The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St Therese of Lisieux

A best-seller from its first publication in 1898, this autobiography of St. Thérèse and her "Little Way" to God, has since been translated into 55 languages. St. Thérèse became a Carmelite nun at 15, and died at the early age of 24. But her life was filled with such wisdom and Holiness that she was not only canonized, but declared a Doctor of the Church.

In a collection of three manuscripts, St. Thérèse tells first of her life as a child, of her intimate relationship with Jesus, and of her struggles to become a Carmelite nun. The second section reveals the Saint's Little Way of Spiritual Childhood, the Way of Trust and Absolute Self-Surrender - her method of achieving great holiness in ordinary life. We are urged to love God for God's sake, not our own, and to seek ways of offering small sacrifices each day, whether it be accepting discomfort or being kind to someone we dislike. In the final manuscript St. Thérèse describes her later life - which included her own Dark Night of the Soul - until just three months before her death from tuberculosis, an event narrated with great compassion in the final chapter, written by The Prioress of the Carmel.

Also included in this edition are a series of Letters, Poems and Prayers by the Saint. An inspiring and uplifting book, essential reading for any soul seeking to establish - or renew - a more intimate relation with the Godhead.