault. Her marriage ending, her career tanking, etc. That it was the pathology of her DNA that ran through her veins... it felt like, at those moments, that they all were giving her none of the culpability in her life. 

But other than that this is a  great book for anyone who is searching for meaning and purpose, you may not find all of the answers in it, but you will feel Iyanla's struggle, and may even see a bit of your own through her.  


Here is my favourite clip  from her last time on the Oprah show...


http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Oprah-and-Iyanla-Vanzants-Misunderstanding-Video


RATING:  4/5

BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY - Recent worst..

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme that is hosted by the website of the same name, and this weeks question is:

What’s the worst book you’ve read recently?(I figure it’s easier than asking your all-time worst, because, well, it’s recent!)
Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

(POSSIBLE VAGUE SPOILERS AHEAD!)

The most recent of "worst" would probably be The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. This meme is super timely as I was JUST going to review it today! I know this was an Oprah pick, and that is primarily why I bought it. Like her or not, she sure knows how to hype up a book! Some of the books from her book club have been duds, but two of them are in my top 5 and I may never have read them if they hadn't been chosen!

But I digress....

I was pretty excited to read this book as I am a huge dog fan. HUGE. And seriously, just look at the cover, I mean does that not scream, "BUY ME!" from the shelf, or what? That being said, I loved the first half of this book. I loved Almondine (the dog heroine) and I loved Edgar, I even loved the loathsome Claude (who I kept picturing as a very dingy looking Sam Rockwell). His character was very colorful and the writing of all of the scenes in the barn between Edgar and Claude are very well done and unfold movie-like on the page.

Then Edgar heads to the woods.

Without giving anything away, Edgar does disappear in the woods for a time and this is when this book really takes a plunge into boredom for me. It goes on and on, endlessly, with details and ... yawn. Although there was glimmers of hope for this section, I could barely get through it. I felt as if the author was trying to fill out the book, I'm certain that is NOT the case, but that's what it felt like.

Then he meets Henry.

Can someone please tell me the point of the Henry character? By the end of the book I was just mystified as to why this whole part of the novel existed. I liked Henry a lot. A very loving caring man, and really enjoyed some of this section. But there is something that happens in the shed, as in an apparition and it is never really explained or addressed and is just sort of left there... hanging... only to annoy me.

So this book is difficult to rate. I enjoyed the first half immensely, found it very well written and engaging.. but the last almost half and the ending left me disappointed. I would never tell a person NOT to read a book they want to read, other people LOVED this one, so what do I know. I am only sharing my opinion and my answer to today's meme!

What is YOUR worst recent read?

RATING: 2/5