★★★★★ 5
incredible.
Format: Mass Market Paperback, Format: Mass Market Paperback
i want to recommend this book to every woman i know - but unfortunately, i know soooo many will choose to be offended by its content. it will either strengthen your femininity & rattle your feminist side (i should note that i mean the more extreme, modern meaning), or solidify your feminist ideologies altogether. for me, it was the former. & i'm so grateful. i will say, i think many of the reviews claiming this book is "against women" or "spreading harmful messages" are either taking quotes out of context or the point has gone over their heads completely.
elisabeth has made such incredible points about men & women being equally valuable, but simply having different roles in life. she also exaggerated that mature men understand that they have their role not from earning it, but from assignment & are called to love well. so much so, to lay down their lives. this is no way made me feel "less than" or "oppressed" or "victimized". i would say it did the opposite. it made me proud to be a woman.
personally, i think this book is incredible & i plan to read it several times in the future. men & women are equal in value, but we were not created for the same roles. & that's *more* than okay, it's beautiful. & God's will is the safest place to be. since i tend to have a hard time articulating my thoughts, here are some bullet points.
women are a gift. we were quite literally created to be a helpmeet. we are needed. we are necessary. we have a divine purpose. "i don't want anyone treating me as a person rather than as a woman".
a point made that i find interesting - we often see women on a mission to prove "we can do everything a man can do!" (which we cannot), yet, we don't often, if at all, see men trying to prove they can do everything a woman can do (which they can't).
people often assume that women embracing the more feminine roles is because of the western societal standards. but if that were true, why do we have yet to discover a successful matriarchal society? globally - villages, tribes, etc. have men as the hunters & warriors, & women as the caregivers & nurturers. is it because we were wired that way?
freedom lies in God's will, not rebelling against it. "by being a jellyfish, the jellyfish glorifies its Creator, for by being a jellyfish it fulfills its Creator's command." just like a sailboat sails most beautifully when it sails with the wind, not against it. it's fulfilling it's purpose.
"if she was going to make her way in a man's world, she had to be a lady." LOVE THIS QUOTE SO MUCH.
"you did in fact marry only a sinner, & so did he. it is grace you both need."
"snoring is the sweetest sound in the world. ask any widow." this hit my soul. hard.
"you can't find the meaning of a rose by pulling it apart." was such a fabulous quote in regards to not digging too deeply into such trivial things.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2024