Rating: 
Summary: Walking into the Cloister
Review: "The Cloister Walk" offered encouragement for my spiritual journey into the "cloister" of God's love. For another helpful book like Norris', but specifically aimed for parents, check out "The Family Cloister: Benedictine Wisdom for the Home", by David Robinson (New York: Crossroad, 2000). Peace.
Rating:
Summary: Looking for Faith in the right places.
Review: A former student gave me this book knowing my sister is a nun. Kathleen's incite on the monastic life brought me closer to my sister in way I've never had before. It also reaffirmed my faith and brought a breath of fresh air to my spirit. I gave a copy to my sister and she gave copies to many of her friends.I read each chapter like a gem and continue to re-read it. Kathleen gets to the essence of her faith.
Rating:
Summary: This book is sorely needed by a generation of Catholics.
Review: A friend loaned me this book as I was moving to a new city. That was 3 months ago; I just finished it last night. Every night, I have treated myself to one tiny chapter, or maybe two on a rough day. As a Catholic with some experience in the rhythm of communal life, it was like being wrapped again in the love of that community. It literally helped me calm down. I wish Ms. Norris could have coffee with all my lapsed Catholic siblings of her generation; as it is, I may dare to give one of them the book for Christmas. Thanks to the author for unfolding her story.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: A RING OF TRUTH: Like Kathleen Norris, I am a Protestant who lives in a small town and have been heavily influenced by being a guest in a Benedictine Monastery many times. Like Norris, I have been invited into the cloister. Her account has the ring of authenticity. By the time I finished the book I realized I was reading while listening to the CD of chants prepared at the monastery I most often visit.WHO WILL LIKE THIS BOOK? Norris is a poet. This book is a collection of sketches from inside the monastery, from monastic history, from her own small town, from her vacations, and from the cities she has lived and worked in. Some chapters are long, while others are short. Her themes bounce from chapter to chapter. If you like poetic imagery written in prose and are interested in this theme, you will like this book. WHO WILL NOT LIKE THIS BOOK? If you like to read technical manuals and books with finely structured outlines, you will probably not like this book. You may feel that Norris rambles too much and doesn't stay with her main point.
Rating:
Summary: An Inside Look
Review: A RING OF TRUTH: Like Kathleen Norris, I am a Protestant who lives in a small town and have been heavily influenced by being a guest in a Benedictine Monastery many times. Like Norris, I have been invited into the cloister. Her account has the ring of authenticity. By the time I finished the book I realized I was reading while listening to the CD of chants prepared at the monastery I most often visit. WHO WILL LIKE THIS BOOK? Norris is a poet. This book is a collection of sketches from inside the monastery, from monastic history, from her own small town, from her vacations, and from the cities she has lived and worked in. Some chapters are long, while others are short. Her themes bounce from chapter to chapter. If you like poetic imagery written in prose and are interested in this theme, you will like this book. WHO WILL NOT LIKE THIS BOOK? If you like to read technical manuals and books with finely structured outlines, you will probably not like this book. You may feel that Norris rambles too much and doesn't stay with her main point.
Rating:
Summary: Saddened
Review: Although Ms. Norris book describes much of the beauty of the Catholic faith, it ultimately is spoiled by conceit and self-promotion. I was dismayed that someone who does not embrace the Catholic faith would have no qualms receiving the Holy Eucharist. Kathleen Norris should stick with describing the Protestant Faith she espouses.
Rating:
Summary: Saddened
Review: Although Ms. Norris book describes much of the beauty of the Catholic faith, it ultimately is spoiled by conceit and self-promotion. I was dismayed that someone who does not embrace the Catholic faith would have no qualms receiving the Holy Eucharist. Kathleen Norris should stick with describing the Protestant Faith she espouses.
Rating:
Summary: She captured Benedictine life, especially its nuances, well.
Review: As a Benedictine woman myself, having seen many "cloister walks" in various monasteries, I was too intrigued, from the very first reading of the title not to read this! I can easily understand how readers who are not at all familar with Benedictine life in the US, especially those who are non-Catholic/non- Christian, might not get past the first chapter; however, as both Catholic and Benedictine, I can respond that that Kathleen has captured Benedictine life quite accurately. There are, however, some significant differences between male and female communities and, I believe, that the majority of her experiences come from her visits to male monasteries. The two most common experiences I had while reading Cloister Walk were: 1) laughing and 2) saying, "ah, yes." Laughing because community life is humorous... no less so with religious vows than in any other large group. One has to be within it daily to know where to see it and understand its importance; And this she has done well. Much more common was the "ah, yes" response, as Kathleen did a "poet's job" of sharing the beauty, the spirituality and the every day holiness of life that I have also experienced as a Benedictine. Thanks, Kathleen; I hope our communities can live up to your reflections on them.
Rating: 
Summary: Rhythmn and Balance
Review: As a former monk, a former educator in the Catholic and public school systems, and as a present Roman Catholic priest, I found this book to be the perfect companion (along with Willa Cather) for a recent retreat less than thirty miles from St. John's Abbey. As an insider and an outsider to monastic living and lifestyle, it was interesting to read about how a complete outsider turns from traveler to pilgrim. Once one has encountered Benedictine spirituality, one's life takes a new direction. Norris blends her experiences, both "secular" and "sacred" into what the Gospel calls to be: disciples who try to do the best we can. I'm happy to see that she has found rhythmn in her life. She reminded me of that same rhythmn and balance that the great liturgy and monastic disciplines of the Roman Catholic church offers. This book helped me to remember where I have been and, more importantly, it helped me to remember my future and our future.
Rating:
Summary: Strange and Beautiful
Review: As a lapsed Catholic and a searching person for the meaning of organized religion in my life, I found this book rich with bursts of insight. The various personalities in religion; aspects of life within the Benedictine church; and a variety of small, beautiful critical thinking essays on the meanings of icons and values are some of the topics Norris explores in her chapters. Overall, they are thought-provoking and reveal a person who is more than a visitor to the ways of the Benedictine. I only gave four stars, since I found her writing style a bit distracting and the organization of the book not exactly conducive to easy reading. It's true that each chapter is a handful, but the editor might have done Norris a favor by facilitating the outline of the book.
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