Music of Eternity

Beautifully written . It seemed slightly odd to read in June and for the book to be published in August , will definitely read again during Advent.
Robyn Wrigley-Carr has a wonderful way of sharing thoughts with you , and they bring great comfort .
I particularly look forward to taking some of the discussions suggested along to House Group and I think they will be enjoyed by all. It will be a good book for this.
Music of Eternity is a book that you will share and keep returning to time and time again.
Very thought provoking.
Thank you Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read.

I'm really pleased this book exists. I had come across Underhill previously only because I took a mysticism paper at university, but I think generally she's very little known today. Wrigley-Carr has done well to revive her distinctive insight and humble voice.

There is certainly much challenging and nourishing content within these few pages. The book divides into just under 30 1,000 word meditiations on a theme. Perfect for a daily reading during Advent, just about. The extracts are taken from Underhill's notes, letters, and other writings, and are edited to all appearances sensitively and sympathetically.

A mixture of Bible versions are used, with most seeming to come from The Message. The author says that version speaks freshly to her, but unfortunately grated with me. The colloquial language deprives scripture of its wonder and divine 'otherness' - but this is of course a personal preference.

The theme of 'eternal music' drew me in, and I was expecting it to be made more of than it was. The first few chapters toyed with it, and it recurred periodically throughout, but I was slightly disappointed in this regard. Where it was used, I found the metaphor of 'divine/eternal music' quite mixed, which made it a bit weaker than it might have been. For example, music is at one stage used to refer to Jesus' earthly life, and at another to refer to something more approximating to the 'divine economy'. However, I appreciate how difficult it can be to tame unwieldy metaphors like this, and also that part of the confusion is unavoidable given the nature of the task of collating writings from across Underhill's lifetime, where of course 'music' will be applied differently.

I would also have liked to hear a bit more about either Underhill or the author herself. This book read a little impersonally (which was perhaps intended), but in my experience spiritual advice is accepted more readily when it is given with real-life examples of struggles, situations etc.

I very much enjoyed reading this book nonetheless, and redouble the archbishop of York's commendation.