THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE My Climb Out of Darkness

This account of Karen Armstrong's spiritual and psychological journey is so detailed, and winds down so many different passages, that it's hard to imagine anyone besides the author reading it successfully. Only she knows precisely how the different stages in her life affected her, and honestly, this may be a better work for the ear than the eye. Armstrong's delivery is habitually reserved, portraying the emotional reserve trained into her when she was a nun, but passion and humor repeatedly break through. When Armstrong has a story to tell, she performs it with glee, mimicking voices and nearly bellowing. The result is quite accessible. G.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 04]