A slender, interesting book written in a somewhat florid style, which sparkles in Fermor's usual travel stories, but results in rather dusty and uninteresting prose when applied to the subject of this book, which is a description of the monastic life. I found the most interesting parts those that covered the history of the various monasteries visited. ( )

Bought in conjunction with a visit to Cappadocia - the section on the rock-carved monasteries was a little short, but as usual, PLF's style and erudition are inspiring; every sentence is a treasure I would like to hold close. ( )

Watching Fermor's transformation from an urban secular to someone with a great interest and respect for monasticism is especially interesting in light of the importance that he places on belief in the lives of monastics. Although he says several times that the monks with whom he stayed were praying or making penance for the secular world, this point lies in contrast to his own inability to believe in Christianity.

This opens a distance between him and his hosts, although one that may only be felt by Fermor himself -- a distance that he tries to bridge by universalizing the message of monasticism. No longer is monasticism about belief, but it's about peace and lightness of spirit. On the one hand, this makes the monasteries understandable to him, but on the other, it essentially empties them of content. (I had the same complaint with the movie "Into Great Silence," which I felt offered an exclusively aesthetic view of monasticism, thus making its subject far too easy to romanticize.)

Into this void of content, Fermor interjects such a lengthy string of metaphors that its hard not to sense a crisis of faith even in the style of writing that he carries out. In all his abstractions -- in his attempts to shunt attention away from the realities of monastic life -- I read a feeling of abjectness. Fermor is lost between two worlds in which he has lost faith: the belief in the supernatural and the belief in powerful, life-changing, romantic modes of writing; his intellect won't allow him to reconcile with the former, while his experience in the monasteries shake his faith in the latter as anything other than a cheap imitation of what life-changing events look like.

This vulnerability and rootlessness is where I found I was able to latch onto "A Time to Keep Silence." Fermor's sincerity in the midst of his obvious confusion made this book a pleasure to read for me. ( )

A Time to Keep Silence is an insightful memoir of the author's visits (and in some cases extended stays) in various monasteries. Leigh Fermor's journey begins when he arrives at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Wandrille de Fontanelle seeking a quiet place to focus on his writing. What begins as a work retreat turns into something else entirely as he becomes absorbed into the rhythms of monastic life.

Most of the book is taken up by his experiences at St. Wandrille and you can feel the genuine affection he has for it in his writing. Also visited are Solesmes, the great chant powerhouse, Trappe, the motherhouse of the Trappist Order, and the remains of a monastic community in Cappadocia, Turkey, where monks dug their community into the rock of a lunar landscape (similar to the one depicted on the cover of the NYRB edition).

The author's writing is superb and quickly draws you into his experiences. It makes for a profound, mediative read, which made me reevaluate my thoughts on monasticism. A note though that his journey took place before Vatican II, so much has probably changed since Leigh Fermor first made his way to Normandy in the 1950s, seeking a quiet place for work and reflection. I cannot recommend it enough. ( )

Beautifully written and insightful memoir of time spent in as a visitor in monastic communities. Fermor's descriptive language is from an earlier age (even earlier than his own), and a pleasure to read. Fermor lived and workd in near silence for much longer most of us ever will, and his adjustment to this condition, and the benefits harvested from it gives the reader reason to consider following in this path.

Os. ( )