The Mansion

The Mansion ****

By Henry Van Dyke
**You can read this book on-line at this web-site.
Book Type: Religious, Christian
Summary: "The Mansion," a classic story by Henry van Dyke, is a wonderful book that sets forth the century-old ideals of kindness, sympathy, and self-sacrifice. The message on charity presented in this book reminds us of the true spirit of giving, making it a "must read" every Christmas right along with Charles Dicken's Christmas Carol. If every young person in the world were to grow into maturity believing in, and practicing, the ideals set forward in "The Mansion," much of sorrow would disappear; violence, civil disorder, and war would be almost impossible, and a new era would be ushered in. An example of the beautifully written prose in this book would be van Dyke's answer to the question "What Counts? That which is truly given; Only that good that is done for the love of doing it; Only those plans in which the welfare of others is the master thought; Only those labors in which the sacrifice was greater than the reward. And only those gifts in which the giver forgets himself" This insight is the undergirding theme of "The Mansion," in which van Dyke managed to blend a wealth of knowledge on how we are able to grow from acts of charity, with an entertaining novel, all in a few pages.
summary found on amazon
My Review: Well this is not an uplifting book! 60 pages of what? The characters are not very deep or developed because the story is so short. But it definitely makes you re-evaluate your life. I just thought "wow. I need to be a better person". So looking back I would say the book is not uplifting, but I suppose you could say it's inspiring. Thoughts it inspired: "What matters in the next life?" "What size will MY mansion be?"