Customer Reviews

The Hermit: A Personal Discovery of Prayer

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
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This book offers great advice on how to pray, using the "Lord's Prayer" as the framework for all prayer.

It tells the story of a minister who has lost his way and seeks the help of a hermit he has heard of. The hermit begins to tutor him and the reader in the process.

The story itself can be weak at times, mainly during the narrative. But the conversations between the hermit and the minister are well worth the hassle.

This book changed my view of prayer and has helped a great deal in my prayer life. Definitely a must read for anyone who wishes to do the same.

I think this three part series on prayer is one of the best introductions you can read. I've given it to several friends and recommended it to many others. The hardest thing to get past is the cover. Many of the people I show the book to find the art work a turnoff. And, the main titles Hermit, Prophet & Mystic don't do a good job of communicating what the trilogy is about. The subtitle of the Hermit, a personal discovery of prayer, is better in terms of communicating the key message but even that doesn't get it. Get the book. Read it. And, based on comments of friends who've done that after my recommendation, it may change your life.

David Torkington, "The Prophet, The Inner Meaning of Prayer" 169 pages

The second book of the trilogy, builds on the foundation of first, "The Hermit", with astounding effectiveness. Torkington's main character, Father James Robertson continues to reveal the rich life of the hermit Peter Calvay. Torkington has the gift to write on many different levels. His fictional story line provides an enjoyable context to learn countless Christian truths. Without realizing it, I learned Catholic history, Franciscan history / ideals, mystical theology, meaning of prayer, moral theology and much more. There is even a budding love story going on here. How so much non-fiction can be taught in the context of a fictional story is a tribute to Torkington's abilities as an author. How could Torkington pack it all into 169 easy to read pages? I think the high impact pages of this book are as follows; 27, 35, 44-48, 73-78, 93-98, and 108-114. In a nutshell, this little book packs a real punch. I can't wait to read the last book.