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: A Reflective Journal of Personal Discovery
Review: The Cloister Walk
by Kathleen Norris Calling to mind the writings of Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen, Kathleen Norris writes a deeply personal journal of spiritual self-rediscovery. Although a lifelong protestant, Ms. Norris explores the cultures and traditions of a Benedictine Monastery as she searches for deeper meaning and communion with God in her life. This is a book of great reflection, a story of a soul's journey in the midst of contemporary doubt and turmoil. The book takes place within the context of monastic life throughout the Church's liturgical year. It explores the rituals, ceremonies, liturgies of this life as well as the everyday existence of monastic life. Ms. Norris is strangely drawn to the cloistered community, one which is at once both apart, yet deeply (if somewhat obliquely) connected to life in general. The themes of liturgical renewal, ritual, contemplation, meditation and prayer speak directly to the hearts of all of us. In that life, the author addresses the sacredness of all life and its ability for renewal and spiritual growth.
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: Mixed Blessings
Review: Norris' book was so highly praised that some disappointment was inevitable. There are some good insights, but they're mixed in with pompous, snobblish, quirky, cranky, and deliberately obtuse comments. Her language is frequently adolescent, with pointless vulgarity or slang. She is remarkably self-centered. Her model for this is Thomas Merton, but it's a pity she imitates all his worst habits!
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