
The Cloister Walk
Registered by florafloraflora on 7/17/2005
2 journalers for this copy...

From today's binge at the Book Thing of Baltimore.
From the back cover: "Why would a married woman with a thoroughly Protestant background and often more doubt than faith be drawn to the ancient practice of monasticism, to a community of celibate men whose days are centered around a rigid schedule of prayer, work, and scripture? This is the question that poet Kathleen Norris asks us as, somewhat to her own surprise, she found herself on two extended residencies at St. John's Abbey in Minnesota. Part record of her time among the Benedictines, part meditation on various aspects of monastic life, The Cloister Walk demonstrates, from the rare perspective of someone who is both an insider and outsider, how immersion in the cloistered world--its liturgy, its ritual, its sense of community--can impart meaning to everyday events and deepen our secular lives. In this stirring and lyrical work, the monastery, often considered archaic or otherworldly, becomes immediate, accessible, and relevant to us, no matter what our faith may be."
This was the best nonfiction book I read last year. It means the world to me. I picked it up today in hopes that I'll share it with someone who will enjoy it too.
From the back cover: "Why would a married woman with a thoroughly Protestant background and often more doubt than faith be drawn to the ancient practice of monasticism, to a community of celibate men whose days are centered around a rigid schedule of prayer, work, and scripture? This is the question that poet Kathleen Norris asks us as, somewhat to her own surprise, she found herself on two extended residencies at St. John's Abbey in Minnesota. Part record of her time among the Benedictines, part meditation on various aspects of monastic life, The Cloister Walk demonstrates, from the rare perspective of someone who is both an insider and outsider, how immersion in the cloistered world--its liturgy, its ritual, its sense of community--can impart meaning to everyday events and deepen our secular lives. In this stirring and lyrical work, the monastery, often considered archaic or otherworldly, becomes immediate, accessible, and relevant to us, no matter what our faith may be."
This was the best nonfiction book I read last year. It means the world to me. I picked it up today in hopes that I'll share it with someone who will enjoy it too.


Mailed out today to l-r-o in exchange for wild-releasing her copy of Alice in Wonderland. I hope you'll love this book as much as I have, l-r-o.

Thank you florafloraflora. This book is wonderful. One of the best books I've read in years; It's the type you want to lend to all your friends.