Marriage and Other Acts of Charity: A Memoir Audiobook

" Great question: "For me, the most important thing in the world is . . . " Fill in the blank. A really well-told story of one woman's marriage and life. "

" My first Braestrup book, and I enjoyed it, but found it to be lacking cohesion. Nevertheless, it is a memoir and does have the feel of a long coffee chat with a friend. Not sure it has provided much insight on marriage for me, but there are some thought-provoking bits regarding the act of loving, exploration of the different types of love, and the commandment to love they neighbor, albeit without much depth. More like, Hey, this is something cool to think about that my boyfriend and I discussed... "

" Braestrup wrote the NYT bestseller Here If You Need Me after the death of her Maine warden husband; her essays of faith, hope and family dealt withhow she coped with her loss. In Marriage and Other Acts of Charity, Braestrup (a Unitarian Universalist chaplain for the Maine Warden Service) follows up with stories of love, including hers that led to her marrying again. I did not read Here If You Need Me but I can imagine it. Braestrup's writing voice is pretty distinctive and it's OK but it's not my favorite. Hers is what is called "inspirational writing" and she tries to do it with a touch of lightness, a bit of humor, which isn't easy to do. Anne Lamott is my favorite in that department. Braestrup tries just a little too hard to come across as cool sometimes. But on the whole her book is readable, well-organized, and she tells a few good stories of faith and love, especially in Chapter One, where two of her four children got lost in the woods, and Chapter Twelve, where she described the way her Bangor Seminary professor of philosopy, Dr. Oscar Remick, explain Paul Tillich's view of Jesus Christ. "

" This was more of a memoir than a book on marriage or love. "

" Fantastic and thought-provoking, brutally honest and funny. Couldn't put it down! "

" Less deeply touching than Here If You Need Me but perhaps it was because I read it in full health. It's a gentle and funny mediation on love and marriage,in ease and in difficulty, especially as one ages and tries to make sense of it all. "

" I loved her previous memoir 'Here If You Need Me' (so moving!) and that encouraged me to buy this in trade paperback and give it a try. So far, so good. "

" Raw truth that opens up the heart and mind. Sometimes love works, sometimes it doesn't. Strive for love regardless. I recommend giving this book a try. "

" Not as well written and telling as her previous book but memorable enough. "

" inspiring, thoughtful, and funny. what more do you want? just makes you want to be a better person--I love Kate Braestrup...she is a gift. every page is a present you are giving yourself. "

" Enjoyable look at relationships from a very intelligent, well educated woman, who is also an excellent writer and funny to boot. She made me think-stretched my brain in a pleasant way. "

" Braestrup is an ordained Unitarian minister & she does mention God in this memoir, but she's not preachy at all, & I really like the way she writes. "

" A sweet and affecting parsing of the kinds of love that we can, but often don't, achieve in our lives and relationships. Braestrup's lessons on agape and lesser forms of love helped me reimagine the loves in my own life, and find room for them to become bigger, more generous, and less self-serving. "

" Ran across this at the library and recognized the author from NPR. The book was made up of a lot of interesting anecdotes, but her endless talk about love equaling God, and poor writing ability were downers. "

" A nice book though not as wonderful as "Here if You Need Me". "

" I was expecting humor (forgot to read the cover) but what I got was so much more; a wonderful exploration of the personal discovery of love. Not eros or philos, but agape; true, unconditional love. A story for all who think they know love. You may rediscover something new about yourself. "

" Another winner from Braestrup who discusses love and marriage and what it all means. She applies lessons learned in her 1st marriage about what being loving means. "

" Loved her book, "Beginner's Grace" and enjoyed this one...but not as much. As an agnostic with Catholic heritage more than Catholic dogma, I felt this book too Christian-y. Still love her calm, honest voice and wonderfully fresh stories though and will dig into her first novel very soon. "

" stopped reading it half way through which I never usually do....too hokey and religious for me "

" Quick fun reflections on love. Worth reading "

" this wasn't at all what i thought it would be when i added it to my list of books to read. while the concept was a good one - looking at the ins and outs of marriage through the lens of a minister, the writing was disjointed and at times hard to follow. i doubt i'll be picking up her other book. "

" A follow up book to kate Braestrup's Here IF You Need Me. Like the first one---filled with acts of heroism among the Maine Wardens along with a Chaplains feelings of love and grace for all involved. Lovely meditations on marriage, family and love. A quiet and humbling read. "

" Nice read after her other book, Here If You Need Me. Might be a good engagement or wedding present. "

" Felt Like I spent a day or two, in the company of a very interesting woman. Primarily autobiograpical it centers around her ruminations on faith and love. As a mother of four and chaplain to Maine's game wardens she has fascinating stories to tell. "

" By a Maine Author who is the chaplain of the Maine warden service. This book is part- memoir, part-philosophy or reflection, I guess I'd say. Somewhat in the style of Anne Lamott or Robert Fulghum, with touching and funny stories and tidbits of wisdom. A quick, fun read. "

" I read this whole book on the train and bus yesterday on the way home from Boston. It was a lovely reminder to live with love. As Breastrup says, 100% of marriages will end and the thing that gets resurrected is the love. "

" I love Kate's books. SHe is honest and doesn't hold back. I also love that she is from Maine like me. I remember hearing about the trooper who died on the bridge in Warren. I had no idea who the family was of the trooper. She is an inspiration to women everywhere. "

" I loved her previous memoir 'Here If You Need Me' (so moving!) and that encouraged me to buy this in trade paperback and give it a try. So far, so good. "

" Braestrup is an ordained Unitarian minister & she does mention God in this memoir, but she's not preachy at all, & I really like the way she writes. "

" Again, I don't agree with everything she believes in or says, but she has some great, true to live insights. "

" I want Kate Braestrup to be my friend. I didn't like this book nearly as much as Here If You Need Me but I sure like her. And Jesse - poor Jesse. "

" Felt Like I spent a day or two, in the company of a very interesting woman. Primarily autobiograpical it centers around her ruminations on faith and love. As a mother of four and chaplain to Maine's game wardens she has fascinating stories to tell. "

" I enjoyed this book. A few indelible scenes stand out more than te rest. Would love to give it 3.5*s. "

" What a fun book? I laughed outloud...especially enjoyed why she likes men. A real reflection of life, marriage and love in our time. "

" a big disappointment after "here if you need me." it feels disorganized--like unpolished personal essays strung together. i gave it two stars however because at times her humor and her unique p of v still shine through and she delivers a few poignant moments that stuck with me. "

" Another winner from Braestrup who discusses love and marriage and what it all means. She applies lessons learned in her 1st marriage about what being loving means. "

" Raw truth that opens up the heart and mind. Sometimes love works, sometimes it doesn't. Strive for love regardless. I recommend giving this book a try. "

" Funny, irreverant, inspiring....a realistic approach to faith. "