The Monk Upstairs: A Novel

I bought this book without being aware that it was a sequel, but I had no problem reading it as a stand alone.

Interesting premise here: Tough, cynical Rebecca who is a little scornful of religion, settles into married life with a former monk, who finds himself dealing with the new responsibilities of married life, a stepdaughter, and a sick mother-in-law.

Quite a surprising tender and under-rated book, I found myself settling in for a gentle and touching read about human relationships and everyday life - things that we tend to take for granted in life. It's easy to sympathize wth Mike (the former monk), as he struggles to handle his new life which introduces stress into his usual calm and contemplative nature. Touching and show more heart-wrenching, it features real human characters in real life situations. Quietly beautiful and full of inner strength - this is a book that deserved a quiet, undistracting environment to fully appreciate (I read this while spending a lazy sunny afternoon on an totally deserted island) show less

Where can a romance go when chapter one is a wedding? Surprisingly, this book goes into the heart of real marriage, the struggles that go with finding ways to get along with another person. In addition, it goes into the heart of real spirituality. For a light novel, it is unusually thoughtful.

Wise and realistic: This book is the tender sequel to the [[ASIN:0061122424 The Monk Downstairs (Plus)]]. It picks up the story with the wedding of Rebecca (single mother of one) and Mike (former monk and former fry cook at MacDonalds) and lovingly describes the early days of their marriage and the final days of Rebecca's mother, Phoebe. As in the first book, the characters all have human faces and plenty of warts, kindness and realism abound and tragedy is treated with respect and love. It's a quick read, but a worthwhile one.

The first chapter is NOT disappointing. One worries so with a sequel. It's a very good book, but I am bothered by a few factual lapses. It seems silly in such an edifying book to fuss, but here are my quibbles
1) Catholics do not and never have used the King James translation at Mass. (p.110) This bothered me, trying to figure out why someone as knowledgeable as the author would falsify the scripture quote.
2) It’s “eternal rest grant unto them”, not “rest eternal.” (p.235) Odd. Why reverse it?
3) Private masses said by monks alone before they communally celebrate Mass? (p.100.) I don’t think so.

An excellent sequel to The Monk Downstairs. For those who have read TMD, you know the story of Rebecca and Mike, and I was glad that this sequel didn't just prolong their story for story's sake. This sequel is the story of Phoebe, Rebecca's mother...and a beautiful story it is.

Sequel to The Monk Downstairs. Mike the Monk move from downstairs, as Rebecca's tenant, to upstairs being her lover and husband. Now Rebecca's mother Phoebe lives in the downstairs apartment after suffering a stroke.

This book is a delightful look at the relationships of Mike, Rebecca, Phoebe, Mary Martha and even the ex-husband Rory and his new family. I especially loved the repartee between Mike and Phoebe.

The rest of the story from The Monk Downstairs...enjoyable but not life changing.