The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming

I wanted to like this book as it is so highly praised by people I admire. It was a selection for our church book club and I'm glad I had exposure to Father Nouwen's interpretation of the message of the Prodigal Son, one of my favorite New Testament passages. Unfortunately it did not arouse much spirituality in me. I felt that Father Nouwen overworked the connectedness between his own experiences and the biblical message. It was a long slog to finish the book which engendered guilt in me for not being more moved by Father Nouwen's words. He was a dedicated and thoughtful Christian who lead an exemplary life of charity and service but his message here was diminished by repetition. Prudent editing would have resulted in a more readable and inspirational book.

Buy it. I'm not a big fan of artwork, and I'm certainly not a lover of reading, but more than once I found my eyes locked on a page with jaw-dropped, seeing in words things I've been trying to voice for 51yr. I'll probably buy a few more copies, pass them around when He tells me to. Thank you Lord, for Your sons Rembrandt and Mr Nouwen.

Buy it!

In my opinion it is the best of Nouwen's works. The reader will take a spiritual journey with many stops for personal reflection and for evaluating her/his intellectual grasp of the goodness of God communicated through forgiveness. The reflective reader may also have to deal with passing emotional states that involve a deeper level of her/his central core. It's a dangerous book because it challenges the faith-love of the reader. It is enchanting! A blockbuster! A MUST read for the spiritually serious!

I found this book to be an in-depth reflection on the relationships between the Prodigal Son and his Father and the older son and his Father. Nowen presents an excellent portrait of each character. He challenges the reader to notice how he or she is like the Father, the Prodigal and the older son. This book is a prayerful, reflective and contemplative narration on this famous biblical passage from the Gospel of Luke. It is well worth reading. I highly recommend it.

This book was assigned reading for a seminary class on spiritual formation. I have often heard or read quotes by Henri Nouwen, but this is the first book of his that I've read. I can see why he is so highly esteemed, even if I wasn't completely enamored by the profundity of this particular book.

Nouwen wrote "The Return of the Prodigal Son" in response to a life-changing experience he had in seeing and studying Rembrandt's painting of the same name. He walks us through his personal applications from his reflections on the painting. As most of us do, he first was drawn to his own experiences as the prodigal son, returning from a life of complete disobedience and utter disrespect to the loving and waiting arms of the Father. He then explains how he shifted his thinking to personalize the attitudes of the older brother, often looking down upon others from a position of self-righteousness and smug piety. He concludes the book by describing the final position to which we are all called to progress, from our positions as the younger and/or older brother to ultimately become compassionate Fathers for others.

By describing how we often live as the prodigal son or the older brother but how we should be striving to become the loving Father, Nouwen is able to apply the biblical story (and Rembrandt's painting) to any reader. Its widespread application clearly leads to the acclaim that this book has rightfully received. I suspect that anyone can find themselves in the story and will surely be drawn to some of Nouwen's universal conclusions.

I am slightly uncomfortable with several of his points, which is why I have given the book four stars. First, he goes to great length to describe God as both Father and Mother, using feminine pronouns to describe God. Though there are many who would applaud this approach, I find it to be incongruous with biblical descriptions of who God is.

Also, I found the book to be rather poetic and emotionally-driven. Though this approach will surely connect with many readers, I found myself often drifting away from his flowery language. While I know that reading this book was good for my soul, quite honestly, it was a rather difficult book for me to finish.

In any case, I know that this book has had significant spiritual implications in many lives. I am glad that I was assigned to read it, and I highly recommend it. I trust that we can all learn some new ways that God wants us to grow more like Him as we place ourselves in this familiar and timeless story.