Glad I rediscovered Hope
938608
Like millions of others I fell in love with Fade Into You.  Then everything else I heard by Mazzy Star was a bit of a disappointment and they, and Hope, fell off the radar.  I was browsing and this came up as I recommendation.  I previewed a few and fell back in love.  Downloaded it instantly.  Beautiful music.
1917651
So I'd never heard of this classic book before someone sent it to me recently while I was hanging out in jail for a short and not so enjoyable visit.  Although I will say this, if jail had comfortable chairs and decent food and they allowed me to have my kindle, it would be close to heaven.  But I digress.

I really loved this novel, Maugham's insight into human relationships and love and the nature of dependency was really enjoyable to read and also helped me in my personal development and thought process.

At the time of reading this, and I still don't know who sent it to me, I was in the process of becoming an atheist, in other words, giving up my long held beliefs in a Christian world view.  This book really helped me; as the main character struggled with healing prayer and hope and faith and every disappointment that goes with hoping  in imaginary things I totally identified, I'd done the SAME things.  It was cathartic.

As the main character struggled with loving a woman incapable of being loved, I identified, I understood.  As he gave up art, I understood.  As he realized that life was a horrible struggle and you are on your own, I identified.

Now I don't want to give a spoiler here about the ending, but it gave me hope.  Some...

I really recommend this book to anyone that wants to read some historical fiction that gives insight into the turn of the century, especially England, but some Paris and by extension the rest of the "modern" western world at the time.  Death was not so uncommon, the poor so common, misery normal.

I see there are already a ton of reviews on this book, so I won't go into what it's all about, no point, but I felt like giving a reason to read it and how it made me feel.

It made me feel understood and I got some understanding out of it.  It did provide some hope, but it did so in a way that it's so hopeful, like, life sucks, but there are pleasant moments.  Deal with it or commit suicide.

This book provided something for me and I recommend it.
3653409
Over the last four years, I have lost a friend and two lovers because conflict was conflated with abuse. I knew what happened to me was unfair, and I could see where things fell apart, but the pain of being wrongly smeared as a terrible person was overwhelming and left me feeling too wounded to logically process what happened beyond the scope of feeling. I let myself fall into a rut. I insulated myself from new relationships; I let my body go; my work degraded, and so on. I began slowly building enough courage to understand what happened. Finally, I ignored friends and family who caringly urged continued silence and tried to address what happened. I was ignored. They weren't open to making amends. Frankly, I was incredulous and hurt. It was obvious to me at this stage that I was, in fact, a victim of their cruelty; but I decided not to let that hold me back from feeling like me anymore. They might be too scared to face their imperfections, but I am not! I started developing more rational ideas about conflict and resolution, and then I found Conflict Is Not Abuse which has transformed me. CINA has helped me find my voice again, as well as my heart. I owe Sarah Schulman so much more than the ten or fifteen dollars I spent on this text. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in building or repairing their community, recovering from pain or trauma, or searching for context around conflict, especially those engaged in activism.
730081
For the first time in years, I have hope! I am hopeful that I can overcome this disorder. I have to understand that setbacks are only normal, and the urges to binge and/or purge will not just disappear. However, through this book and the support that is offered on bulimiahelp.org, I am confident that I will overcome this! I recommend this to anyone who is struggling, and anyone who has failed with other options.
542670
This was an easy read filled with hope, challenge and redemption. I enjoyed it as an encouraging bit of light reading. I appreciate books, especially fiction, that have some sort of challenge overcome and redemption of injuries or injustices and this definitely had that. It also caused me to evaluate my own life and really think about what's important.
383255
I'm glad I read this book. It's not what I thought it would be about but I'm glad I read it. This woman's amazing recovery is inspirational for anyone needing hope in times of great difficulty.
Having said that I was waiting for a bit more philosophical perspective and a little less self-promotion. This story is tragic and I don't discredit that by any means. My feeling is that as a reader I was looking for more spirituality on the journey. Sometimes the book feels like a "look what I've done" and less a story of where she is going.
I applaud Alison's courage, determination and hope. And I am impressed that her meditation practice helped her to live, for without that she would not have survived at all.
229296
I had this book for 10 years, but didn't really look at it until just recently.  Because of this book I now have hope for my future, and it has convinced me to seek out help that I need.  I suffer from depression and anxiety, and get a bout at least once a year (spring and fall mostly?).  Dr. Druns has shown me that I do have a choise in how I feel, and I am choosing to feel good!
3465395
I've read many "mom books" but as I was in the early days with baby #3 I found myself worn down again. This book brought hope, joy and real encouragement to me. I will share with many new moms and moms with little ones!
3189450
Found this book very helpful and hopeful in dealing with the grief/depression and how to recover from a loss.
68225
this book gives me hope. I love reading it over and over again
12450
I found the treasure of this book last fall, and read it with such joy.  I was in a very weary season of my life, in desperate need of rest and rejuventation.  Emily Freeman's voice gave me a new way to think about my life, and my "art" in living it.  It transformed the way I saw myself and what I have to give in the world. Her words still echo in my mind and heart over a year later. I am grateful.
1677246
I lost my husband on April 6, 2013, just 3 weeks after he was diagnosed with liver cancer.  I was determined to find some meaning to this tragedy and came across this book.  While I don't think there is any way to attach meaning to his death, the book offered me some insight that brought me comfort.  It was a heart-felt and honest story that I have come back to several times just to hang on to some hope of a better day.
1061893
It had been a long time since I'd read anything. Started several books in the last year but never finished any. From the first page, I craved each word on each page. Longed for a free moment in my hectic schedule that I could steal away time to be alone in this journey. A wreck myself, I devoured this story like I was the one starving and stranded, searching for the way out. I didn't want it to end. I am encouraged, and filled with hope. I will read this book again & again.
4756807
Everyone needs hope to make it in this world. There are times when we really go very low. This book explains what Hope is and how we can get it back. Everyone gets hope from different places, but this book shows you how to find it whoever you are. I loved the quotes in front of each chapter. The greatest men and women of the past and those who will leave a mark living today value Hope. This is a good read that is well organized for discussing something that is not concrete and tangible. I personally haven't read anything like this before, but just reading about Hope seemed to give me some. Give it a try and have a hope-filled day.
1586260
the funny thing is that i used to do almost all of the things that marie kondo recommends when i was little, but for some reason, i stopped doing them when i got older. consequently, i have accumulated way too much stuff. this book's premise, that you start with an image of the life you want to live and then 'work backwards' from there, is truly liberating. instead of trying to get rid of as much stuff as you can, or plowing through this or that just to be done with it, when you start with the attitude of thanking everything for what it has done for you but allowing only those things to remain that really give you happiness, the whole process stops being some kind of marathon or act of penance and becomes instead an act of joy. at that point, you (or i, i guess i should say) have no desire to go out and replace what i have gotten rid of because my focus is now on what i have rather than on what i don't have. having spent one summer living in a dirt-floor shack in a region where most people lived that way and seeing how little people really need to live on, not to mention how happy i was that summer, just focusing on doing rather than having, i'm ashamed to think of how twisted our priorities in industrialized countries have become. this book was the spark i needed to break that cycle. it was really just a matter of allowing myself to focus on what i love instead of feeling guilty for what i was giving away or trying to rationalize all the stuff that i was keeping. the only thing that marie kondo doesn't get into is what to do with all the stuff you get rid of. i guess she leaves that up to the individual. for me, goodwill is the answer. i used to think of having a sidewalk sale or taking things to a consignment shop to get money for them, or even having a party to give things to my friends, but all of those just ended up preventing me from doing anything. this way, i thank each item for what it did for me while it was here, and then i give it to goodwill and hope that someone else can find as much or more joy in that thing than i did. the end result is just a refreshing sense of freedom. now i know where everything is--finally--and i love seeing each thing i have. and i have no desire to go out and get more stuff. this book truly revolutionized my way of looking at things.
2887060
Hope is such a good thing - I really pondered my random acquaintances vs. forced friendships (family, co-workers, etc.) after reading this.  And I also thought awhile on the dreams we have as youths vs. what life looks like as we age.  And were the motives of those dreams for our own happiness, to please others, or was the motive fame and fortune.  I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do know my life personally looks nothing like what I pictured it would and I couldn't be more content.  Pile of Hope made me feel comforted to watch he friendships that were formed and the heart that the main character developed.  This book did make me tear up, and I will end my review by saying, I believe.  Period.
3199490
I just had my third child and I have been really struggling with anger and frustration spilling over onto my kids. This book is helping me so much! It acknowledges the extreme emotions and failings I'm experiencing as almost universal to mothers of small children, which was a relief. But it also held out the hopeful possibility that with God's help I can learn to rise above the stress and manage the it in a healthy way. It offered a realistic and refreshingly hopeful perspective that I was in desperate need of.