Wisdom Builds Her House - by Carole Duff (Paperback)

About the Book

When Carole was a child, her mother was shot and beaten in a home invasion, a crime her family never talked about. Decades later, Carole reads her husband's deceased daughter's journals, resulting in a crisis of faith.

Book Synopsis

Wisdom Builds Her House is the true story of a woman who comes face-to-face with her past when she reads the journal of her husband's deceased daughter, a girl she never met. Curiosity leads to self- inquiry and haunting parallels between Carole and Gretchen: inexplicable disruptions from when they were five; mental illness episodes starting at sixteen; troubles in college; rejection in love-secrets hiding in their closets. While building a new house in the Blue Ridge Mountains with her husband, Carole reads the journals, which lead her to uncover the never-spoken truth about the violent crime from her childhood, all resulting in a crisis of faith.

Review Quotes

"Carole Duff's poignant memoir, Wisdom Builds Her House, is an inspiring dive into the questions of who or what we are supposed to be and how we reconcile our present with our past. I thoroughly enjoyed her honesty and her willingness to share the beautiful with the ugly. Mothers, daughters, and sisters alike will see themselves in the pages of the book and join in the journey of self-rediscovery."

"An ambitious and triumphant debut. Duff weaves multiple threads-from building a house to marrying again to discovering the journals of a stepdaughter she never met-to weave a story of secrets and guilt and ultimate forgiveness. It is a story of leaps of faith and second chances, and it will fill your heart up to the brim."

"In this beautifully crafted memoir full of rich sensory imagery, Carole Duff takes readers with her on her dangerous yet healing journey of growth and faith in her maturing season. This book will speak tenderly to those building a second marriage, those seeking purpose after closing the book of a long career, and those wrestling with shame and God's gentle whisper to 'leave it.'"

"Wisdom Builds Her House is a captivating memoir that delves into the profound themes of searching, and finding, grace, mercy, and wisdom. Written with heartfelt sincerity, Carole Duff takes us on an inspiring and deeply personal odyssey through her life's most profound moments, revealing a narrative filled with spiritual awakening and transformative experiences."

"Carole Duff's memoir is the unflinchingly honest story of her leaving a productive teaching career, overseeing the building of a physical home, and delving into her past to find the freedom to go forward. It's the story of important internal work, inspired by her step-daughter's journals and led by the Holy Spirit to find the place where Wisdom has built her house."

"Never has a book title been more aptly chosen, for those four words encapsulate both Carole's outward experiences and also, and ultimately more significantly, her inner refinement. This is a powerful story of sanctification, an exposé of being triumphing over doing, a testimony of godly becoming-for it is in becoming that wisdom is built."

"Through laying the foundation, framing, and shaping her new home on a mountaintop hillside, Carole Duff simultaneously unpacks and dismantles a lifetime of ghosts in the closet in hopes of finally building that one safe place for herself and her new husband. With strength, honesty, and bravery, Duff makes her way into the past to know herself better and find herself in the tender love of the One who knows us fully."