Customer Reviews

The View from a Monastery

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Contrary to the Amazon editor review, Br. Benet was raised Catholic in a mixed Lutheran-Catholic marriage. As for Jon Hassler's comparison to The Seven Story Mountain, I find the relationship weak at best - as if he and I read different books for one or the other. I point these items out because false expectations can easily make one fail to enjoy the book for what it is.

It is not a conversion story. It is not even a particularly spiritual story. It is gentle musings by an older brother of the Blue Cloud monastery on his experiences in the monastery - musing of the same nature as casual conversation as two people get to know each other. For its gentle musings, the book is one of several good books on monastic life. Personally, I prefer A Monastic Year : Reflections from a Monastery.

It is also an astute study of how monastic communities adapt the Rule of St. Benedict to contemporary life and to individual situtations within the monastic culture. Here the book is the best I know - anyone reading the Rule must also read this book.

Finally, the book provides the context within which Roberta Bondi and Kathleen Norris (both Protestant) write. For those unfamilar with the monastic culture, this is an excellent way to gain a realistic (not idealistic) view of the life style they have come to value. For this, too, I highly recommend the book.

As for the book itself, it is filled with delightful characters - saintly and not-so-saintly. There is the German monk for whom nothing American will ever measure up. There is the monk who appoints himself library censor, the infirmary nurse into folk remedies, the missionary to the Dakotas forced to take a "sabbatical", the mischevious dog, the "falling" priest, the gentle scholar, the novitiate who left and when dying of AIDS has the community come to his support. All of them described in brief chapters that are a pleasure to read - clear, unobtrustive prose that values the message above the word. If nothing else, after reading this delightful book, everyone should be able to say "I, too, can be religious ... <name> is as flawed as I".

Every year I visit a monastery for a few days to retreat into a quiet environment and reconnect with the spiritual. This year I found myself at Blue Cloud Abbey near Marvin, South Dakota. There was a joyful spirit there which helped my find my smile and begin again to radiate the glow of Christ's love. These Benedictine monks present themselves wholly transparent to their visitors. They reveal their true personalities without reserve. They are, therefore, delightful and personable. It's refreshing, especially for a woman, to leave the daily duties of a household and career and be taken care of by a holy community who happen to be men. It sort of restores a woman's faith in the abilities of the opposite sex. I was given the gift of getting to know a few of these men before I met Br. Benet and found out through a fellow retreatant that he had written a book. I spent the next day reading it and was inspired with his ability to transcend joyful laughter as well as reverence through his skillfully written stories. I loved his honesty: "There are many false notions about monasticism. Pious people think that monks are holy. People who don't know much about religion think we are peculiar. The truth of the matter is that we are neither, though I have known individual monks who were both. Most of us are ordinary men who find that it is easier for us to be holy here than in some other place." I also loved the pictures he painted with words of his most memorable friends: "Brother Patrick was holy. His holiness was not the kind that is commonly associated with sanctity, but he was my kind of saint. He was not a plaster saint. He had a solid piety without being the least bit sanctimonious." Br. Benent then proceeded to describe this unusual monk who had fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and worked on the General Motors assembly line before joining the Benedictines. Br. Patrick's tendency to spin tall tales,especially regarding his war days and his pranks at the expense of the other monks made this monk a colorful person indeed. Even at his bedside, as he lay dying from inoperable cancer, his colorful spirit presented itself: ". . eager as ever to entertain all of the "brethren" (as he called us) who gathered at his bedside. Sitting on the edge of his bed and chain-smoking cigarettes ("Why not? I don't have lung cancer"), he regaled us with war stories and recollections of his youth in an upstate New York town where he could buy a bucket of beer for a nickel." Being Protestant, I found this book helpful in explaining Catholic practices, the difference between Trappists and Benedictines and the meaning of St. Benedict's Rule. But the most wonderful thing about this book is how Br. Benet has revealed the everyday life struggles and celebrations that are unique to monastic life but are not so very different from experiences that we all have in other communities. The mystery exists, however, that there is something special here. Not everything can be put into words; some things have to be experienced to be understood.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. Especially with the amount of other dull, short books on the subject. "The View From A Monastery" is very down to earth, and let's you hear, in great detail, about the various characters and goings on, of a monastery today. Whether you're curious about monks in general, or earnestly seeking a religious vocation, this book is a must read!

Brother Benet exemplifies the linear life path. While in high school, he saw his first Benedictines and decided that he belonged with them. He showed remarkable maturity as he chose a specific abbey to enter, right out of college, and chose to become a brother rather than a priest.

The author's goal seems to be a modest one. He describes his life in a monastery and how he got to be there. He offers hilarious stories of characters he meets along the way -- not always the easiest men to live with, but definitely a source of spiritual challenge.

Brother Benet can write. Each chapter is a self-contained essay, reminiscent of James Herriot. In fact, one of the most appealing chapters includes a description of "Katie the collie" and the efforts of the brothers to create a properly monastic canine.

Reading between the lines, Brother Benet seems to have the perfect quietly cheerful temperament to live in community. He finds humor in frustrating events and as well as changes in monastic life: don't miss the reference to "liturgical lingerie." In telling his story, he has the advantage of someone who dealt with visitors, and he remains aware of an outsider's perspective. He tells us, without fuss, of his own struggles and also his ownn joys.

Brother Benet also allows a glimpse of life in a contemporary monastery. In some ways, the "confreres" come across as a special fraternity. Watching a television show, they act like any group of males, using less than religious language. Yet there is caring, not only for themselves, for for those whose lives have touched the monastery. When a former postulant lies dying of AIDS, the monastery sends two brothers to be with him. And when two strangers, clad only in sheets, make the monastery a stop on their unique pilgrimage, the monks offer a washing machine as well as a room and meals.

As a career coach, I hear people talk about finding meaning in their lives. Here's someone who has found meaning in a particularly unusual and dedicated way. Reading this book helps define the concept of "vocation" and "calling," although the vast majority of us will not find ourselves called so openly to such an extreme. Brother Benet offes an insightful non-New-Age perspective on spirituality, purpose and yes, abundance.

After visiting a few Benedictine monasteries, it was a delight to get a behind the scene view of life in a monastery. The short chapters make easy reading and although non-fiction, some of the "characters" in the stories could have been great fictional characters. The book helps a lay person better understand what leads a person to become a monk and what keeps a person on their path. Blue Cloud Abbey sounded like a place I would like too visit and I did two days ago as I returned from a trip out west. It's a peaceful beautiful place.

Blue Cloud Abbey opened as a Benedictine monastery in 1950 in the rural community of Marvin, South Dakota - about midway between Sioux Falls and Fargo. The author, Brother Benet Tvedten entered as a novitiate in 1958, shortly after graduating from college. In this gracefully and simply written book about monastery life, Tvedten looks back over a half century that was witness to the sweeping changes ushered in by Vatican II.

He recalls the impact of these changes, when English took the place of Latin in worship, the number of hours spent daily in silence were reduced, and rigid hierarchies were replaced by an egalitarian spirit more in keeping with the rules originally set down by St. Benedict in the 6th century. Tvedten remembers that monks were once unable to read the weekly magazine in the Sunday newspaper because they might see revealing ads for women's undergarments. The monks today, he notes, have ready access to secular publications, including the Sports Illustrated annual swimsuit issue.

Without much effort, he dispels any illusions of pious other-worldliness the reader might hold about modern-day monks. He describes the quirks and all-too-human behavior of individuals who have chosen to live together as family - never too far from dysfunctional, including disputes over the TV. His book is richly detailed with profiles of the strong personalities who have lived their lives within the walls of his monastery. Noting that monastic community thrives on a rich oral history, he fills his book with the stories that are told and retold about the brothers - stories remembered even more warmly after they have gone.

There's a wry sense of humor throughout this collection of short essays on various and sundry topics: pet dogs, dining out, going to the movies, friendship, answering the phone, reading aloud at meals, getting the giggles during service, how monks get their names, where to put your hands in your robe. They are simple topics, often profound when they least seem so. They are told with a clear and unsentimental love of everyday life and gratitude for a community that gives ample opportunity to indulge that love.

What a marvelous look into the humanity of a monastic community. Too many people view them as somber, lifeless people. It was great to see some fun and humor in their lives! It was great reading.

This is a heartwarming and informative book on what monastic life is really like. All too often I encounter people who hear the word "monk" and gasp, saying, "Don't they live in silence and never talk and laugh? What do they do?" I guess their questions are understandable, considering the way society portrays monastic life. And granted, not all monasteries are alike - perhaps the Trappists or Cistercians are more what they're thinking of. But Benet's book gives a glimpse into the Benedictine monastic life, which I find delightful and informative, even though I've been visiting Blue Cloud for many years now. I guess that makes me biased, but I found it delightful to get to know some of the monks better.

This was one of those books where I was disappointed when it came to an end - I wish it would have gone on longer - that's my only disappointment with it. Perhaps we can hope for a sequel.

Br. Benet always had a way with words even as a kid growing up and visiting Blue Cloud Abbey. Now, as an adult, I, too, can see the attraction to the quieter more close knit community the monestary offers. Interesting how those childhood memories are brought back to life through Benet's journey through the years before and during his time with Blue Cloud Abbey.

Of all that characters he has written about he forgot to mention my favorite, their first dog, Bo, a St. Bernard that was bigger than we kids. Or Br. Roger who always smoked cigars and use to make us kids laugh outrageously. Yet Sieg was our favorite. He was literally the Paul Bunyan (in our small minds, anyway) of the monestary. Everyone loved Sieg.

But Benet has it right about never being able to run from your problems while being part of a community who are interdependent on each other. If more families would emulate the Benedictine way of life, there would be less trouble and strife in this world.

Surprisingly, I learned far more about Br. Benet than I ever absorbed while visiting the Abbey or even from what my mom and dad would relay. Br. Benet always seemed the man who had so many adventures despite his assurance he had not been to many states beyond North or South Dakota. It is those adventures we live through those we know and love and learn to respect. And despite many personal foibles he readily admits to and takes full responsibility for, he knows the best place to grow from those mistakes is surrounded by people who love and support you. Isn't that what real family is about? Or should be?

Oh, I didn't mean to slight "Denny's" mom or the rest of his family, they love him immensely as well. Benet has been terribly lucky to blend his career and home into one. We all can't land that miracle. Still, Br. Benet and the rest of the monks at Blue Cloud Abbey have always made me feel at home despite my lack of knowledge where religion is concerned. (I'm a "dropout" Catholic although my mother encouraged me to say "non-practicing". I told her SHE is "non-practicing". I only go for the entertainment these days.)

Should you ever find yourself in outside Marvin, SD, I recommend you stop by and visit with Br. Benet and his fellow monks. The beds are firm and the food is excellent and the peace and quiet is heavenly. Beats the heck out of a Motel 6 anyday!

Brother Tvedten is a subtle teacher of monasticism. Through very short, poignant stories, I learned volumes about a subject of which I had very little knowledge. This is one of the best books I have read this year, and I heartily recommend it.