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erlenzi's review against another edition
4.0
Gorgeous prose, deep lessons learned and shared. For anyone with a spiritual life that is walking through a "shipwreck" of their own, no matter the circumstances.
kucheka's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful book for processing going through hard times. I Think I will read this over and over again.
sacrificebyfire's review against another edition
5.0
This is the book Ernest Hemingway would have written instead of The Old Man and the Sea if he’d confronted his own shipwrecks under a theological lens. Like Hemingway, the power and profundity of this book lies in its simplicity. Simple metaphor. Simple prose. Simple theology. Because when you are drowning, you need the basics, not the fluff. Amazing book.
lmbartelt's review against another edition
5.0
With tender openness, Jonathan Martin leads readers through the pain of a life falling apart to a discover that life remains on the other side of the shipwreck.
nrichtsmeier's review against another edition
2.0
Jonathan Martin is highly quotable. Multiple times through the reading of this book, I found myself entranced by his turns of phrase.
That is both this book's beauty and its eventual downfall. It deeply struggles to say anything substantial about a topic (personal and spiritual crisis) that should be dripping with substance. Instead of telling a story, speaking to real loses (the anecdotes often come off as forced and trite), the book overcommits to metaphor. Attempts to do theology (like in the chapter which does a cursory look at Job and "monsters" in the Bible) are muddy and get lost in flourished sentences and soundbytes. Attempts to do pastoral care (like the section on eating, breathing and sleeping) betray the author's lack of confidence on the topic. He regularly relays, "I'm no expert on this, but..." or "This is how I did it, but that probably won't be helpful for most people..." in the subtext of his message.
I heard Martin say in a sermon years after writing this book that life had taught him that he wrote it before he really understood the shipwreck and what was required in its aftermath. The book betrays that realization.
That is both this book's beauty and its eventual downfall. It deeply struggles to say anything substantial about a topic (personal and spiritual crisis) that should be dripping with substance. Instead of telling a story, speaking to real loses (the anecdotes often come off as forced and trite), the book overcommits to metaphor. Attempts to do theology (like in the chapter which does a cursory look at Job and "monsters" in the Bible) are muddy and get lost in flourished sentences and soundbytes. Attempts to do pastoral care (like the section on eating, breathing and sleeping) betray the author's lack of confidence on the topic. He regularly relays, "I'm no expert on this, but..." or "This is how I did it, but that probably won't be helpful for most people..." in the subtext of his message.
I heard Martin say in a sermon years after writing this book that life had taught him that he wrote it before he really understood the shipwreck and what was required in its aftermath. The book betrays that realization.
epiphanycreek's review against another edition
5.0
As I’ve been moving through the aftermath of my own personal shipwreck, this lovely spiritual memoir has been a life preserver. This is a book to savor and ponder on piece by piece. Martin’s words have been like consecrated oil to my soul, healing wounds that I didn’t even know were there.
alltheradreads's review against another edition
5.0
This book found me RIGHT when I needed it. Oof, I loved this one. I probably underlined half the pages... just SO relevant to my season of counseling and unraveling and rebuilding. It’s beautifully written and poetic and powerful. Huge fan. Seeing him at the Evolving Faith conference only solidified that.
shellir's review against another edition
4.0
Really appreciated the chapter called “God loves Monsters”. A good book to return to in periods of loss, and the reminder that God is at home in the chaos. I always appreciate Jonathan’s perspective and this one is personal.