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    Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way
    Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way
    Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way
    Audiobook6 hours

    Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way

    Written by Shauna Niequist

    Narrated by Shauna Niequist

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Join New York Times bestselling author Shauna Niequist as she invites you to experience the precious gifts and wisdom that only come the hard way--through change, loss, and transition.

    In this collection of poignant essays, Shauna reflects on her own journey of making peace with change, the nuanced mix of excitement and heartbreak that comes with it, and the practices that offer us strength and hope along the way.

    When life comes at us in waves, our first instinct is to dig in our heels and control what we can. A keen observer of life with a lyrical voice, Shauna offers another way--the way of letting the waves carry us into a deeper awareness of God's presence in our lives, even in the midst of turmoil.

    Drawing from her own experiences in a season of pain and chaos, Shauna shares her deeply personal struggles with:

    • Difficult moves
    • Career changes
    • Marital stress
    • Financial worries
    • Life-altering loss

    With honesty and hope, Shauna beautifully unwraps the complicated truth that in all things there is both something broken and something beautiful, that there is a moment of lightness even on the darkest of nights, and that rejoicing is no less meaningful when it contains a splinter of sadness. A tribute to life at the edges, Bittersweet is a love letter to the bittersweet and sacred work that change does in us all.

    Praise for Bittersweet:

    "Bittersweet is so delicious I wanted to douse it in butter and syrup and eat the whole thing. I fell into a deep and genuine depression when I read the last word and there were no more. Be kind and please treat yourself to this book. It is lovely and hilarious and poignant in all the best ways that make me so deliriously happy as a reader." --Jen Hatmaker, speaker and bestselling author of Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire and For the Love

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherZondervan
    Release dateAug 10, 2010
    ISBN9780310598862
    Author

    Shauna Niequist

    Shauna Niequist is the New York Times best-selling author of seven books, including I Guess I Haven’t Learned that Yet and Present Over Perfect. Shauna and her husband, Aaron, and their sons, Henry and William, live in New York City. Shauna is an avid reader and traveler, and a passionate gatherer of people, especially around the table.

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    Reviews for Bittersweet

    4/5

    104 ratings22 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Though it is advertised as a book on religion and spirituality, this is really just a collection of essays about a hard season in the author's life. She is a Christian, so God comes up occasionally, but I think even a person of another faith or even an atheist could read it without feeling excluded. While I think that's nice, and I enjoyed the book, it was really more a of casual read than a spiritual study. In terms of memoirs about grief and loss, I think there are better ones out there. There are definitely more in depth studies about what comfort the Bible can offer to those going through suffering. For me, it came of a bit light and fluffy. I don't think the author even quoted a Bible verse. That's fine, I don't always need that, but if you're just writing essays about your life, bill it as a memoir. I like memoirs too, but this left me a bit disappointed.
    • 5/5
      I love the way Shauna writes! Truly a blessing every time I read her books!
    • 5/5
      the soothing tone,beautiful voice, the beautiful way of the author describes everything. she is a true talent and the book is so heart warming. true balm for my soul.
    • 5/5
      Shauna did it! She is an amazing and talented author who pulls her reader in. I love the bitter sweetness of this book, and it will make a wonderful gift for others.
    • 4/5
      Challenging and insightful! I will re read to allow it to sink deeper
    • 5/5
      While reading Shauna Niequist's first book, Cold Tangerines, I enjoyed myself but felt something was missing. The world seemed a bit TOO rosy. It's nice to say that a certain way of looking at life is healthy and to be optimistic, but I found myself asking, "What about when this tragedy happened in my life? This doesn't all fit together the way you're suggesting it does." Bittersweet picks up where Cold Tangerines left off, and for the first time, I felt my sorrow COULD fit into this optimistic life.

      Bittersweet is subtle, but perfect in it's portrayal of life. It's still optimistic, but in a way that allows room for us to both cry AND laugh. I'm not sure I'm making any sense, so I'll end by saying this has become a deeply personal book for me, and I recommend it to everyone.
    • 3/5
      A sweet, heartfelt book. As a woman way past the stage of life Ms. Niequist was in when writing her book, most of it felt nostalgic for me, but I can see this being relevant and "a-ha" inspiring for women of the same stage or earlier.
    • 3/5
      While I believe this book was more directed towards women I still found much it enjoyable as a male. Shauna touches on so much in this short book and draws the reader in and helps them relate(although again for me this did not happen as naturally.) Overall, pretty good but not great.
    • 5/5
      Shauna Niequiest's Bittersweet: thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way is a most enjoyable and inspirational read. She writes of ordinary events revealing a most extraordinary yet simple faith. The writing style is beautiful as well. I kept thinking if I were ever to write a book, I'd want to write one much like this!!! After reading it twice through, I gave my precious copy to my best friend, and promptly ordered another of Niequist's books!
    • 5/5
      In this book, Bittersweet, the author, Shauna Niequist, writes about growing through her struggles as she experiences the natural occurrences that most of us experience as we begin our journey in adulthood. Shauna Niequist speaks openly about her experiences and thoughts as she shares her journey as a young adult with family, work, friends, and traveling.The book is easy to read, many short chapters. For me, I found myself realizing that I am now living some of those moments that she experienced in the earlier years of her adulthood – the struggles, the confusion, the uncertainty and the moments of bliss. I recommend this book to younger women who are considering marriage and motherhood, or young women who are currently living in this stage of life like me.Her wisdom and experiences are learning stones to go by and that special friend you need to tell you that it is going to be okay. I have quoted her in my blog, on my social networking pages, to my friends and family—Shauna has a way with words and I am ecstatic that I was given the chance to read her book and learn from her story.I received this book as a give-away through Librarything.com and Booksneeze.com and I am not required to write a review, positive or negative.
    • 5/5
      I found this book to be easy to pick up when times get tough. You can read a single story or a number of them, all of which are inspiring.I haven't read the author's first book, so I cannot compare, but I think this book would be a wonderful gift for a Christian friend who is going through tough times.
    • 3/5
      I have to admit, when I first started reading "Bittersweet...", I was skeptical. After all, I'm not Christian, I don't really know what a 'housechurch' is and I don't live in the Midwest. However, Shauna Niequist's heartfelt essays about a difficult period in her life, when she was dealing with the loss of a pregnancy, losing a job and a community and moving to a different state resonated with me in a way I didn't expect. While some of the essays were a little bit repetitive at times and her assumption that her entire audience understood everything Christian, for the most part, they were honest and gave an interesting look into someone else's life.I do think she sometimes got bogged down in descriptions of food and people's houses in particular, but I liked how she also talked about how important those two things were to her and her family. Two of the essays that stood out to me were the essays when she talked about visiting California with a group of women she went to college with and the wistful way she talked about how she wished these women were involved in her day to day life; and the essay where she described a wedding where the bride left the maid of honor spot open because her maid of honor died.Overall, these essays may not appeal to everyone but they cured me of my skepticism. Now I just have to find out what a housechurch is.
    • 5/5
      Reading this book was like having a conversation with a close friend, or reading one of my own journal entries. Sometimes we need to be reminded not to feel sorry for ourselves, this was my reminder. "Blueberries" was my favorite story. It made me cry and miss my grandma so so much. Also don't miss "things i don't do", "grace is new math", and "eight for eight". The prologue is so awesome and sucked me right in! Highly recommended!!
    • 3/5
      This book didn't capture me the way her first story-telling book did. I found Bittersweet to be a tad more preachy and self-centered focused. I know this is a story-telling book, but found myself irritated more throughout the book than anything else. I appreciated some of her stories, and her honesty throughout. Many people have been down the same roads. It was just okay for me.
    • 5/5
      I took a chance with “bittersweet”. I’m not sure why I chose it. It’s not at all the type of book I gravitate to. All the self-improvement preachy-type books especially the spiritual and religious ones are somehow a real turn-off for me. So, after receiving “bittersweet” my expectations were not tentative at best. How surprised I was when the book turned out to be truly enjoyable and uplifting. Shauna Niequist has managed to bring her faith and spirituality right into my face without turning me off or making me feel uncomfortable. Some parts of the book are really humorous and very believable when Shauna talks about experiences we’ve all had and somehow have stumbled through. Totally human experiences and how she’s handled them in good and sometimes not-so-good fashion. Her perspective on life is so keen, so wisdom-filled, you question if she can really be as young as she is. Her writing skills are extraordinary…..beautiful, meaningful descriptions of everything from eyelashes to fragrances to cold pizza. My only criticism would be the too frequent descriptions of what I’d call status food, which obviously are an important thing in Shauna’s life. I will certainly be looking for other books by this very talented author.
    • 4/5
      As I have grown older I see the need personally and in community to share our stories, and especially the stories of faith and what God does in our lives. Shauna has created a series of essays that are introspective, even painful. She shares intimate details of feeling and revelation that enable us to identify with the depth of joy and pain - the bittersweet moments of her life. At best we can identify and appreciate those moments in our own lives. We can better share pain and joy in the lives of our friends and families and respond. I appreciate the urging to readers to share their own stories - sharing is needed in our lives and communities as we live, not merely exist.
    • 5/5
      This is a very raw and honest book about life as seen through the eyes of the author. The roller-coaster ride of living is masterfully woven as Mrs. Niequist tells small stories about her life. Using a journal-style of writing the reader is drawn into struggle, laughter, heartache, joy, and thought as each story bares a small piece of the author's soul. I found myself stopping several times to think about what I just read. This book does just that: makes the read stop and think. A well written book and a must read. It was so good that I went out to a retail store to purchase another work by the author: Cold Tangerines. If you know me, I almost never shop retail. This book caused a very rare exception.
    • 4/5
      Excellent read! Shauna has a great talent for "turning a phrase" with poignancy. Her openness invited a vicarious journey with her emotions. Hard to put down once you start reading because of the introspection it induces. (Thankfully, it was not about her father - she stands on her own talents!)
    • 3/5
      Reading this book was like eavesdropping on a deep, candid conversation between my wife and her best friend. The the effectiveness of the book comes in the "everydayness" of her personal stories, and the ways that forms connections with the reader. The author's personna is that of someone who is likeable, who has a interesting stories and thoughtful perspectives. Each chapter has a different topic, and the Christian inspiration is gently applied. If Hollywood was pitching this book, they might say it's "Blue Like Jazz" for a female demographic.
    • 3/5
      Niequist is a very good writer and this series of essays regarding her coming to terms with difficult situations is well written and engaging. She writes with humor and at times wisdom. And, while Niequiest makes the point that life is bittersweet very well, what one is left with at the end of the book is, very simplistically, that some things work out well and some don't. There is also a sense of entitlement and secularism in this book that left me not liking it as much as I wanted to given the allusions to faith. If you want a fun and engaging read, this will fill the ticket. If you are looking for, or expecting more, you'll be left wanting at the end.
    • 4/5
      This book was all about seeing the good in the bad things that happen to you. It was just like a girlfriend chatting with you. It was a good christian book that makes me think differently about how to deal with life events.
    • 5/5
      Shauna Niequist, author of Cold Tangerines, returns to writing and her signature style of simple but poignant observations on faith in everyday life in her latest book Bittersweet. Subtitled thoughts on change, grace, and learning the hard way, Niequist does not shy away from discussing her own personal struggles and pain. Her candid honesty and conversational tone connects the reader to her words and her life making her message stronger, clearer, and more profound. Each of the small chapters works as a stand-alone essay, but they all tie together smoothly. Whether reading one passage at a time or several in one sitting, the book has a smooth pace. Niequist is ultimately quotable, too; and I found myself dog-earring multiple pages knowing that there were several lines I wanted to come back and reflect on at a later time. The title of the book comes from Niequist's idea that a full life requires both bitterness and sweetness. She says, "When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow." In a later chapter about friendship and the trap of always trying to appear perfect she explains, "We slip into believing that it's better to strive for perfection than to accept and offer one another grace." And among many brilliant thoughts on writing she offers the insight, "Writing wakes me up, lights me on fire, opens my eyes to the things I can never see and feel when I'm hiding under the covers, cowering and consumed with my own failures and fears."Niequist is not ashamed to share her "failures and fears" with the reader but it is obvious that what she states about writing is true. In the written word she truly does shine and her words are perfectly chosen and powerful, creating a work to be reread, reflected on, and ruminated over long after the final page is turned.