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The Last Petal Falling: A Memoir
In 2011, a minor news story made headlines and turned Lori Arnold McFarlane’s comfortable life upside down. Residing in Scotland, her life seemed pretty close to perfect – a beautiful family, wonderful friends, a breath-taking view of the Clyde, and a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. An evangelical Christian and a Calvinist, McFarlane’s deepest desire was to glorify and enjoy her God forever. But when a tiny group of religious fanatics began preaching doom and gloom and the End of Days, she found herself suddenly and unwillingly questioning everything she’d ever believed.
Her memoir takes us through the next three years as she struggled deeply with her faith, grappling with feelings of abandonment and the soul-crushing silence of the heavenly Father she’d always trusted. Depressed and desperate, she tried everything she could to hold on to her hope in Christ, but as her faith flatlined and her resolve weakened, she began to wonder how much longer she could go on like this – or if she even wanted to.
McFarlane tells her story with sensitivity and honesty, providing witty and touching accounts of her most formative childhood and adolescent moments of faith, and provides fascinating insight into many different sects of Christianity she’d encountered as an adult, from speaking in tongues to wearing head coverings. She deals with both the anger and the longing she felt when faced with the question that would ultimately make or break her faith:
Do all saints really persevere until the end?
Her memoir takes us through the next three years as she struggled deeply with her faith, grappling with feelings of abandonment and the soul-crushing silence of the heavenly Father she’d always trusted. Depressed and desperate, she tried everything she could to hold on to her hope in Christ, but as her faith flatlined and her resolve weakened, she began to wonder how much longer she could go on like this – or if she even wanted to.
McFarlane tells her story with sensitivity and honesty, providing witty and touching accounts of her most formative childhood and adolescent moments of faith, and provides fascinating insight into many different sects of Christianity she’d encountered as an adult, from speaking in tongues to wearing head coverings. She deals with both the anger and the longing she felt when faced with the question that would ultimately make or break her faith:
Do all saints really persevere until the end?
124 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 23, 2015
This memoir is a thoughtful and carefully constructed tale of the author's awakening to the fact that life can be lived (and enjoyed) beyond Christian faith. I applaud her honesty and that she didn't get bogged down in trying to defend the deconstruction of her former belief system. She simply tells her story in a way that leaves no doubt in the reader's mind that she fought long and hard to hold on to her faith, yet in the end, rationality reigned over religion. I found myself nodding to the many references to the evangelical sub-culture (the music, etc.), and found much that mirrored my own shift away from a life of faith to atheism. I really did not want the book to end. I wish the author well in her life and I thank her for sharing her journey with us.
July 29, 2015
Lori has very thoughtfully and beautifully laid bare her soul in this memoir about her loss of faith in God and becoming an atheist over the course of several years. I appreciated her painful honesty in that struggle; and it is apparent that it was indeed a struggle and not something she took lightly. I am always intrigued by people's life choices and the events that lead them to believe (or not) the things they do. Understanding one another's perspectives in life, to me, is the key to us all "just getting along."
November 11, 2018
If you're afraid of possibly seeing things from a different perspective, having your beliefs challenged in new ways, or listening to a touching, often heart wrenching story of a brave woman's spiritual journey, then steer clear of this book!
However, if you're not afraid of any of those things and you love memoirs, then this book is definitely for you. Lori does a masterful job laying some of the most difficult parts of her life out on the table for the world to see while maintaining a fair and respectful criticism of various viewpoints she no longer agrees with. I was brought to tears on more than one occasion as I read this story, and often saw my own similar experiences in the pages as if I were looking in a mirror.
If you are non religious person, former Christian, or somewhere in between, this book is definitely for you - you very well might be encouraged to see that your experiences of doubt and faith crises are shared by many others and that you're not alone. If you consider yourself a strong Christian, this book is also for you - hopefully it will give you a greater perspective on what's going on in the lives of friends or family who no longer share your views so as to help create a more compassionate dialogue. Well done, Lori!
However, if you're not afraid of any of those things and you love memoirs, then this book is definitely for you. Lori does a masterful job laying some of the most difficult parts of her life out on the table for the world to see while maintaining a fair and respectful criticism of various viewpoints she no longer agrees with. I was brought to tears on more than one occasion as I read this story, and often saw my own similar experiences in the pages as if I were looking in a mirror.
If you are non religious person, former Christian, or somewhere in between, this book is definitely for you - you very well might be encouraged to see that your experiences of doubt and faith crises are shared by many others and that you're not alone. If you consider yourself a strong Christian, this book is also for you - hopefully it will give you a greater perspective on what's going on in the lives of friends or family who no longer share your views so as to help create a more compassionate dialogue. Well done, Lori!
August 9, 2020
3.5/4 stars. This was an engaging read. It is a heart-rending story of deconstruction of faith and loss of faith. I felt the ending was a little rushed, but it was an interesting memoir.
January 11, 2016
Beautifully written! I have been a follower of Lori's blog for a little while and have been wanting to read her book ever since she released it. I have to say, it was well worth the wait. It t hit close to home all of the fear, worry, and heartbreak that comes with trying to hold on to something that no longer makes sense to hold on to.
January 25, 2016
An honest and forthright telling of her struggles to try to remain true to her childhood Christian teachings and the fallout from accepting her own evolving views of religion and God.
June 19, 2017
Excellent
A thorough walk through one life and the many steps one goes through in a loss of faith. Insightful for both current and former church members.
A thorough walk through one life and the many steps one goes through in a loss of faith. Insightful for both current and former church members.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews