Rating: 
Summary: Mesmerizing
Review: I must agree with the Boston Globe's description of this book as both strange and beautiful. The Cloister Walk is mesmerizing. An extraordinary book that is at once memoir, poetry and meditative reflections that can leave one poised in long moments of silence. Norris, in sharing her experiences as a monastic oblate, opens the door for the reader to experience the power of 'lectio devina'-- "represents the power of words to resonate with the full range of human experience . . . [as one attempts] to read more with the heart than with the mind" (xx). Norris carries the reader along into the hymns and prayers of Christianity and the Rule of St. Benedict. As Norris shares many passages from the monastic bible(dating back to the 4th c.), one realizes that not much has changed in the past sixteen centuries. Acts of violence against one another and our environment continue to be played out through the centuries. The bible is a book of philosophy as well as psychiatry with the power to heal our collective wounds. "In expressing all the complexities and contradictions of human experience, the psalms act as good psychologists. They defeat our tendency to try to be holy without being human first" (96). There are two faces to the heart: one of evil and one of good, we must be willing to accept both in our search for inner peace and harmony. Bogged down by dogmatic interpretations of the bible, I walk away from the Cloister Walk inspired and uplifted with a greater interest in understanding the true, unadulterated intention of the bible.
Rating:
Summary: Poetic, pensive, and thought-provoking
Review: I stumbled on this treasure in early January 1997, and read the whole thing in less than a week. Reading it -- and pondering it afterwards -- was like being on a spiritual retreat.I was especially intrigued by the descriptions of Benedictine monastic life.I look forward to reading more from Norris.
Rating:
Summary: A soothing book for upsetting times
Review: I stumbled upon this book one day. Taken by the title and the image on the cover, I bought it. I was not misled. This is one of the most soothing and comforting books I have read in a long time. Norris describes life in the Benedictine monastery where she is a writer-in-residence and an oblate. Her descriptions are terse and poetic. This book really speaks to me, because it helps me to remember that there's more to life - and more meaningful and fulfilling ways to live one's life - than the images depicted in the media. I long for a world where the most important things are not how much money you can make or how many people you can impress. In Norris' description of cloistered life, I see a glimpse of a world like that. I'm keeping this one on my "therapy shelf" to read when I feel battered by the world. It's a book to read slowly and savor, and to read again.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was expecting this to be a book about the monastic experience, but instead, it is a book mostly about Kathleen Norris and her social theories. There are a few nuggets of wisdom sprinkled here and there, but not enough to justify reading all the surrounding dross. Worse, there is no humility in the book at all. There is a hard edge to Norris's writing, almost like an an underlying anger and vulgarity. For example: "[N]ow we sigh, discouraged, hearing only the seeds of our well-worn, ludicrous sexual double standard which dictates that women must be either virgins or whores, either blessed or cursed, while men are simply sexual athletes." I, for one, don't think like that. And: "That we all begin inside a woman and must emerge from her body is something that the male theologians of the world's religions have yet to forgive us for." This is far too broad and sweeping. Does she really believe that all male theologians are sexists? There is far too little introspection in this book. Norris too easily criticizes others while failing to look at herself and while rationalizing her own behavior. Perhaps I have been spoiled by reading Henri Nouwen, who seemed to always analyze the nature of his own feelings instead of criticizing someone else who may have brought those feelings about. But then again, Nouwen was a person of admirable humility, a quality Norris needs to work hard to develop. Norris has plenty of personal issues to deal with, as do we all. This book would have been much better if she had spent more time honestly wrestling with these issues instead of commenting on externals, offering social criticism and justifying her life as a poet.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book, but not as good as I expected
Review: I was very looking forward to reading this book because it came highly recommended and because it seemed to be a guide for walking in the footsteps of many dedicated Christians. I am sorry to say that I was a little disappointed. Although many parts of the book are really excellent, Ms. Norris spends too much time making commentary instead of just sharing the experience. I really enjoyed when she shared how she was moved by prayer, to a point of conversion. And how the experience of the cloister strengthened her sense of self, and her marriage. But the chapter on St. Maria Goretti, while making a valid point, was overkill. Still it is worth the effort through the tedious parts, for the nuggets of wisdom which are also to be found there. My recommendation, skip over the platitudes and embrace the jewels.
Rating:
Summary: This is one hell of an interesting book
Review: I've always seen this book at book stores and I've always had in the back of my mind to read the book. I had no idea what cloister walk would be about. One day, I decided to take it out of the library and I started to read it and I couldn't put it down and I went out and bought a copy of the book, because the book was so moving. Ms. Norris, starts out telling what an oblate is. I've never heard of the term, even though i am Catholic. I didn't even realize that protestants or any other denominations, let alone Catholic lay people could join an order. Ms. Norris describes the workings of a monestary and she does a good job in pointing out that monestaries do not produce everyone in it alike. Quite the contrary. There are individualists in the monestary and they are characters. Ms. Norris's prose is very clear, simplistic and easy to follow. She talks about the importance of being able to hear the stories from the bible. On the whole, she tells s! ome fascinating tale, although once in a while, the book wanders, like a chapter on gardening, where she admits that she's no good at it, but it lets me wonder, why does she bring this topic up in the first place. I was hoping that she might have learned some tips from the monks on how to garden, or that maybe she had a tip or two on herbs, something that monks are known for. Besides these minor irrations, it's a supurb book.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking, a good companion book to savor
Review: I've really taken my time reading or better yet savoring this incredible book! Norris writes with such a clear and down to earth style that you feel she is in the same room with you discussing her experiences. I would recommend this read to anyone who finds themselves at a spiritural crossroads, plateau, or "dark night". Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: I wish I had purchased the hardcover version.
Review: I've recommended and loaned out my copy to several friends and now regret that I didn't spend the extra money for a hardcover copy of this excellent book which I intend to read again should it ever be retruned to me. Reading over other reviews, I am surprised by comments that Norris is self-absorbed. To the contrary, I found her self-deprecating humor to be refreshing for a book of this genre. And although she rambles a bit, she always returns to her central themes regarding the beauty of the Benedictine way that brings order to chaos and a soothing, meditative approach to developing one's prayer life. Having spent two years as a second grader in Sr. Romuel's class in the mid-fifties, I had a special appreciation for those stories of saints and hermits. The chapter on the virgin martyrs was particularly entertaining!
Rating:
Summary: Started my own personal walk...
Review: It would be difficult for me to say a harsh thing about this book or the companion audio tapes read by Debra Winger. Four years ago it was this book that led me back to the Catholic Church, introduced me to the wonderful simplicity and sense of the Rule of St Benedict, and gave me my first recognized touch of Grace. I enjoy Norris' writing style. She is quirky, down to earth. Unlike other reviewers, I like her familiarness, her occasional slang and language choices. She is a real person reporting a real experience, and that experience literally penetrated deep within me and started a process of change that is still going. What more could anyone ask for in a book?
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent book...
Review: Kathleen Norris brings to the table a unique perspective on the monastic life for two reasons: 1.) She comes from a Protestant background 2.) She is not writing from the outside to the extent that someone researching a novel would do. She is involved with the Benedictines as an Oblate. This means that she is actively involved in the life of the monastery the morning and evening Psalms, the liturgy, and other elements of the monastery. Thus, she writes as an 'insider' of sorts. The book is written rather liturgically in that she covers the topics as they crop up in the liturgical year. This includes different books of the Bible as they are read in the monastery, different saints and Fathers from earlier periods of Church history. She also delves into a diversity of topics on life in the monastery and the different difficulties of the monastic life. Yet she sheds a reflective lens on the Benedictines and it is far from the common caricatures that are bandied about by those who consider themselves 'paragons of wisdom' in the world today. It helps to see that striving for sanctity is not easy even to the Benedictines for often we get the stereotype of monks and nuns having some repressed view of humanity and its stresses/temptations. Perhaps the most important element (if one can be singled out) is that the monks and the nuns are shown in their humanity. This sadly is often not done. The monastery life may add up to a big fat zero in the eyes of the world. However, in Norris' book it takes on an aura of richness and splendour. She also does a wonderful job of showing the positive side of celibacy - which it seems the all-wise world wants to deface at any cost whatsoever. I cannot imagine someone reading this book and not coming across with a new vision of monastic life. A view that accompanies a realization that far from antiquated, the principles of the Rule of St. Benedict are applicable to all us in our daily lives. They would vary slightly of course in accordance with our states in life (religious, married, single, widowed, etc). Another plus is that the sections are generally shorter with few longer than 10 pages (many are about 1-5 pages or so). Thus unlike reading a novel where you have to at times stop in mid chapter with this book you are seldom too many pages from finishing the section you are reading. The book holds together and has a common thread binding the sections but at times it seems that the author has difficulty focusing on a topic without veering into another topic and then another. Other reviewers spoke of it being a series of shorter writings and that is probably how this book was written. As one who is not unfamiliar with the process of writing, I understand where the author is coming from but it might seem disjointed to some readers. Ms. Norris also shows how the principles she reveals in the monastery she applies to her everyday life including her marriage and her relationship to others. I recommend the book highly and feel that for those who are of the patient sort, the book will read quite well and they will mine many wonderful antidotes and unexpected jewels from it. For those who have difficulties in that area, this book could serve as an instrument of sorts to help with learning patience: the calming effect of meditation coupled with the rhythms of life. The ebbs and flows of liturgy and the gradual fashioning of persons being conformed them to the will of God. Themes in other words familiar to the monastic and which are so often shunned today by the wisdom of the world. Better though is the wisdom of God, which the world thinks is foolish. Ms. Norris' work provides a wonderful source for meditation and enlightenment and I highly recommend it.
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