An Infinity of Little Hours: Five Young Men and Their Trial of Faith in the Western World's Most Austere Monastic Order

Nancy Klein Maguire has written a book I could not put down. This is the story of five men who entered Parkminster at the start of the 60s. I kept track of their names - and the changed names within the monastery, and significant details, on a small bookmark. In the 60s, only one monk is described as having electricity in his cell. There is no power in the church. The monks, surprisingly, write their scripture, quotes, notes, and reflections on scraps of paper, backs of envelopes, and magazines. The story begins, Chapter 1, with a Trappist novice ringing the bell rope of the Gatehouse. He is described as wearing "the white and black habit of a Trappist novice". Trappist novices wear white - no black. It made me wonder for some time about the accuracy of what was to follow. But from then on we are presented with a carefully documented and at times, I found, deeply moving account of five men journeying to the eleventh century in order to journey to God. It is the result of years of emailing, interviewing, and research. Only in one phrase can you work out which of the five she is married to. [The only other possible error I noticed was St Bernard is quoted p103 - I recognise the quote from Eckhart - did St Bernard also say this?] There is much in the book that is familiar, for those of us who have been interested in Carthusians. For those new - this might now be the best place to start. There were new things I did not know: four candlesticks by the altar (p57). I had never heard of Antiquior. There was mention of a stage when Vermont only had 1 monk (p15) Warnings: Don't read this book if you want your Carthusians plaster-cast "saints". Here they are "warts & all": fights over chanting, petty misunderstandings, breakdowns, "Dom Columba" stating Dom Leo "is no monk"... Don't read this book if you want to think of the present Carthusians as never reformed. I did not know that the broken sleep & Night Office so central to Carthusian charism and life is only of fifteenth century origin, not from their foundation. The book is written as an account of a lifestyle that in its view since Vatican II is no more:" Maguire has produced a vivid, gripping, and deeply touching picture of a world that is now lost." (back cover) Read this book if you appreciate real people living messy, complicated lives like yours & mine & trying to find God in this - in the book's case with heroic focus. Read this book if you are more concerned with a small eternal solid core than ephemeral changes on the surface. The book begins with a quote from Soren Kierkegaard: "Of this there is no doubt, our age and Protestantism in general may need the monastery again, or wish it were there. The "monastery" is an essential dialectical element in Christianity. We therefore need it out there like a navigation buoy at sea in order to see where we are, even though I myself would not enter it. But if there really is true Christianity in every generation there must also be indiv

"Infinity" is a fascinating non-fiction about five young men that joined the Carthusians in Sussex, England. Starting in 1960, the author chronicles their five-year spiritual journey to find God and meaning in their lives through sacrifice and shunning the outside world. I was curious about what goes on behind the closed doors of this almost 1000-year old secretive society. Driven by the need to know who stayed or left, and why, I could not put "Infinity" down. Reading about their daily ordeals, I came to better appreciate the simple pleasures that they denied themselves. I believe "Infinity" holds interest regardless of ones faith. It is an adventure into the little know life of the Carthusian monks.

Recently a book was published that tracks the life of a former Carthusian from his youth to his departure from the order (the Sounds of Silence). That book offered an interesting view of the order from the inside. However, in contrast to "An Infinity of Little Hours" it lacks what one could term editorial pruning shears. Perhaps it also helps that the current book was written by an outsider, albeit based on the testimony of monks (and former monks). The Infinity of Little Hours is written with a lot of love and sympathy and reveals a tremendous amount about the Order, an anomaly and a timeless phenomenon in the world of today... It is a must read for all who have an interst in the order, either in terms of a potential vocation or from a more general historical/spiritual perspective. Without the sentimentality that marks some of the older books on the subject, this portrayal shows the human nature of the men who pursue God, without rancor or malice. One is left with an enormous amount of respect for those who live the life but a realization that this institution, like any other is ultimately a 'human organism'--dedicated to God. Is it fortuitous that it comes out at the same time as the German film "Die Grosse Stille" or the interview given by the Prior of the Grande Chartreuse on Dutch television? Taken together, perhaps these media events document a turning point in the life of this venerable order.

Because I loved Eco's "The Name of the Rose," I looked for nonfiction about monastic life and quickly scarfed up this book. After two chapters, I was head-over-heels into it and decided to slow down and savor the chapters. I'm so glad. There are moments where you feel you are no longer in 2006, but looking in on lives in perhaps the 14th or 15th century. No small feat and Maguire pulls it off beautifully--the cells, the dampness, the isolation, the madness. "Infinity" leaves you wanting for more. Is a movie next? I can only hope.

In this book we follow five men as they enter the Parkminster, England's only Carthusian Charterhouse, in 1960. We are given a rare glimpse inside Saint Hugh's and the life of the Carthusian monks. The author has done a fantastic job at being allowed to look inside and share what she learned with us. We follow these five men as they apply to become a member at Parkminsiter and what it takes to become a Solemn Professed Carthusian. They share their thoughts and feelings as they progress in their vocation. And their hopes and fears are laid out for us to see. What it takes to stay and the strength required leaving. I felt I was living those years with these men as they sought God. How hard and rewarding the solitary lifestyle in a community of hermits really is. And how few are truly called to this life. I felt that nothing was hidden from the reader. We are given an honest and clear view of the life. And we even get a summary forty years later from both those who succeeded in the life and those who left. I got the book today and read it in 4 hours. I could not put it down. If you ever thought this was the life for you, this is a must read.