Rating: 
Summary: an interesting insight into a mysterious world
Review: This is one of the few books that I went on a whim and decided to buy. And I'm glad I did. It was a pleasure to see the author spending less time on the religious aspect of the story, and pay more attention to the story about a boy. The author simply and steadily connects the reader to the young narrator, and it's easy to identify with this young man's flight through personal trials in a rather odd surrounding. I think everyone can relate to the character whether it be with his slightly dysfunctional yet loving parents, or with his mess of dizzying self-questioning. All-in-all, this book proved pleasing. Rougeau surprised me in his ability to pronounce the deep questions of religion and self, all without forgetting the never-failing realities of human beings. It just goes to show that even a lifestyle of purity and silence is outlined with its fair share of zany and "slightly-off" predicaments and people.
Rating:
Summary: The human side of saints
Review: Too many of us, I suspect, tend to think that men and women who live cloistered lives are so otherworldly that they walk a few inches off the ground. This view of monastic life is also what makes it so attractive to a layperson worn out by the secular rat race. The monastery seems to offer a haven from everyday hassles, providing a tranquill setting that brings out the best in a person, allows him or her to touch base with what's really important, and get in touch with the inner self and with God.Bosh! This way of thinking of monastic life is too precious to be true, and one of the merits of Rougeau's wonderful *All We Know of Heaven* is to throw water on that sacred cow. His novel--really, a collection of short story-like vignettes that revolve around the monastic experiences of a young Trappist novice--shows that monks are just like the rest of us: overworked, underappreciated, itchy from sexual urges, idiosyncratic, lovable at times, irritating at others, and always deeply, deeply interesting. The vignettes and their assortment of delightfully oddball characters remind us that the human search for God is always located in a specific place and time and personality. Saints aren't etherial types who walk an inch off the ground. They're folks who, in spite of their oddities and flaws, embrace their hunger for God and remain loyal to it. In reading the stories of these monks, we read stories about ourselves. A very good book, reminiscent in places of Evelyn Waugh's tone and dry humor. It's not uncommon for monks to write books about the spiritual life, but it's rare for them to write novels. Remy Rougeau has broken that barrier in fine style here.
Rating: 
Summary: a small gem
Review: Well-written, honest and engaging telling of 20th century monastic life. Rougeau presents a complex portrait of the monks in all their humanity while focused on the divine. I look forward to his next book and hope it will advance the story of this community.
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