The Eyes of the Heart: A Memoir of the Lost and Found

By Frederick Buechner

Book Overview

From critically acclaimed author and Pulitzer Prize runner-up Frederick Buechner comes another powerfully honest memoir, The Eyes of the Heart. Full of poinant insights into his most personal relationships, this moving account traces how the author was shaped as much by his family's secrets as by its celebrations.Within the innermost chambers of his consciousness, Buechner, in his characteristically self-searching style, explores the mysteries and truths behind his deepest connections to family, friends, and mentors. Extraordinarily moving, this memoir follows not chronology but the converging paths of Buechner's imagination and memory.

Buechner invites us into his library-his own Magic Kingdom, Surrounded by his beloved books and treasures, we discover how they serve as the gateway to Buechner's mind and heart. He draws the reader into his recollections, moving seamlessly from reminiscence to contemplation. Buechner recounts events such as the tragic suicide of his father and its continual fallout on his life, intimate and little-known details about his deep friendship with the late poet James Merrill, and his ongoing struggle to understand the complexities of his relationship to his mother.

This cast of characters comprised of Buechner's relatives and loved ones is brought to vibrant life by his peerless writing and capacity to probe the depths of his own consciousness. Buechner visits his past with an honest eye and a heart open to the most painful and life-altering of realizations. heartbreaking and enlightening, The Eyes of the Heart is a treasure for any who have ever pondered the meaning and mystery of their own past.

As one of our finest writers, according to author Annie Dillard, Frederick Buechner provides yet another chapter in the tale of his life in this gripping memoir tracing the complicated roots and path of his inner life and family, with their multitude of intersections. The Eyes of the Heart stands as a touching testimonial to the significance of kinship to the author as well as to the legions of readers who have come to regard him as one of their own.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062516396
• ISBN13: 9780062516398
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: HarperOne
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A beautiful book

The Eyes of the Heart is a beautiful book--gentle, hopeful, honest. At a time when so many groups and individuals are screaming at us that they have all the answers to our deepest questions, Mr. Buechner quietly surveys his life for glimmers and glimpses of hope ("again and again over the years I have experienced holiness...as a living, healing, saving presence in my life"). The screamers' "answers" are founded in fear. Mr. Buechner's are clothed in hope and peace.

The Awesome Brightness of the Depths of the Soul

Somewhere at the very bottom of your soul, if you are very patient and vulnerable and humble, the eyes of your heart can eventually see the actual substance of faith, friendship, and fate. Our longing to know ultimately, beyond the thin veneer of our time-bound realities, is the final quest of the soul, to express gratitude in the most profound sense. Frederick Buechner illuminates the essence of meaning with exquisite care.

I need to speak a word for the beauty of this book

I have been a fan of Mr. Buechner's for a long time and his writings have touched me very deeply. This book was read at a crucial time in my life when my mother was not well. It means more to me than I can say, now that mom is with the Lord in heaven. Mr. Buechner has always touched my heart, but the poignancy of his writing affected me deeply. Just wanted to drop my 5 stars in for this book, seeing how some reviewers didn't value it that much. To me, it is one of his best books. I treasure it.

Great for fans; not a good Buechner intro

Fans of Frederick Buechner's work will want to read this novel for the depth of understanding he provides regarding his relationships with his family and his appreciation of the family history, but persons who have not read his other memoirs (especially Sacred Journey, but also Now and Then, Telling Secrets, and the Longing for Home) will want to start with them to get a better introduction to Buechner's life. It is, though, a great resource for understanding the inspirations in his life, and his trademark style shines well.

"Must" reading for all Frederick Buechner fans!

The Eyes Of The Heart: A Memoir Of The Lost And Found contains biographical revelations about the notable people who touched the life and family of Pulitzer-nominated writer Frederick Buechner. Included among that number was "a little oddball named Truman Capote" in grammar school, Clara Barton and Karl Barth. Buechner also writes of his only sibling's death while composing this memoir, his long friendship with the late James Merrill, correspondence with his mother concerning his belief in an afterlife, the authors who most influenced him, the meaning of his personal library, and his lifelong quest to determine "if it is true about God". Buechner shares a poem addressed to his grandchildren, considers his family's many tragic deaths, and much more. The Eyes Of The Heart is "must" reading for all Buechner fans as it depicts his personal journey toward an understanding of himself, the world, and the presence of grace in an often graceless world.