Review of 15 Letters to Lily

[Sarah Schmidt]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "15 Letters to Lily" by Christopher Bloom, M.D./ Fr. Peter Mary F.SS.R.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Just as its title suggests, 15 Letters to Lily comprise fifteen letters dedicated to an eight-year-old girl named Lily. Her grandfather, Christopher Bloom, M.D., requested they be written by Father Peter Mary, F.SS.R., a Catholic priest, to help Lily navigate through the ills of the modern world. The reader is meant to act as a third-party witness to inspirational advice that fights back against an anti-Catholic narrative. Each letter contains a different message, from obeying God’s Ten Commandments as listed in the Christian Bible to practising love, forgiveness, and kindness, and from resisting all the temptations and materialistic pleasures in this life to confessing your sins to God in order to redeem your soul.

The booklet was set up in an easily digestible format. As previously mentioned, fifteen letters make up the length of the book, each spanning two to three pages and conveying some message in support of the Catholic faith. The letters end with a spiritual lesson in the form of a quote from a Saint, making for a short overall reading experience. This is a plus for children, whose attention spans are notoriously short.

The book’s official summary explicitly states its intention to push back against an anti-Catholic rhetoric. To that effect, it denounces other religions, citing the Catholic Church as the one true church. This might not be palatable for all readers, especially as it outrightly teaches Lily, and even further, the readers, that superstitions and other beliefs are workings of the devil and are to be ignored, most notably disavowing Protestantism. Personally, the messages were ideologies and concepts I’ve already heard before, and while I agree with the moral lessons taught, the exact principles are not things I wholly agree with. I went into this story wanting to learn more about Catholicism, and I did, even if my thoughts on the denomination were not changed.

I loved the intent behind the creation of the book. The modern world is filled with pitfalls and temptations galore. A grandfather’s desire to see his granddaughter navigate through life with an ironclad faith and trust in a higher power is a thing of beauty. An outsider to this faith might argue that, in one breath, the letters argue that free will is given to all, then in another, posits that Catholicism is the one true way. I am of the firm opinion, however, that we should go through life with enough information about a subject before making our own judgement—ironically, the book argues something to that effect in Letter 2 and Letter 9—so this book offers one argument on the side of good.

For such a short booklet, having even a single error present is glaringly obvious. I noticed quite a few too, so this book does not seem to be professionally edited.

I rate this book three out of four stars. The one-star deduction arises from the presence of several errors noted. It accomplished what it set out to, and I cannot count the negatives I have noted in the scoring of the book, as they are based on opinion. This book is a perfect read for those who wish to learn more about and be inspired by the Catholic faith. For parents who wish for their children to be brought up in the Catholic Church, I would also recommend they give this book a chance. I do not believe that people who are against the teachings of Catholicism and who are prickly about the discrediting of their own religions or beliefs would enjoy this book.

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15 Letters to Lily
View: on Bookshelves

[Pearl Thomas]

I don't think I would agree with the message in this book but the idea of it seems very cute. The compilation of letters to the author's grandaughter is such a cute idea for a book.

[Aisha Yakub]

I'm not sure this is a book for me. However, you have done a great job with the analysis of this book, and I'm sure readers who'd like to learn more about the Catholic faith would enjoy reading this.

[Florentia Claude]

This book is interesting. I really like it! I don't know how to explain it but there something in this book that hooked my attention. I'm sure other readers would enjoy this book

[Patty Allread]

You were fair in your review, and I enjoyed reading it. Teaching a child the truth and value of their religion is commendable. But I subscribe to respecting the religious beliefs of others and believe it is morally wrong to do otherwise.

[Itz Savaga]

Learning to love, forgive,and being kind is really a great thing to see in a book. This book will be more suitable to Christians, Catholics especially. Great review.

[Christopherio]

these letters can be directed not just to lily but to anyone who wants to learn about God, and in different pieces that can be assimilated easily. it's also a good way to teach your children since it was written simplified enough for an eight-year-old.

[Alice Fu]

I love the idea of writing out different letters for a person to go through over time. However, I do not think I will be reading this book because I do not appreciate the shaming of other religions or ideas. I do not like the messaging behind the story, however, I hope the right person finds the book