Smiles of God - by Felicity Leng (Paperback)

About the Book

Therese of Lisieux was dubbed The Little Flower. Taking this as her theme, Felicity Leng has shown how Therese's flowering as a Saint was a process of hardship, inner conflict and physical and moral endurance. The Little Way (her spiriual message) has become something immensely appealing to people from all walks of life. There is constant demand for books on Therese, yet no book or article on her has shown the various sources of her flower imagery and how she drew on them to shape her unique vision of herself and her never-ending relationship with God, people, the Church and the natural world. The reader is constantly pointed to Therese as a living personality with a mature creative imagination. Her concept of purpose, redemption, effort, suffering and joy, now and hereafter, is gradually constructed throughout the book.

Book Synopsis

Therese of Lisieux was dubbed The Little Flower. Taking this as her theme, Felicity Leng has shown how Therese's flowering as a Saint was a process of hardship, inner conflict and physical and moral endurance. The Little Way (her spiriual message) has become something immensely appealing to people from all walks of life. There is constant demand for books on Therese, yet no book or article on her has shown the various sources of her flower imagery and how she drew on them to shape her unique vision of herself and her never-ending relationship with God, people, the Church and the natural world. The reader is constantly pointed to Therese as a living personality with a mature creative imagination. Her concept of purpose, redemption, effort, suffering and joy, now and hereafter, is gradually constructed throughout the book.

Review Quotes

"Felicity Leng... presents the importance of flowers in the life and work of this saint who in 1997 was declared a 'Doctor of the church.'... It is this kind of spiritual sensitivity that has made Therese and her 'little way' so appealing to ordinary people of all religious persuasions. She believed that it was the destiny of everyone to be a saint- one who was destined to grow and flower. That is why Leng concludes her insightful and deeply devotional book with an image of Theresa as a smiling flower in God's garden." --Spirituality and Health

About the Author

Felicity Leng was educated in the UK at St Mary's Ascot and the Slade school of Fine Art. She is a professional landscape, portrait and equestrian painter and photographer. She is also a writer and translator.