Gift from the Sea

A True Gift!!

Anne Morrow Lindberg¿s book, ¿Gift From the Sea¿, is a beautifully written story that takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery. Inspired by her short vacation on the beach, she discovers the key to balance in life through her experiences. Although written for a wide audience, women can especially relate to this book because of the author¿s use of symbolism between the seashells and her various roles as a woman throughout life. The core message of this book is as relevant in today¿s world as it was when it was written in 1955.
¿Gift From the Sea¿ has been a best-seller, which I believe is due to the author¿s ability to eloquently relate to the pressures of life that most people feel, while bringing insight on how to cope with these pressures. She is the mother of five children and the wife of the famous Charles Lindberg. Her life has been filled with many responsibilities and challenges. She speaks honestly about her feelings and experiences as a mother, wife and friend.
Symbolism is a dominant feature in this book. Each chapter is named after a seashell, such as ¿A Channeled Whelk¿, ¿Moon Shell¿, ¿Oyster Bed¿, ¿Argonauta¿, and ¿Double-Sunrise¿. These shells and chapter names are used as a metaphor for her marriage, life, relationships, children and work. They subsequently divide each part of her life as it divides the book.
Her use of symbolism is effective in her writing because of the deep meaning she took from each shell. For example, the author used the lone moon shell to give importance for the need of solidarity in one¿s life. ¿If it is woman¿s function to give, she must be replenished too. But how? Solitude, says the moon shell. Every person, especially every woman, should be alone sometime during the year, some part of each week, and each day.¿ (p.42)
Anne Lindberg¿s brilliant use of symbolism in the chapter titled, ¿Oyster Bed,¿ spoke to me as a wife and mother. She related the oyster shell to the middle years of marriage and explained how the oyster shell struggled for life. ¿The oyster has fought to have that place on the rock to which it has fitted itself perfectly and to which it clings tenaciously. So most couples in the growing years of marriage struggle to achieve a place in the world. It is a physical and material battle first of all, for a home, for children, for a place in their particular society¿¿ (p.74) The manner in which she manages to weave the seashells she finds on the beach with life¿s challenges is poignant and timeless.
Although this book was written in 1955, the messages and lessons for achieving harmony in life are just as relevant today. The messages in this book are clear. We all must take time for ourselves. We must appreciate and value our relationships and experiences. I would recommend this inspirational book to anyone, as her writing is a true gift for anyone¿s soul.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Gifts from the Sea

A book that every woman, young or old, should read and re-read. It is a guide to a peaceful life. My Mother was the first person to give it to me and I have given it to my daughters-in-law.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

This book was recommended by my Priest while experiencing difficulities in my life. Separation from my husband, dealing with a neice and nephew we took in, two birth children living in Texas due to the oldest divorce and child residing with her mother, an emotionally impaired and mentally challenged sister, death of mother, sister and grandmother in six month time span!

Intially I was not excited about the book; but as you read and immerse yourself in the author's preception and thoughts while on vacation with her family you become engrossed. The more you read, you feel like she has been reading your mind and some or all the topics become familiar.

Though I think her intended audience is for woman; I feel a man could get a good idea of things concern woman and how we feel.

I purchased two additional books and sent one to my daughter and the other to a dear friend.

I highly recommend it - quick read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is one of my all time favorites.

Gift from the Sea is just that, a treasured gift. I read this book and then passed along to many others. It is truly a wonderful read not just for women but also men. I highly reccomend this book. Linbergh's words flow so beautifully.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A really good book for women

I enjoyed the book. A thought provoking book. Pleasant. I'm so glad the author added the last chapter too.

I love this book

I have this book in print, and have given copies to several friends. I re-read it regularly, so I purchased it for my Nook as well. Lindburgh's thoughtful discussion of life in it's many stages makes me think, gives me peace, and enriches my spirit.

Excellent, and a book that you can read many times in your life.

I have gifted this book to every woman who has been dear to me. I have read it several times; each time getting something different out of it. Lindbergh is an amazing writer.

Great Inspirational read.

I read a chapter a day so I could reflect on each chapter. Good book group discussions.

A perfect book for anyone looking to get in touch with their true self!

This book is especially suited to women, but I see no reason why a man wouldn't enjoy it as well. It uses the sea as a metaphor for our lives and finding the balance we need in the busyness and craziness our world. When you consider how long ago she wrote it, it seems unbelievable how it still seems so topical today. Women will appreciate the understanding that Morrow-Lindbergh has of the roles that women play including mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, etc... and the importance of taking the time to care for yourself so you can be there for others. When you consider all that she went through in her own life, it is all the more inspiring to read her writings.

Wonderful Read!

Great gift! It was such a hit, I had to buy one for myself. It's so precious and inspirational!

A Gift to Treasure

Anne Morrow Lindbergh's book is a beautifully written narrative about the glories of Life and Change. For an over 40 year old book, the message is timeless and one that brings a peaceful feeling, similar to lying on a quiet beach listening to the ebb and flow of the waves. For this hectic, overly tasked world, it is a joy to read (and listen to on audio) again and again.

Woman to Woman

I enjoyed this book because it has a profound message of hope. Written by a woman who was married to an unfaithful tyrant, but still loved and cared for him deeply, I felt I could relate to her loneliness and pain. But in that pain she still found the beautiful things in life. The little joys that brought peace. That the smallest things in life can mean the most. She had a beautiful spirit, I wish she could have shared her life with somebody who appreciated who she was.

Life changing book

My mom gave me this book to read a long time ago, and I never read it..till recently when I was roaming the isles of BAN. The chapter "Moonshell" was an incredibly moving part of this book for me, speaking into where I was at that time in my life. Lindbergh is an amazing artist of using parallels with nature to shape her thought processes of her life experience. Loved the book, easy read, very fulfilling and I would recommend every woman, no matter what age or stage of life, to read this.

Anne Marrow Lindbergh was a gifted writer and saw the world through a very creative mind.

A beautifully written book for women of all ages and stages of life. This is a book I will read again and again.

This a great book

I read this in my book club. The first night I was busy and didn't want to start reading. I opened the book just to see what it was about. I couldn't put it down. This is a book you'll want to read 2 or 3 times a year. After reading "Gift from the Sea" I made a quilt to go along with the book. This book is so good that I ran to B&N and purchased more copies to give to my sisters, aunts and friends. I love this book but I also love being by the sea.

Take some time to sit quietly and read this book!

Anne Morrow Lindbergh writes about motherhood and life in a way that relates to present day as well as the time when she was raising a family.
This is a book to make you slow down, absorb, reflect and appreciate time with children, and time without children.

This is a great gift for women of all ages

I found this book very inspirational and one that was thought provoking and which had a profound effect on how I view myself in relationship to the world. It offers a spiritual connection without preaching or forcing a one denominational perspective. I have given this book as a gift to my daughter and daughters-in-law, and it is on my essential books to read list that I hand out to the students I teach as an instructor of English.

A classic - everytime you pick it up you will learn something new

Anne Morrow Lindbergh has given us such an amazing gift of a novel. It was written many years ago but it is filled with timeless wisdom. A different chapter will probably resonate with you with each reading, which is what makes it so breath-takingly beautiful. I want to read it everyday to remind myself of the beauty of words and to be reassured that I am not alone in my feelings or fears.

A reviewer

While I am not an avid reader, and do not enjoy nor finish many books I ever pick up, I throughly enjoyed the piece of work by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 'Gift From the Sea.' It is elegant storytelling at its best. Conveying not only a message of hope but fulfilling the reader with such enjoyments that are reminicint of childhood innocence. It is a calming and provacative piece that examines the role of womanhood in the mid- 20th century. Lindbergh delves deep into reach the core of innate human emotions that I believe all people experience a yearning for-- to extend beyond one's boundaries and find solace in the smallest and simipliest of endevours. Above all it is a book that not only caught my attention, but kept it and that is difficult in and of itself. A concept that is internationally relatable, a woman longing for more than her mundane daily life and the limits of her world and who she exists to be. Freedom's truest defintion.

Creative writting

Have you ever sat and analyzed who you really are? Can you imagine taking the shell of a hermit crab and becoming mortalized within its home? A Gift From The Sea illustrates a powerful story where you are taught how to understand and identify with your outer shell. Anne W. Lindenburgh¿s use of imagery enables the reader to find him or herself within the book, in order to provoke understanding from different perspectives. How often can you say that you have read a book about identity, and are given such unrealistic objects to read about? Within this story you aren¿t given the background of an ordinary person on a voyage t find oneself through trial and tribulations. However you are taken by the hand and led the way to explore the depths of the sea with all its sea shells, which one of them will ultimately define you. This book is about imagination, exploration of identity, and finding oneself, through the depths of a seashell. Fall deep into the depths of the water, walk around on the gritty sand, beat on your hard shell, and find yourself within A Gift From The Sea.