The Monk Downstairs

This is a book about the midlife crises of two people: a single mother, Rebecca, who rents her basement apartment to the 2nd, a man named Mike who has left the monastery after many years. Though the shape of the story is predictable, the writing and content made it a quick & moving read for me.

The book explores the interior landscapes of both characters as they struggle to come to terms with the failures and heartaches of their lives. It speaks to the centrality of love in human experience, and says some things about prayer and God that make sense to me.

My favorite quote from this book:

I suppose that I pictured an eternal rest by a heavenly poolside, with umbrella drinks served in the unimpeded sunlight. But we do not serve that larger show more Love by renouncing our particlar loves for some mystical lounge chair; we serve by being faithful to those loves,by suffering them wholly. We are born to love as we are born to die, and between the heartbeats of these two great mystweies lies all the tangled undergrowth of our tiny lives. There is nowhere to go but through. And so we walk on, lost, and lost again, in the mapless wilderness of love. show less

Can you imagine a tearful love story filled with as much spirituality as romance? Well, Tim Farrington could, and the result is his well-received 2002 novel “The Monk Downstairs.”

Rebecca is a 38-year-old divorced woman with a little girl and a devoted boyfriend whom she doesn't love but who won't stop asking her to marry him. Her ex-husband, who gets Mary Martha on weekends, spends his days surfing and smoking pot. To help make ends meet, Rebecca decides to rent out her small garage apartment.

The first person who inquires about it is Michael Christopher, who has spent virtually his entire adult life in a monastery. After differences with his superior, who thought Michael emphasized contemplation over work (as in the gospel story show more about Mary and Martha), he is now on his own in the real world. He carries all his possessions in a small bag. He gets the apartment, and soon like so many others gets his first job at McDonalds.

While the romantic relationship that builds gradually between Rebecca and Michael may seem predictable, the path Farrington takes the couple down is full of surprises. A lapsed Catholic, she doesn't think much of her tenant's contemplative nature either. That is, until his spiritual insights, combined with a gift of servanthood unrecognized at the monastery, help pull her through the crises that soon overwhelm her.

An intriguing cast of supporting characters, including Rebecca's irrepressible mother and her playboy boss, add substantially to the story.

Farrington, like Rebecca, was a Catholic who lost his way before finding it again. He actually spent part of his boyhood in a convent, where his aunt was a nun. So he knows the territory, and he makes the most of it in this intriguing novel. show less

I found jthis author in a mention by Julia Cameron. I love his books and now have read all of his fascinating, riveting books. This is the one I started with and I got ahold of the sequel The Monk Upstairs the day I finished it. Farrington writes about real human beings with quirks, strange notions, good hearts and love and compassion. This is a love story for readers who would not be caught dead with a romance paperback. It is deep, spiritually knowing, and shows not romance but unconditional love. The monk has just left the monastary after many years and isn't quite sure how to live life as a regular person. But he is anything but a regular person and his landlady is also a unique individual. Nothing in this or any of the author's show more books is full of cookie cutter plots and characters that we're all too familiar. It is joyous, refreshing and will stay with you a long time. I enjoyed that it takes place in San Francisco which brings all sorts of odd, independent, drug-using characters out. show less

I loved this one. It's about a single mom who rents out her downstairs apartment to an ex-monk who has just left the monastery. An unlikely but, I thought, beautifully done love story results. The writing was lovely. I didn't want to put it down. An added bonus were the copies of the ex-monks letters in response to a persistent brother at his old monastery who keeps writing to him in his new life. The character development, the musings on faith, and the development of the relationship between the two main characters were all interwoven very well. The sequel is supposed to be coming out soon. I'll definitely be picking up a copy when it does.

It's been awhile since I've had a 5-star book! This is the wonderfully warm and heart-felt story of a divorced mom with a young daughter who rents her downstairs apartment to a man who has just left a monastery after being a monk for twenty years. Although somewhat predictable (yes, of COURSE, they fall in love) it's told with the easy rhythm of a dance--they come together and back away, then do it again. But in a real crisis, it's Mike that Rebecca turns to, and he proves to be up to the task. The story flows easily--my only complaint is that the dialog is a little too perfect--do people talk this way, are we so clever, in real life? But this is a minor flaw, and, in fact, one that makes it all the more fun to read. Highly recommended.

How often do we read about the real spiritual lives of people? It's more elusive than sex. This book includes all of it - a lovely romance and a struggle for faith. I was sorry for it to end, and delighted to hear there's a sequel.

Sometimes half stars would come in handy. I don't think i was in the right mood to appreciate this novel or perhaps I wanted to like it more than I did. The premise was interesting, a blossoming relationship between a single mother and her new tenant - an ex-monk suffering a crisis of faith after 20 years in the monastery. The characters are very likeable. As an atheist I was relieved that the religious aspect of the novel did not overpower the story - there is not any preaching, though there is a little theology. An easy read for romantics, tender, funny and quiet.