Rating: 
Summary: Brilliantly crafted
Review: Writing short is harder than writing long. and subjects beyond average readers' life experience challenge writers to create understanding that builds bridges of credibility and empathy.
Writing about the lives of cloistered nuns, Salzman has met these challenges with exceptional brevity, clarity and elegance. He develops his characters persuasively and compels the reader to care about the outcomes. Cloistered nuns may seem to share little with life in our modern world, yet they are intensely human under the habit, much like us. Salzman conveys this connection convincingly. Simple humanity and goodness shine through the nuns' attitudes. The intrinsic test of becoming and remaining a Carmelite nun underlies every paragraph.
Readers will not, unless blessed with a vocation, rush to the convent to become nuns. Salzman does not attempt an apologia pro vita sua on the part of Sister John and her religious life. Rather he helps us think and feel, open our hearts to wonder and awe, and permits us a rare chance--in a modern existence of relentless busy-ness--to examine another world whose validity and value he demonstrates beyond doubt. The paradox at the heart of this exquisite little book is even more fascinating because it leaves our tension and speculation unresolved. In this respect it is analagous to the problem of understanding and resolving the lives of others, even of our own.
AWAKE is not long but remains in the mind and heart long after the final chapter ends. Salzman has mastered his subject and his language. In an ocean of relentless trivia foisted on us today by a publishing industry (indeed, an entire media industry) seemingly interested only in financial reward, his precise and perceptive gifts to us are invaluable and profoundly memorable.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguishing and spiritually moving
Review: Sister John of the Cross has visions which she and her cloistered community have accepted as messages from God until one day she finds out that they may be a result of a medical problem, perhaps seizures, and that they can be corrected through surgery and may even save her life. Thus begins a course of events which for the lay or secular person or the nonbeliever might mean nothing, but present a terrible choice for Sister John. The book traces her life in chronological flashbacks, her childhood, being raised by grandparents, her younger years as a novice and then a full Sister in the cloister, her spiritual struggle and progress over the years and her relationship with the rest of her community. This is ordinarily not a book I would have chosen to pick up, as I am not a Catholic, but I heard so many good things and being by Mark Salzman was recommendation enough. I was not disappointed. The book in its simplicity, yet and depth and poetic style inspired and uplifted me. Sister John is a spiritual poet. The story itself reads like poety and prayer - then you have Sister's John's poetry and her interior dialogue and prayer. Mr. Salzman effortlessly weaves it all together. The story is told with a great deal of respect, insight, and compassion for the cloistered life, which is such a mystery to most of us. And you will root for Sister John, through her questioning and her insights, her depths of despair, her courageous and honest journey toward God. This is a book you will want to keep by your bedside and pick up again and again. I urge everyone to read it.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking and engrossing
Review: I was hesitant to read this. I mean, how interesting can the live of a nun be, right? Salzman does a terrific job of addressing the true nature of faith--faith in anything really. The themes here are outstanding: what is real versus what we believe; how to pick up and carry on in the face of humiliation, failure; what brings someone to the nunnery. It is all just handled so well. This is an interesting book. I am still thinking about it and I finished it a week ago and am a quarter into another book. Lovely job, Salzman does here.
Rating:
Summary: The nature of religious experience
Review: This a slim beautifully written book, which in a simple, profound way allows those of us in the uncloistered world to understand the lives and motivations of those who choose another life. Read in an evening, the book prompted a lot of thought about what experiencing the divine might mean to someone. Sister John is a mystic--or is she just ill? Does it matter? Is her experience of God less real? Is her willingness to give it up for the sake of the community not proof that in fact she found the god she was seeking? Does the experience of god in the way she experiences it lead her away from her community, and does losing it bring her back? For people who puzzle over whether god "exists" in the sense the word is commonly meant, this book will stay with you.
Rating:
Summary: Mark Salzman joins the ranks of Merton, Godden and Hansen.
Review: Mark Salzman's exquisitely crafted novel about the life of a cloistered Carmelite nun is one of the best renditions of the religious life I have ever encountered. To find its equal one would have to read Thomas Merton's journals or Rumer Godden's In This House of Brede or Ron Hansen's Mariette in Ecstasy. Salzman has done his homework: he understands the profound importance of Lectio Divina in the life of professed religious. He also captures the convent's ambience of silence and solitude thus creating a monastic setting that is both real and inviting. I found myself vicariously living the life of Sister John and her fellow nuns--it was like being on a spiritual retreat. As a writer Salzman is exemplary: he avoids the pitfalls of so many of today's authors: he employs a prose that is austere in its simplicity, and it is this very prose style that underscores the theme of his novel: for an encounter with the Divine one must strip oneself of everything--no matter what. What a beautiful novel: like a pure raindrop on a petal of the mystical rose!
Rating:
Summary: One Story, Insight for Many
Review: While I do not normally read fiction, I was strangley drawn to a copy of this book in a used book store. Perhaps because I am a religious person, I thought the book sounding interesting. While the book is a slow read at times, I found it to be both informative and enlightening. Sister John of the Cross faces a dilemma. She has visions which are accompanied by migrane headaches. A small meningioma is causing epilepsy like seizures. Immediate removal of the growth would relieve her of her pain with little risk. However based on its location, the meningioma is causing the seizures and halucinations. Sister John's choice is between health and an intimate relationship with God. How she arrives at her decision is a frustrating but practical process. Through this book, I received a deeper understanding of a nun's lifestyle. It also made me appreciate the daily burdens I bear. More importantly, I gained more insight into a person's relationship with God. While the ultimate desire is to become close to God, it is not possible in this life. Similarly, everything we learn about God leads us to deeper mystery. Our relationship with Him is a continued journey that we can not measure the progress for in this life.
Rating: 
Summary: An Exploration of Fatih
Review: Lying Awake, a fast read, seems at first glance to be going nowhere. Then, all of a sudden, you begin thinking about the intangibles of faith. Now, you identify with Sister John. Salzman also makes us think about the superstitions we all have and their influence on our lives. A thought provoking novel.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Prose & Philosophy to Ponder
Review: Lying Awake tells the story of Helen, known to her fellow nuns as Sister John. In the tradition of Saint Teresa of Avila, Sister John is caught up in an ecstatic whirlwind of visions and closeness with her Maker that cause a touch of jealousy among her fellow nuns. However, the sell of her prose and poetry which comes prolithicly with her miraculous experiences helps to support their small Carmelite monastery. Unfortunately, these experiences are accompanied by tremendous and debilitating headaches. With the possibility that the two may be related, Sister John must decide if it's more selfish to rid herself of the headaches or more selfish to keep her ecstatic world intact. I've never met a nun in person. But through the beautiful prose in this novel, I feel as if I've lived among them. I do, however, wonder about the accuracy of the life of the nun as well as the theology that Mark Salzman puts forth in his novel. Some of the things that Sister John feels about the nature of God almost seem Gnostic in nature: "In the fire of his embrace, all that was her ceased to exist. Only what was God remained. 'I AM.' The cloister bell, the voice of Christ. He spoke again: 'I AM.' She tried to obey but was frozen in beauty, like a fly trapped in amber. She could not move. 'NOTHING EXISTS APART FROM ME.' Self had been an illusion, a dream. God dreaming." Are these thoughts simply a product of Sister John's feeling of union with God or are these thoughts a product of the teachings of the Catholic Church? I did enjoy some of the other thoughts put forth in the novel. I can tell that Mark Salzman is a thinker and a philosopher, and I admire the thought processes that he relays throughout the novel. I especially liked this ponderance from Sister John as she struggles with the possibility of losing her closeness to God if she loses her "Miracle": "What if I have it all upside down? What if I'm the one who knows nothing of God, & the people in the world are actually interceding on my behalf with their ordinary, daily struggles?" Despite the beauty and depth of this novel on one level, there were three things that were dissatisfactory about this novel. First of all, the author doesn't make it clear enough that Helen and Sister John are the same person. Also, the other nuns' characters are not very well-developed. Lastly, the storyline is easily guessed from the beginning (especially if one knows anything about Saint Teresa of Avila).
Rating:
Summary: The Life and Times of Sister John
Review: This book was recommended to me by a teaching colleague when I was asking around for suggestions of novels that explored the issue of faith. I admit that I was a little apprehensive when I found out that Lying Awake was written by Mark Salzman, who first gained attention many years back for his account of travel in China, called Iron and Silk. While it was hailed by many non- Asians ( ie. White) readers, the Asian sister and brotherhood dismissed it as Orientalist shlock. But I have to say that I largely enjoyed this book. Through the story of Sister John, Salzman did a commendable job of exploring the role of faith in our lives. As she deals with her devesting medical condition, we are drawn into the wonder, joy, lonliness and frustration of religious life. It is an interesting look into the life of nuns in a monastary outside of LA and I was left feeling like I wanted to research this life more. Many of the supporting chracter are fellow Carmilite nuns who turn out to be memorable in their own sweet ways. The ending felt a little pat and abrupt, but I suspect that it was just because I wanted the story to continue. In general, this was a great summer read.
Rating:
Summary: As I was lying awake...
Review: Rare is the novel that enthralls me sufficiently to warrant reading in a single sitting. Being dyslexic, I am one of the world's slower readers. Being stubborn, I have read more than most. However, this comes because of a large investment of time. I expected 'Lying Awake' to be a four-night, going-to-sleep kind of book. Instead, it kept me in a state indicated by the title -- lying awake. I could not put the book down. Author Mark Salzman has made a name for himself with books such as 'Iron and Silk' and 'The Soloist'. According to the critical blurbs on the jacket, this book is '...written with exquisite grace and hailed by critics. This elegant novel plumbs the depths of one woman's soul, and in so doing raises salient questions about the power--and price--of true faith.' I had an instant rapport with Sister John - the nun had taken the spiritual name from John of the Cross, best known for his reflections on the dark night of the soul, which factors into the situation for Sister John. She had spent many years hoping for insight, hoping for a feeling, hoping for a sign, hoping for something to let her know with certainty that there is meaning to her life, her call, her sacrifices, and her future. In the course of regular monastic routines, elaborated in the narrative with skill and subtle insight by Salzman, Sister John begins to sense, to feel, to be aware of the presence of the divine in the ordinary and swiftly-becoming-not-so-ordinary day to day tasks and schedules. Salzman takes us gently back through past experiences of Sister John while slowly teasing out the real causes of Sister John's feelings of the divine presence. Sister John then has to make a choice. The religious ecstatic experience is in fact a dangerous one. Monasteries throughout the ages have asked prospective members of the community if they are prone to such ecstasies, or if they are looking for them in the confines of the monastic enclosure. Quite frequently, if the answer is yes, the person is not admitted to join the community. Salzman dispels some myths about monastic life (for example, that joining a monastery is an opportunity to get away from people) while presenting the personalities that populate this Carmelite community. The characters are not saints, as most monastic people are basic human beings. They have interesting quirks, and have a care for each other and the whole. They all have faith, but not a superhuman faith. The choice (which I shall not reveal, lest the primary plot twist be revealed to the detriment of any reader) is a tough one. The recognition of the danger in the religious ecstasy is faced head-on; Sister John is given the option of stopping the experiences. This poses a threat to her continuing in the community with either choice. Salzman weaves elements of the liturgical year, the monastic rituals and liturgies, and the hierarchies and hopes of everyday life in a monastery through the plot development. We the readers get to experience something of the cycle of life as well as the break in the routine religious ecstasy can cause (which is yet another aspect of it's problematic nature -- monasteries don't like to have the routine cycles broken). Given my own tendencies toward monastic life, this book was an instant success in capturing my attention. However, I don't believe that one must have catholic or monastic sensibilities to be able to relate to the characters or situations presented here. Salzman's character development has compassion and depth -- the time Sister John's estranged mother comes to visit, for example, is a masterpiece of description both of the mother's exterior performance and Sister John's interior struggles. The book is brief (no matter how enthralling, I cannot finish long books in one sitting), but not so brief as to be incomplete or leave matters unaddressed. Salzman has a remarkable concentration and economy with language. The sections are pregnant with meaning that unfolds gradually and methodically, rather like a well-done liturgical dance. In the end, Sister John does have an answer to her call and prayer. The community continues on its majestic way. With many good and great books, I find myself wishing there was more. Here, however, there is enough. It is complete.
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