This is a book that has been on my “to be read” shelf for a while.  Anne Morrow Lindbergh first came to my attention as an author when I read “The Aviator’s Wife” and realized that she was much more than just the wife of Charles Lindbergh.  I am so glad that I read this book at this time in my life and can see myself revisiting this title every few years as my life experiences change.  I would highly recommend this book for women of all ages.

Using the shells she finds on the beach while on vacation, Lindbergh writes about her views on being a woman, motherhood, the role of men, and her life in general as she equates her feelings and emotions to the particular shells she finds.  While the writing isn’t difficult, the thoughts and feelings make you think and I found myself rereading many of the passages to make sure I fully understood the feelings she was trying to invoke.  One passage in particular really gave me pause:  “Is then what happens to woman? She wants perpetually to spill herself away. All her instinct as a woman-the eternal nourisher of children, men, of society-demands that she give. Her time, her energy, her creativeness drain out into these channels if there is any chance, any leak. Traditionally we are taught, and instinctively we long, to give where it is needed-and immediately. Eternally, woman spills herself away in driblets to the thirsty, seldom being allowed the time, the quiet, the peace, to let the pitcher fill to the brim.”

This is a beautiful book that I enjoyed immensely and I will definitely be reading more of Lindbergh’s writings in the future.

Author: Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Published: 1955

Rating:  5 Stars