Hermits: Insights of Solitude

This is a very efficient presentation of ideas on a topic where a writer could so easily digress. The language of the writer is intelligent and clear. The book suited me perfectly in explicating how the male pursuit of integrating mind and spirit is a sane and worthy undertaking, with real examples from varied cultures, and from varied phases of life. The book pushed and motivated this reader to give up possessions more expeditiously and to take some more risky leaps in my maturity. For my teenage kid, the passage on how the seed needs the husk to grow made a deep impression.

Too few books are available on the life of the contemplative. With that said, this book is already a rarity. It's quality is quite good, although the pages have yellowed in only three years, like most books in our "technologically advanced" culture. The content of the book gave this reviewer a great sense of peace, as it is comforting to find that others hold the experience of solitude in high esteem. It seems that because of France's firsthand experience with this simple pleasure, he is able to describe the perspective in a unique and calming way, far from the usual deprecatory references to the Unibomber, etc.It undoubtedly helped to alleviate some of this stigma, as well as piquing interest in the solitary life. We need respected hermits in this day and age, as an outside view of the inside is what keeps us balanced. I recommend it to everyone.

Following on from 'The Rape of Egypt' and 'Greek as a Treat', Peter France has once more produced a book that is both informative and insightful. With his usual wit, discernment and sweet reason, France guides the reader through a selected history of human solitude. As an antidote to dissillusionment with the modern world the book both entertains and uplifts. Perhaps it was the first chapter - ' The Emergence of the Individual'- that I found most beautifully written, with a clarity of thought that sparkles. Being Orthodox, France's chapter on Russian hermits is also one that has called me back to re-read it. Illuminated by personal anecdote and informed by a broad knowledge of solitude through the ages, this book is a masterpiece. Along with France's 'Journey - A Spiritual Odyssey', it is one of my favourite books to read at night, alone, watching and waiting....

A beautiful account of man's timeless search for solitude and truth, this book scours the great religious traditions and recounts the lives and writings of some of the coolest, wierdest and most sane people the world has ever seen. The chapter on Charles de Foucauld is itself worth the price of the book.