The Journal Keeper: A Memoir

It's been a long time since I've picked up a book and immediately fell in love. This is THE book I've been searching for for months now and didn't know it. Only half way through (I'm purposely taking my time, like savoring a delicious homecooked meal) but already I count it as one of my ten most treasured, alongside writings by CS Lewis, Elizabeth Gilbert, Henri Nouwen and others. In a home shared with my husband of 30 years, 3 teenage boys, and mother age 75 who has just come to live with us, I feel that Phyllis Theroux warmly invites me into her corner of life to share a cup of tea and precious words of wisdom each time I open the book. She empathizes, affirms, rebukes and encourages me all in one fell swoop. Who could ask for more? I can't wait to get my hands on all her other writings!

This book carries all the wit and charm of the writer herself, as anyone who knows Phyllis will tell you. That is just "it" about Phyllis--she can let you feel like you really know her, as she does on the pages of "The Journal Keeper". By cutting and pasting the vignettes from her diary/journal, we traverse a six year period in her life from 2000-2006. I was astonished and delighted at the surprises, treasures and secrets she revealed. The great gift of this book: it will make you want to write. With words, she is able to bless everyday, ordinary moments and make them sacred.The Journal Keeper: A Memoir

What a treasure! There is truth and uplift in this delightful memoir. What an antidote for all the negitivism that abounds.

The Journal Keeper has been a personal book of inspiration for me. The writing is marvelous. It is for everyone. If I had had the opportunity to read it years ago I might have been able to hear my own voice. "The Journal Keeper" has given voice to the silence within me. It has led me to offer it as a gift to many women in my life and as one of them said last night when we were talking about the book and the author, " The Journal Keeper is like a warm blanket I can wrap myself in every night. I eagerly anticipate turning the pages and being swept away by the author's life and wisdom." I believe she captured it perfectly. Few books have had such a profound impact on me. There are classics, yes, but The Journal Keeper deserves a shelf of its own. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone, it is the perfect gift because it's meant to be shared - just as the author shared a glimpse of her inner soul with all of us.

It's a charming book. I love the way she weaves together numerous places -- Ashland, VA, Carmel, CA, San Francisco, Washington, even Italy -- and numerous people. Her descriptions, framed by a meticulous wordsmith, are rich in imagination and thoughtful in perception. But it is her insights into the human dimension, sometimes gentle, sometimes less so, which make the book meaningful, as she addresses relationships, writing, illness, aging. In the end she writes a love story, and we are touched and uplifted. Can all journals be so inspiring?