The Cloister Walk

Rating:
Summary: OK, but overall, pablum for the masses
Review: As someone who is familiar with monastic life and customs, this book really didn't do much for me. Most of it is wide-eyed wonderment at the way these people live which, at least for me, does not inspire deep spiritual thinking and reflection although the other reviewers seem to have gotten something from it, so that's good for them. The fact that this book appeals to so many people shows the lack of depth America has in its religion. Her "golly gee" attitude and continual repetition of stories showing how "normal" monastics are is very tiresome and is no different from how the media and Hollywood portray religious life. A big problem with the book is her writing style. She has to constantly remind us she is a writer and the techniques she uses are very obvious. The better writers use writing technique and style in an unobtrusive way, getting their points across without calling attention to themselves. Another annoying facet of this book is her constant mention of women and their contributions to religion and life. I am among that group of people who is very tired of having "inclusivity" shoved down our throats. Perhaps her next book will display some depth and reach out to a larger audience. She could also use a good editor.

Rating:
Summary: Wisdom and doubt
Review: Even most christians today seem to find the idea of the monastery archaic, extreme and unappealing. Here, Ms Norris, a hesitant believer, makes the convent seem appealing, beautiful and full of wisdom.

Once you get past the gimmick - a modern poet finding centering in a monastery - there is still much to like about this book. It is a combination of a lot of things - a painfully personal journal, a catalog of discoveries and musings, a polished essay on laundry that was published in the New Yorker, and several brilliant pieces that stand as academic writing, ready for a feminist publication or academic journal.

I think the latter were my favorite. It is informative and enjoyable to find Ms. Norris taking on the virgin martyrs, looking at catholic history and practice with a modern feminist eye, and finding much to like, and much to weep over. Another similar essay comparing the role of biblical prophets and modern day poets (both dwellers on the "margin" of society, yet deeply necessary to that society) is also excellent.

Norris' respect for the Word is wonderful, as well. She writes much and often about the poetry of the Bible - psalms, Jeremiah - and how they fit and fill her life. She brings new life to what, for many of us, have been wrongly dead words.

Her reflections on the monastery are good. She gives monks and nuns an earthy reality, talking about their quirks, their sense of humor, their doubts and struggles as well as their achievements, discipline, and success. She spends a fair amount of time digging into the heritage and history of monasticism and christianity - apparently she is reading Christian classics as she is living at the monastery - and I learned much about ancient monks, martyrs, and saints.

There is much wisdom in this book, and I appreciate Kathleen Norris' awareness and poet's sensibility. It reveals a richness in the Christian tradition that I gladly and happily claim as a follower of Jesus. It's not all WWJD bracelets and "Left Behind" novels.

A passage:

"Not long ago I accompanied a Trappist abbot as he unlocked a door to the cloister and led me down a long corridor into a stone-walled room, the chapter house of the monastery, where some twenty monks were waiting for me to give a reading. Poetry does lead a person into some strange places. This wonderfully silent, hidden-away place was not as alien to me as it might have been, however as I'd been living on the grounds of a Benedictine monastery for most of the last three years. Trappists are more silent than the Benedictines, far less likely to have works that draws them into the world outside the monastery. But the cumulative effect of the Liturgy of the Hours - at a bare minimum, morning, noon, and evening prayer, as well as the Eucharist - on one's psyche, the sense it gives a person of being immersed in the language of scripture, is much the same in any monastery. What has surprised me, in my time among monastic people, is how much their liturgy feeds my poetry; and also how much correspondence I've found between monastic practice and the discipline of writing."

if you'd like to discuss this book, this review, or anything else with me, e-mail me at [e-mail]. i'd love to chat. :)

Rating:
Summary: Take Notice Spiritual Journeyers
Review: For many people, Kathleen Norris' story is somewhat familiar. She was raised in a faith tradition as a child, abandoned her faith, or at least put her faith on hold, then rediscovers her faith as an adult. Norris' experience is hardly typical, but it is definitely not "the same old story" with a different person telling it. Norris rediscovers faith accidentally, but it is not the Protestant faith of her youth. She is now a Protestant whose faith is colored by Roman Catholicism, particularly the Benedictine monastic tradition in Catholicism.

Norris is a writer whose primary genre has been poetry. In 1991, she spent a year at a Benedictine monastery in Minnesota and entered into the life of this monastic community. From time to time she also traveled to her home and to various parts of the country for conferences or speaking engagements. The book is taken from reflections of that experience. In the book, she is connected to her life outside the monastery while at the monastery and while away from the monastery, she still seems to be very present to the life of the monastery. The life in the monastery has a certain pattern to it, based on the Rule of St. Benedict. The year follows a calendar, but it is the calendar of the Roman Martyrology which lists the days that various saints and religious feasts are remembered. The Liturgy of the Hours, chanted by the monks is essential to the life of the monastery as is time for personal prayer and reflection. As both an insider (as a person connected to the monastery) and an outsider (a Protestant woman in an all male Catholic community), Norris is able to make keen insights into the life of the monastery with a unique perspective.

This is a book that should be read from cover to cover when the book is read for the first time. Since the book begins in September and concludes in August of the following year, reading the whole book rather than excerpts is essential to see Norris' growth in her understanding of monastic life as well as her own spiritual growth. After reading the book a first time, most readers will inevitably go back to favorite passages. I often reread portions in the book about the liturgical seasons such as Advent and Easter. I also enjoy rereading her understanding of "lectio divina" a prayerful method of reading scripture that allows the words to speak to a person's heart. I believe that as a poet, she is able to understand the richness of scripture both from a literary point of view and as a believer. Her experiences back home in South Dakota and her activities in her own faith community are also great excerpts in the book.

Part of my love for the books is due to the fact it can be read and shared with so many people. More often than not, religious books speak only to a person who shares the same religious mindset. I have found myself recommending the book to lifelong Catholics as an affirmation of the faith. I love the fact that this Protestant woman has a better understanding and appreciation for many Catholic things than most Catholics do. I have likewise recommended the book to people who have been hurt by organized religion in general, and the Catholic Church in particular. Norris is able to see God at work in lives that she terms "messy" and flaws in the saints. Everyone can find him/herself in Norris' book. Most people I know have read this book slowly in conjunction with prayer. This is probably the best way to approach the book. This is also a book for people on a spiritual quest, but not a book for people who want an easy spirituality. Norris' profound insights are due to struggling with faith and belief and how faith and belief are lived in life. If living a life of faith can be a challenge, The Cloister Walk is the kind of encouragement needed as Norris shares her journey and we live our own journey.

Rating:
Summary: LECTIO DIVINA, indeed!
Review: Haunting, Holy, holistic, and happy. I am a Protestant (Lutheran Persuasion) who wondered what a poet/Benedictine oblate could have useful to say regarding religion, especially Christianity...a LOT, I can tell you that much. Such a CATHOLIC book, but in a mesmerizing, spell-binding way...a journal of faith with the life of poetry, praise, and prayer as the soundtrack. Kathleen Norris is one of the true unsung heroes (or heroines, as Norris would prefer) of contemporary Christian writing. Just a word of warning--if you consider yourself a right-wing fundamentalist Christian stay away from this woman, since you will find nothing of value in her work and will likely think her work is "Biblically unsound" and "leading to hell." Your loss. Open your eyes and change your hearts.

Rating:
Summary: storytelling, spirituality, humor, and history at its best
Review: Having read Kathleen Norris' "Amazing Grace" I was eager to hear more from this gifted author. "The Cloister Walk" was all I had hoped for and more. Norris' sometimes painfully honest recollections of her spiritual journey will resonate with any reader who has battled both the demons within and the church without. Norris' mix of humor, storytelling, and church history undergirds her compelling description of life among the Benedictines.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent explanation of our relationship with God
Review: I cannot recommend this book enough. I have read literally thousands of words on religion and the Bible (including the Bible itself in entirety 5 times) and I have never found a book so spiritually touching as this. Ms. Norris should be counted among the most gifted Christian authors of literature.

Rating:
Summary: New Life for Theology
Review: I first read Cloister Walk after deciding to write my senior thesis on her writings. I was intrigued by a writer who was a feminist, embraced Christianity, explored monasteries, and found an audience outside the conservative Christian market. As a person who has grown up with a strong faith in God and love for Jesus, I also longed for new ways to talk about God. Norris's honesty and exploration of what it's like to live out the beliefs and ideas of the Christian faith gave me confidence to explore my own experiences of these beliefs. Her chapter on the Psalms was particularly amazing. I felt like I was being set free with Norris to be honest with God and others about being human--complete with anger, doubt, and depression. Her theology, or speech about God, is grounded in everyday living. She finds God revealed in the simplest things, which is consistent with the Bible and the character of God--who chose to become a human in Jesus. This affirms for me that even the smallest things I do everyday are important to God--because he loves me enough to become someone like me.

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant surprise!
Review: I had been curious about "The Cloister Walk" for many years, but have been inexplicably reluctant to read it. Recently I had the opportunity to listen to the abridged audio version of the book, read by actress Debra Winger. Now that I've heard the tape, I'm looking forward to reading the entire book someday.

As a convert from Protestantism to the Eastern Orthodox Church, I found that many of Kathleen Norris' thoughts, feelings and experiences in discovering and participating in liturgical life paralleled my own. Her writings remind me of Orthodox writer Frederica Mathewes-Green, notably "Facing East" and "The Illumined Heart," a well-known convert from the Episcopal Church.

I appreciate Norris' penetrating insights into the monastic life. By living with the Benedictines, she was able to answer many of the questions that those of outside of the monastic life have undoubtedly wondered about.

I'd recommend this book to anyone curious about liturgical life, monasticism or about going deeper in the Christian walk. While Debra Winger did an adequate job of reading this abridgment, I was unconvinced that she knew what she was reading about. Fortunately Norris' narrative is captivating on its own.

Rating:
Summary: This Book Was a Blessing
Review: I have never had a book affect me in such a profound way. The Cloister Walk was given to me by a friend at a time when I needed help. I started to read it and half way through started it over with highlighter in hand.I kept wondering how Kathleen Norris was speaking directly to me and how the friend who came into my life to bring me this book at just this time ... Divine intervention?

Rating:
Summary: Excellent faith prodding material!
Review: I loved the book -- used it for my morning devotions for about three weeks, reading a bit a day. Her topical, short chapter focus is perfect for this approach. I also passed it on to my sister who is reading it; we now talk about how we understood each passage as she reads. Great discussion starters.