Lisa Gungor thought she knew her own story: small-town girl meets boy in college and they live happily ever after. Then her husband told her he no longer believed in God, a friend died, relationships and career unraveled. She lost a worldview and gave birth to a girl with two heart defects . . . leading Lisa to depression and despair. There, her perspective on everything changed. The Most Beautiful Thing I’ve Seen is Lisa’s memoir on how doubt can spark deeper faith and how the hardest experience in life often ends up saving us.
My Thoughts
I was drawn to Lisa Gungor’s memoir for its story about doubt and despair—and overcoming it.
This topic can be challenging to many people, especially those who haven’t gone through a similar experience. I remember doubting my faith as a young teenager and getting into many fights with my mom because she couldn’t understand what I was going through. I found this book enlightening in Lisa’s descriptions of her experiences with a restrictive church. While I had problems with people at my childhood churches, they were never to the extreme that Lisa experienced. This challenged me to consider how I would respond to questions and doubts raised by individuals who have been hurt by the church and people claiming to be Christians.
The format of the memoir was difficult for me to follow. While I like how the overall structure is united through the concept of the dot, the narrative itself didn’t have a clear direction. The memoir is told in stream of consciousness as Lisa jumps from one memory to the next; there is no clear rationale for the sudden shifts in direction. As a result, though the synopsis says that this is a book about moving from doubt to faith, it felt more as if Lisa was telling her life story, albeit out of chronological order, than telling a story about saving faith.
I do not agree with everything that Lisa says or affirms in her memoir. Nor am I entirely sure, based on what she says, where exactly she stands on some biblical issues that come up in the experiences that she shares. I believe this is better read as one singer-songwriter’s memoir than a book conveying biblical truth. The focus of Lisa’s memoir is more about her personal experiences: from the bad experiences she had growing up to finding healing in music and in the love others gave her later in life. This is important in its message that it is okay to have doubts, that a return to faith is possible and okay, and that we are loved.
The Most Beautiful Thing I’ve Seen is about growing up, letting go, and reconnecting with loved ones. It is about doubting one’s self and one’s faith, shattering these doubts, and coming back stronger than ever. It is about love, hurt, and healing.
Even if you do not agree with everything that Lisa says, I believe that this is worth a read to see how some churches have damaged the faith of the young in their words and actions, to see how love is carried out in the community, and to consider how we can personally show love to others.
My Rating
★★☆☆☆
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More about the Book
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Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Lorna says
Not sure I would enjoy this one honestly. I like some memoirs, but haven’t read any in a long time. I mostly read fiction.. But thanks for sharing!
Crystal says
Same here. I mostly read fiction, but I’ve been trying to branch out a little more. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Lorna!
Sophia Rose says
The stream of conscious memoir would probably be distracting, but the topic would be interesting.
Crystal says
I agree. The stream-of-consciousness narrative was distracting, but the topic was interesting!
Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer says
To be honest this is something I would pick up. I am pretty comfortable with who I am and what I believe. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Crystal says
I’m glad to hear that, Kimberly. I hope you enjoy this one if you pick it up!
Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight says
I think the stream-of-consciousness and out of chronological order stuff would bother me, but I’m glad this was worth the read for you and that there were some aspects you could relate to.
Crystal says
Yeah, the stream-of-consciousness and time jumps were hard for me. To be honest, I ended up skimming the last half of the book because I couldn’t get past these elements. While there are interesting elements to this book, I wouldn’t really recommend it unless a reader doesn’t mind stream-of-consciousness narratives told out of chronological order.
Ethan says
This is a really interesting topic to base a memoir on. I’ve had my own scuffles with family based upon religious beliefs, so I think I could relate to some of what she writes.
Crystal says
Same here. I was able to relate with Lisa Gungor’s struggles with faith, and it was interesting to read about her personal struggles with church and family.
Jenea's Book Obsession says
I haven’t a memoir before, but it sounds like it might be a powerful read. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on it.
Crystal says
Memoirs def have the potential to be powerful reads. While I don’t read many of them, the narrative styles makes them good nonfiction reads for someone like me who typically reads fiction.