Beth Moore (1) (1957–)

From my blog (review now live):

All My Knotted-Up Life is the first Beth Moore book I have ever read. I have never been part of the Southern Baptist Convention, but when Beth publicly stood up for what is right and her denomination dug its heels in and ousted her for it, her story caught my attention and I found my respect and admiration for her growing. When I learned that she was writing a memoir, I thought, “Now that is a story I would like to read.”

I pre-ordered the book and was so show more pleased to receive pre-launch access to a copy of the audio book as a surprise from the publisher whilst I waited for the hard copy to arrive. Listening to this book in Beth’s voice, with all the charm of her accent and the emotion she allowed to sparkle through, was such a treat. At one point my husband declared that she sounded like Dolly Parton, and he frequently sat nearby while the audio book played so he could listen to her story too.

Beth is a phenomenal storyteller. She brings the reader right along with her and touches on vulnerable topics in an honest, graceful way. I laughed often and shed a few tears. By the end of the story, I had grown to love her and had found in her a kindred spirit. She really is a great writer, and oh, how I do love outstanding writing.

I am no stranger to walking away from a denomination that holds to harmful or anti-biblical teaching or from the internal work and turmoil that can come as part of that process, but I have been able to take that journey without much public scrutiny. Beth took her stand for all the world to see, and see it (and respond) they did. Her courage, spunk, and conviction are so inspiring to me and I related to many parts of her story.

I highly recommend this delightful memoir. The hard copy is beautiful and the audio book was lovely. If I had to recommend just one of them, I would say to go with the audio book so you can hear Beth’s voice telling her story, but either way, I think you will love it. show less

All My Knotted-Up Life is a courageous book. I don't think I can emphasize that word enough. It is spectacularly, and, at times, breathtakingly courageous.

It is worth noting that I am not a huge Beth Moore advocate. I find her handling of Scripture to be, at times, too deeply influenced by emotion. Of late, she has kept company in circles of people that I think are heretics. And she has long since shattered any confidence that I have that she is an honest complementation. But, having said show more that, I don't think she is the devil. I've waged no campaigns to keep people away from her material; neither did I intentionally promote them in the church where I pastor. I just always thought there were better options in the realm of Women's Discipleship.

Those thoughts aside, her memoir is MUST READ material. She tells her story in manner that hearkens me back to my favorite genre - southern gothic. It's as if Mrs. Moore channels her best Eudora Welty or Flannery O'Connor. She does it convincingly and elegantly. The writing style alone makes this book a necessary read.

Beyond the prosaic reasons, Moore's story is riveting in its own rite. She is honest about abuse, struggles, family, her own shortcomings, and her heartbreaks. There are moments when I think some clarification would have been nice (and her lack of clarification will be weaponized by those who wish to shame her), but, in the end, it was her story to tell. Who am I tell dictate how she delivered it?

Thank you, Beth Moore, for your beautiful book. I'm glad I got to peak into your knotted-up life. show less

Beth Moore, better known for her Bible studies, ventured into the world of Christian fiction with this title. Jillian Slater, long estranged from her father and his family, goes to New Orleans to attend his funeral. Her mother depicted her father as a homeless loser. As soon as she landed at the airport, she began regretting her decision to fly there. She discovers her grandmother lives in a renovated old church with an odd assortment of people and a sassy manager. After she goes back to San show more Francisco and discovers her boyfriend/boss with another woman in his office, she quickly packs, returning to New Orleans. She begins to learn more about her father, her grandmother, and herself during her journey. The book contains a mystery concerning the murder of her father and romance for Jillian. The book is unlikely to gain a wide following outside of Christian readers as it tends to be a bit preachy at times. The story is better than expected. I listened to the audio book read by Shannon McManus who does a terrible job. Her male voices and regional accents were horrible. I recommend reading the book rather than listening to it. show less

4.5 stars rounded up!

I was surprised by how much I liked this book. It has everything I love - family dynamics, friendships, mystery, redemption, and character growth. The fact that this was a squeaky clean read was a major bonus too! The only reason it didn't reach 5 stars for me was that I was sometimes confused about whose point of view I was on, as it would switch chapter to chapter without a clear indicator. Also, I know it was important to tell the history of the church, and it was show more tastefully woven in, but I also felt like it didn't fully connect to the story being told in the present. Overall, though, this was a win for me, and I wish Beth Moore had more fiction books published! I laughed out loud, cried, and felt like these characters were my friends, too. Some spin off short novels on the side characters would be so much fun to read! show less