A Book of Uncommon Prayer: 100 Celebrations of the Miracle \u0026 Muddle of the Ordinary by Brian Doyle

A Book of Uncommon Prayer: 100 Celebrations of the Miracle \u0026 Muddle of the Ordinary Reviews

• 
  James Wheeler

  "Desperate Prayer for Patience with Politicians with Excellent Suits and Shoes and Meticulous Hair and Gobs of Television Makeup Who have Utterly Forgotten That Their Jobs Are Finally About Feeding and Clothing and Protecting and Schooling Children."
  
  Doyle is a unique writer. He has a definite voice and approach to life through prayer. To write 100 original prayers is a feat. And that the prayers are mostly directed to the experience of life and the things he loves and is grateful for is unique. He does not refer to God in a pious or churchified way but rather subtly and also speaks to people. I like that.
  
  He did make me laugh:
  “Prayer for the Elderly Woman on the Train Eating One Almond Every Five Minutes for Two Hours for a Grand Total of Forty Almonds and Believe Me I Counted, Fascinated”
  “Prayer of Thanks for Bass Players in Bands”
  “Prayer for the Incredibly Loud Recycling Truck That Comes at Dawn Every Thursday Morning”
  “Prayer for the Brave Small Girl Who Had the Courage to Ask Me What is Wrong with your Nose, Mister?”
  
  And moved me with prayers that address intimate realities:
  “Prayer for People Whose Dads Left them as Kids”
  “Prayer for Women Who endured Abortions”
  “Prayer for Boys and Girls of Other Sexual Orientation than Mine”
  
  He is overall, incredibly grateful for the life he has experienced and that comes through all over the place. He is also an Irish Catholic and from Oregon and I think has lived in the same community for a long time. So there is some old school political incorrectness here and there. I winced a few times.
  
  As a Canadian and a basketball fan I loved that he had a prayer for Steve Nash and also later on for James Naismith (Canadian from Ontario who invent bball). I have also enjoyed some of Pope John Paul II writings and was glad to see a prayer of blessing for him that both venerated but also criticized his failings.
• 
  RG

  Sublimely Doyle; every bit of attentively brilliant that that blessed soul embodied, but at the most delightfully Catholic I’ve yet encountered him. My two favorite prayers were likely “Prayer to the Madonna” and “Prayer for the Elderly Woman on the Train Eating One Almond Every Five Minutes for Two Hours for a Grand Total of Forty Almonds and Believe Me I Counted, Fascinated,” though I starred at least a dozen more. The final few lines before each prayer’s “And so: amen” were often my favorites, Doyle’s incisive essay writer’s insights coming to their pithy, surprising, beautiful peaks. The glory of this collection is in its juxtapositions, deadly serious and supremely playful bumping elbows at nearly every turn, sometimes within the same prayer.
  
  If you’ve not yet read any Doyle, this is an excellent place to start, and these prayers are wonderful to share with friends and family. Doyle’s delight in children especially is moving nearly beyond words. I’m so glad we had him while we did, even as I join the multitudes in wishing it had been for much, much longer. Meeting him in his pages, though, is a veritable treat. ‘Til the Great Beyond and your otter self, then, friend.
• 
  Connie D

  Full disclosure: I loved Brian Doyle's writing and attitude before starting this, and he did not disappoint.
  
  If you are not a Christian, this may not seem like an appropriate book for you. But if you're a little spiritual, grateful, and/or love writing that expresses the joys and touching poignancies of life, it's well worth reading. Brian Doyle had a very full heart and a very charming sense of humor. It shows.
  
  To give you an idea, here are some excerpts from Grinning Prayer at the Gentle Arrogance & Foolishness of Saying That There Are Only Five Forms of Catholic Prayer:
  
  "...the very idea of there being only five forms of prayer makes me laugh so hard I think I sprained an eyeball. There are as many forms of prayer as there have ever been hearts desperate to speak of longing and mercy and celebration and pleading...Everything alive is a prayer. Your next breath is a prayer...We pray by being. This writing is a prayer. These fingers are praying. Laughing as we admit cheerfully we are silly and small and You are vast beyond measure and composed of love, that is a prayer..."
  
  I will pick this up and read it again now and then to remind myself how much there is to be thankful of, how meaningful life is, and to remember this kind man who has passed away.
  
  
• 
  Blythe Beecroft

  One of the most beautiful things I have recently read. I have always admired Brian Doyle and this book simply inspires a true sense of wonder. The collection exemplifies how, as Brian Doyle himself emphatically asserted to my creative writing class in college, "THERE ARE NO SMALL MOMENTS!" Life is complex and beautiful and nuanced, especially life through the lens of faith. This book has caused me to stop and pause and marvel. It is equal parts humorous and inspiring. I love the devotion and candid nature of each prayer, which explore something as intimate as an individual's conversations with Deity. If you are looking to be reminded of how extraordinary the ordinary and seemingly mundane can be, I highly recommend.
  
  Second time around: Still incredible. The last prayer is a real tearjerker.
• 
  Sarah

  I never expect a prayer book to make me smile, to inspire me to look up and marvel, to force a guffaw and a snort-laugh out of me before I've had my coffee. Obviously, I've never had a prayer book like this one before. A Book of Uncommon Prayer doesn't just raise the bar, it changes the standards altogether.
  
  What Doyle has pulled together might be one of my favorite collections of writing. It's a glimpse into real conversation with God and a sliver of life here and there. When you read it...and pray it...you can't help but be changed, nudged, motivated even a little bit to glance around and see the miracle that is the present moment.
• 
  Jill

  A prayer of thanks and amusement for Brian Doyle and his run-on sentences and his early editors who did not prevail:
  
  Here I’m assuming that at some point someone tried to corral Doyle into a shorter more organized form, and I thank the universe for nipping that in the bud. This book is just the shot of relentless goodness and gratitude I (and you?) needed, despite the finer points of his theology with which I may violently disagree. Readable on a medium long flight, and truly delightful.
• 
  Anatoly Molotkov

  I've been looking for a Brian Doyle book to fall in love with, and now I've found one. And it is so that in his own struggle, he shows us an immense appreciation of all things - and if we don't agree with him about some old dude writing the rules, we agree that the rules matter, and also about the meanings of things that are not within things, but hidden deeply in our own small opinion-making units. And to you, the great Human Spirit that has created all the gods and all interpretations of gods, and all other wonders, we say: well done. And thank you for your beautiful one, Brian, in his difficult hour. And so, amen.
• 
  Nan

  I never heard of Brian Doyle until I came across a glowing review of his post-humously published One Long River of Song and found this gem as well. Doyle had a cult-like following (including Mary Oliver) who deeply valued his skill in reflecting on the tangible and intangible elements of our world. In this volume Doyle offers 100 prayers for the obvious (Prayer for Hospital Chaplains) to the ridiculous (Snarling Prayer for the Reckless Jerk Who Just Swerved Insanely Across Three Lanes at Incredible Speed While Texting) to ones that offer hard introspection (Prayer for Osama Bin Laden, Yes Even Him the Stupid Murderous Slime). Reading the titles of the prayers alone makes it worth it. I deeply appreciate Doyle's gracious and generous outlook on all things that make life delicious as well as confounding. Actual rating: 4.5
• 
  Stasia

  This was a sweet little book. Not exactly one you'd sit down and read cover to cover, but a sweet thing to pick up to read one or two prayers and put down feeling much more grateful.
  
  I don't identify with what goodreads and other places have called Doyle's "deep Catholic belief," but I CAN get behind the feeling of gratefulness for and wonder about all the amazing, overlooked things in this world. Reading this always made me feel happy.
• 
  Jen

  I loved some of the prayers in this book, some didn’t relate to me, some annoyed me, some made me laugh or cry. Overall this was a great way to open my eyes to prayer in everyday life, particularly situations where prayer might not be my first instinct.
• 
  Jana

  I read one prayer every night before bed. I really enjoyed the earlier parts of the book. Lots of creative things to be thankful for. I don't know if he ran out of steam, or if I got more "used to" it, but I didn't care for the second half as much.
• 
  Lori Neff

  What a fun, beautiful, inspiring companion this book has been over the last 100 days or so. His humor and insights have consistently moved me to gratitude and greater empathy.
• 
  Becca Sloan

  Just lovely. This book held so much grace and kindness and gratitude and excitement about God. It was a perfect place for me to spend my mornings at the end of this year.
• 
  Dorothy Rosby

  This is a beautiful book! Loved it.
• 
  Marie

  
  http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/...
  
  I got the delicious opportunity to hear author Brian Doyle in Seattle earlier this year. He entertained the packed audience by sharing his colorful writing, telling jokes and laugh-out-loud anecdotes, choking back tears, and entreating us to sing and cry along with him with his sometimes gut-wrenching words. Many of these uncommon prayers drew me in, and I decided to purchase the book.
  
  A few weeks later I decided to use the prayers as my focus for the April A to Z Blogging Challenge. I wrote to Brian and asked his permission to share his writing, and he consented. Each day in April I featured one of these prayers...from homages to doctors, nurses, the pope, the Girl Scouts, IT professionals, proofreaders, and nuns...to angry prayers at Osama Bin Laden and texting drivers...he celebrates the miracle and muddle of ordinary life in a most beautiful way.
  
  If you'd like to learn more about Brian Doyle or read some of the uncommon prayers, go to my blog post above.
• 
  Doris

  Standard prayer books are all well and good: it's handy to have the Angelus or the prayer to St. Joseph for a happy death near at hand. But there are circumstances that just aren't covered in standard prayer books, and that's where this book steps in. Doyle's prayers here include 'Desperate Prayer for Patience with Politicians with Excellent Suits and Shoes and Meticulous Hair and Gobs of Television Makeup Who Have Utterly Forgotten That Their Jobs Are Finally About Feeding and Clothing and Protecting and Schooling Children', 'Prayer for the Elderly Woman on the Train Eating One Almond Every Five Minutes for Two Hours for a Grand Total of Forty Almonds and Believe Me I Counted, Fascinated', 'Quiet Prayer for Friends Whose Teenage Child Just Stormed Out of the House', and 'Grinning Prayer at the Gentle Arrogance & Foolishness of Saying that There Are Only Five Forms of Catholic Prayer'. Reverent, wry, compassionate, humble, funny, honest, touching, but above all, faith-filled.
• 
  Jessie Pannell

  I can't help but give these uncommon prayers an uncommon five-star accolade. These prayers represent the discipline it takes to notice, contemplate and then WRITE DOWN the moments in life that matter. Poets' special task is to take these moments up and then put them down in a memorable, meaningful way for the rest of us who fumble over our words or who lack the necessary discipline. Thank you, Doyle, for doing that for me with your prayers. I stole them and now they're mine.
• 
  Blair Hodges

  Yes, the rhetorical style gets a bit too cute sometimes and it took a while for me to get past that, but there are some really moving prayers here and the end result is that I noticed more opportunities to pray all over the place.
• 
  Margie

  Loved it. Written by a devout Catholic, but one with his eyes wide open and with a killer sense of humor and yet he's serious enough to put you completely off your guard and make you cry the moment after you have laughed. This guy loves God and he helps me to love God and pray with more honesty.
• 
  Judy

  How can you not love a book of prayers about hot showers, nuns, birds, Altar Guilds,opossums and Girl Scouts. This is delightful!
• 
  Jennifer

  Ten stars. This book is a delight of honesty of heart. Beau Brown, if you have not encountered this book, I think you might really like it.
• 
  Debbie

  This little book has been my coffee companion in the morning for about a month. I read it slowly because many of these prayer essays just stunned me into silence.
• 
  Lizzy

  Brian Doyle writes about religion/Catholicism in a way that is inspiring and not alienating. While I don’t agree with everything he says, he strives to be what a good Christian ought to be - loving and grateful and kind- and thus even when we disagree on a topic, it isn’t hard to listen to what he has to say and respect the difference of opinion. There are many poems/prayers here dedicated to Catholicism or Catholic themes, but many other topics from dragonflies to the kids he coaches to suntan lotion to cashiers. He seems like he would’ve been a wonderful man to know and talk to. His book is fun and funny and heartfelt and distinctively his own style. It’s accessible and full of lists and optimism in the face of darkness.
  
  In a world too often filled with negativity, anxieties, and tragedies, Brian Doyle sees the good and miraculous and worthwhile. His writing inspires you to be thankful and mindful. Reading Brian Doyle always feels psychologically/spiritually refreshing/invigorating/inspiring. He puts things in perspective and reminds the reader to be a caring person, not perfect, but doing their best.
• 
  S. Murphy

  I know that Doyle was a devout Catholic, and for that reason I almost didn't buy this book. But he was also an absolute writing genius, and the gentlest and most gracious of men, so I did. And halfway through I ordered two more copies, one for a friend and one for a cousin, because I will be keeping my copy to go back to time and again, I'm sure, to re-read his prayers for brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers and proofreaders and jazz musicians and other odd beings who run the spectrum of human experience. I love this book.
• 
  Naomi

  He’s a very lovely writer with a gift for poetic flow, and I appreciate his spirit and warmth and many of his sentiments. I enjoyed the wide variety of titles he ascribes to God: Engineer, Filmmaker, Composer, etc. But I’m not Catholic so there’s a fair bit to disagree with as well (YMMV on that, depending on where you fall in spiritual practice & theology) and authoring a book of prayers seems a little self-indulgent, though I think he just wanted to inspire others to think about all the little things and pray more.
• 
  Siv

  A friend recommended this book, and I used it as my Sunday meditation readings over the last month. I appreciate that Doyle turns his lens every which way as an appropriate occasion for prayer - to people he knows, or sees, or admires, or doesn't even like; to hot showers and little brown birds, newts and cell phones; to the Church, and nuns, and Osama bin Laden; to writers, editors, and proofreaders; to sunny and rainy days. I also really appreciated his metaphors for God: Generosity, Designer, Coherence, Breath, Light, Bus Driver, Boss, Publisher, Band Manager, Imagination.
• 
  Shari

  I carried this around with me for months, just to pull out and read when I had a moment. So touchingly human, so funny, so poignant. Brian Doyle breaks my heart with how he transforms every ordinary moment into something worthy of prayer and praise. I don't feel hopeful very often these days, but when I read him, I do. And my heart breaks for the fact that all of his words that will ever be in the world already are.