OCTOBER 2016 - AudioFile
Author-narrator Glennon Doyle Melton's heartfelt performance underscores the brutal honesty of the story of her ongoing journey to accepting love—of self, of family, and of God. At first, Melton's youthful-sounding voice seems to belie her rocky start, which included an eating disorder in high school and a later alcohol problem, but soon the power of her truths takes center stage. In a clear and expressive delivery, Melton bravely shares her struggles with learning how to live authentically while embracing her missteps and deep uncertainties. Though Melton's challenges may seem to be uniquely hers, the desire to be free of addictions, to be a strong and present parent and partner, to find spiritual peace, and to be comfortable in one's own skin is universal. C.B.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
The New York Times Book Review - Veronica Chambers
Listening to the audiobook, one feels even more powerfully that Melton is not merely relaying a narrative; she is offering her story with the hope and purpose of connection…Love Warrior…offers the best of what audiobooks can do: It slows the narrative down and draws you in close, as if the author is talking to you, and only to you…At seven and a half hours, Love Warrior can be finished in a weekend or during a week's commute. Even after all the book's success, I know there are some who might find the title and the touchy-feely subject off-putting. To them I would say this: Listening to such a warm and emotionally intelligent author is a worthy investment in a course on difficult conversations, if nothing else. But I suspect that if you give in to the possibility that this book has real wisdom, what will win you over is—to use Melton's words—all the "terrible magic" that happens when things fall apart.
Publishers Weekly
07/04/2016
In this able, spiritual memoir, New York Times bestselling author Melton (Carry On, Warrior) inspires with her evolution from her alcoholic, bulimic, and promiscuous past, to today, when she feels on top of the world. When she becomes pregnant with her first child, she decides she’s sick of living a half-dead life and stops drinking. She marries the father of her child and moves forward unsteadily until she finds her husband deep into porn and involved in one-night stands. She takes this as a cue to become a person that she can respect. She kicks her husband out, starts talking to God, goes into therapy, and practices yoga. In these activities she finds a series of insights that allow her to transform her life. Spiritual development is idiosyncratic, and Melton struggles to translate her experience into something universal. “You are love,” she tells herself, and she’s ecstatic at this discovery while the reader is floundering. But she writes well enough to create moments of accessible beauty. Women will want to reread passages that describe a return to intimacy with her similarly evolving husband and the speech she gives her young daughters about how sexiness is self-knowledge and self-respect, not stilettos and short skirts. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"A testament to the power of vulnerability. Glennon shows us the clearest meaning of 'To thine own self be true.' It's as if she reached into her heart, captured the raw emotions there, and translated them into words that anyone who’s ever known pain or shame—in other words, every human on the planet—can relate to. She's bravely put everything on the table for the whole world to see."
— Oprah Winfrey (Oprah's Book Club 2016 selection)
"Love Warrior reaches a depth of truth and power and emotional gravity that is rarely seen in the world, and even more rarely spoken aloud. Glennon's story about the resurrection of her marriage (a tale of a woman daring to come into her body, and a man daring to come into his mind, and the two of them daring—with outrageous courage—to trust each other) is something beyond merely inspirational; it is epic. I think of this book as the vital, long-overdue, much-needed sister memoir to Eat Pray Love. Glennon lifts the roof off her whole house—her whole life—and examines everything, right out in the open. She has, indeed, become a Love Warrior. This book is an act of love and truth and generosity; it will change lives."
— Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Big Magic and Eat Pray Love
"Melton is not merelyrelaying a narrative; she is offering her story with the hope and purpose ofconnection. Love Warrior ...draws you in close, as if the author is talking toyou, and only to you. Listening to such a warm and emotionally intelligentauthor is a worthy investment in a course on difficult conversations. This bookhas real wisdom… what will win you over is all the 'terrible magic' thathappens when things fall apart."
—New York Times Book Review
"A book with so muchpainful truth packed into its pages that every person who's ever married orplans to marry should really give it a read."
—Chicago Tribune
"An incredible, dark,poignant, vulnerable personal account about surviving rock bottom and finding abetter life. You will be inspired by [Glennon's] resilience, strength, andwomanhood."
—Real Simple
"Glennon Doyle Meltonhas mastered sharing her emotional life with the world, which she does nearlydaily on momastery.com. Now she lays herself bare once again in Love Warrior,chronicling her struggles and the depths of her resilience in the darkest oftimes. A heroic achievement."
— Family Circle
"Love Warrior reachesa depth of truth and power and emotional gravity that is rarely seen in theworld, and even more rarely spoken aloud. Glennon's story about theresurrection of her marriage (a tale of a woman daring to come into her body,and a man daring to come into his mind, and the two of them daring?withoutrageous courage?to trust each other) is something beyond merelyinspirational; it is epic. I think of this book as the vital, long-overdue,much-needed sister memoir to Eat Pray Love. Glennon lifts the roof off herwhole house?her whole life?and examines everything, right out in the open. Shehas, indeed, become a Love Warrior. This book is an act of love and truth andgenerosity; it will change lives."
— Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Big Magic and Eat Pray Love
"This is a book aboutwhat it means to be human?to wrestle with love, hurt, addiction, vulnerability,intimacy, and grace. Love Warrior blew me away. We can all find pieces of ourown stories reflected in Glennon's powerful words. We are so lucky to have hercourage and wisdom in the world. We need this kind of truth telling if we areever going to find our way back to each other."
— Brené Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Rising Strong and Daring Greatly
"How can I do justiceto this book? Moving and brilliant and funny and shocking and heartbreaking andinspiring, Love Warrior raises provocative questions about just what ispossible for a person, a marriage, a family, a life. At the heart of this storyis the insistence that we don't have to settle?we can explore our shadows, andwe're not just going to survive it, but we're going to come out the other sidea whole new person with new love, new hope, new strength, and maybe even a newmarriage. This is a big, stunning, buoyant, honest, raw glimpse into the lifeof an astonishing woman, but it is also a punch in the face to anyone anywherewho believes that this is just how it is and it's not going to get anybetter."
—Rob Bell, New York Times bestselling author of Love Wins
"This elegant, movingmemoir is about one woman's marriage but also much more than that. Glennonwrites about a hunger for love that all of us feel and the only food thatultimately feeds us. She understands the unique relationship between spiritualand romantic love, and in finding one, she masters the other. Truly a wonderfulbook."
—Marianne Williamson, New York Times bestselling author of A Return to Love
"When I finished thelast page of Love Warrior, I sobbed. I sobbed because I was in awe. Because Ididn't want it to end. Because it made me believe more deeply in love, inhumanity, in forgiveness, in God, in marriage. Glennon and Craig have invitedus so far into the messy, beautiful, difficult insides of their hearts andlives, and what we find there is profoundly inspiring. This is a book that willchange lives, change marriages, change the way we think and talk about whatlove really is."
— Shauna Niequist, New York Times bestselling author of Present Over Perfect
"A compelling storyabout self-discovery. Candid, brave, and generous."
—Kirkus Reviews
"A breathless story,beautifully told. Love Warrior presents an intense and absorbing narrativewhile reaching for something bigger and more quixotic, the mystery of intimacyitself."
—Bookpage
"This memoir isn’treally about Melton rebuilding her relationship with her husband; it’s aboutMelton rebuilding her relationship with herself. It’s about one woman lettinggo of the gendered messages she’s been surrounded by her entire life, and communingwith her fullest, most authentic self. Utterly refreshing and... just totallybadass."
— Bustle.com
OCTOBER 2016 - AudioFile
Author-narrator Glennon Doyle Melton's heartfelt performance underscores the brutal honesty of the story of her ongoing journey to accepting love—of self, of family, and of God. At first, Melton's youthful-sounding voice seems to belie her rocky start, which included an eating disorder in high school and a later alcohol problem, but soon the power of her truths takes center stage. In a clear and expressive delivery, Melton bravely shares her struggles with learning how to live authentically while embracing her missteps and deep uncertainties. Though Melton's challenges may seem to be uniquely hers, the desire to be free of addictions, to be a strong and present parent and partner, to find spiritual peace, and to be comfortable in one's own skin is universal. C.B.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2016-05-18
How a marital crisis became a catalyst for a painful but ultimately enlightening journey into the depths of the human heart. Though raised by loving parents, Melton (Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed, 2013) felt socially ill at ease and unworthy. At age 10, she found temporary release in the bulimic cycle of bingeing and purging. As a teenager, she hid her vulnerability behind a mask of trendiness and toughness, divorced her sexuality from all emotion, and began drinking. In college, she learned what she perceived to be the "rules" of female success: "thinness is beauty. Beauty is power. Power is Being Chosen by the Boys." Melton found the popularity she desired but at the cost of becoming an alcoholic. When she met her future husband, Craig, he seemed the embodiment of the "wholesomeness and goldenness" that she felt would save her. The two wed after the author, who aborted their first child, became pregnant for the second time. Motherhood forced her to get her alcoholism and bulimia under control, but she felt lonely even with a family to care for and resentful toward Craig for imposing sex on her. After creating a successful blog and book that gave her truth-telling spaces she longed for, her world suddenly collapsed. Craig admitted to multiple infidelities, and the pair separated. During the course of therapy, the author realized that she had been seeking perfection in a man who was as needy and broken as she was. To become whole, each needed to own parts of themselves—Melton, the body, for Craig, the mind—they had disregarded. As the two gradually accepted their flaws and limitations, they learned to communicate more directly and honestly with each other. Though the memoir sometimes reads like a self-help book rather than a narrative, it nevertheless tells a compelling story about self-discovery and the nature of mature love. Candid, brave, and generous.
