Captivating: unveiling the mysteries of a woman's heart

Review by Esther Hebbard

Captivating: unveiling the mysteries of a woman's soul, written by John and Stasi Eldredge, is a compliment to the authors' previous male version of the book, Wild At Heart. The Eldredges combined to write a book that "uncovers" the desires of the female heart. This book is written to address the life of a woman and the role she plays. The Eldredges "venture into this exploration of femininity by way of the heart."

Captivating utilises a nice, easy prose style of writing. The majority of the book is sectioned into easy-to-digest headings and chapters, making it a fairly light book to read. It heavily references pop culture but in a fashion that's been done by evangelical writers for years.

There have been many books and self-help manuals along these lines over the years. Some seem to say what you want to hear, and Captivating edges on fitting into this category, if not read with an open and educated mind.

At times, the authors' personal experiences seem to add too much bias to the book. A significant number of scriptural references have been taken out of context and, perhaps, slightly perverted the true point (and not just because they're using Song of Songs to make the points!).

Captivating attempts to be non-cliché but does not always succeed.
It tends to play on what people might call "feminine emotions" and makes generalisations and assumptions of what Christian women should desire.

Captivating does bring up some nice feel-good points that can glorify a woman and give back her self-confidence. However, it seems to use a stereotype of women, rather than working on an individual level- for example, not all women will have dreamed of being a princess.

As author Stasi says, "femininity cannot be prescribed in a formula." There will always be outliers to this model, and a seasoned author should be wary of such generalisations.

Captivating makes for an interesting read but sadly, with the amount of generalisations not followed up by strong research, it lacks authority. It is a tolerable read for women in need of empowerment, pacifying and warm feelings. But each woman should know it's OK to be what she is-desires and all. We all have different spiritual natures, not just repackaged stereotypes, and God longs to have a relationship with us regardless of where we're at. We need to make sure our desires match up with His and live God-centred lives, rather than focusing solely on ourselves.

Captivating: unveiling the mysteries of a woman's soul
John and Stasi Elderedge
2005, Thomas Nelson Inc
234 pages

This has been a review from Edge #72