Book Review: Confessions by Saint Augustine

“I need not tell all this to you, my God, but in your presence I tell it to my own kind, to those other men, however few, who may perhaps pick up this book. And I tell it so that I and all who read my words may realize the depths from which we are to cry to you. Your ears will surely listen to the cry of a penitent heart which lives the life of faith.”

Saint Augustine, Confessions

Review:

As a Catholic, I’ve heard Confessions quoted throughout my life. It was one of those books that I’ve heard so much about that I felt like I had already read it. I’m glad I didn’t let that feeling deter me from picking it up and reading it for myself.

St. Augustine writes about his impious past leading up to his conversion. Scattered throughout are tidbits from his life with an emphasis on his mother, St. Monica’s, role as she fervently prayed for his soul and conversion. He discusses his struggle with sin and vices as well as his search for God and his meaning through different philosophies. All roads led him back to Christianity. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I didn’t expect to given I found City of God to be tedious, repetitive, and intense at times. There is an intensity in Confessions, but it’s a more relatable intensity. The end of the book gets more philosophical, however, the beginning stays in the area of memoir and theology.

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The interwoven prayers in the narrative.
• The rawness of his confessions.

What I didn’t like:

• The last two books had a wildly different tone and structure from the previous which threw off my rhythm.

Afterthoughts:

It’s funny to me that I finished St. Augustine’s City of God much faster than I finished Confessions.

Where to buy the book: