The Monk Downstairs

by Tim Farrington
The Monk Downstairs  
published June 1st 2006 by HarperSanFrancisco
binding Paperback
isbn 0061122424   (isbn13: 9780641799440)
pages 320
description Tim Farrington's The Monk Downstairs follows the beguiling romance between a jaded San Francisco graphic designer and a monk who flips burgers ...more
date added
03-19-07



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Kate
Kate rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/02/08

bookshelves: books-i-own, chick-lit-women-s-lit, fiction, romance, the-100-in-2007
Read in November, 2007
I recently did a health fair for work, and had to share a table with the Fairfax County Public Library's NLS for the Disabled representative. We got to talking books since she had a couple of my old favorites on display and then it turned out we were both in book clubs. So she asked what kind of books we were reading and I asked her what book her club was currently reading, and she said they like to read women's fiction that's not chick lit, and they were reading this book, The Monk Downstairs, ...more
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Anne
Anne rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
05/16/08

Read in May, 2008
I borrowed this book based on the title alone. Who wouldn't want to read a book about a monk living downstairs? In this case, an ex-monk, who has left his monastery, disenchanted with his life of prayer and inaction. He moves into the in-law unit of single mom, Rebecca, who has decided once and for all that she no longer needs love in her life. Her 6-year old daughter plays with unicorns, adores her good-for-nothing surfer father, and takes an immediate liking to Michael Christopher, the monk. O...more
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Blaire
Blaire rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
06/28/08

bookshelves: fiction
I loved this book!
It's a love story that is told with great perceptiveness and tenderness. I was really impressed by the author's ability to get inside his female protagonist's head. All of the characters were well-imagined, and their interactions were very believable.
It's also a sort of meditation on how one pursues a spiritual path through life, and on that level it's just as successful. It's incredibly hard to write about spiritual matters without sounding either trite or pedantic. ...more
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Salimah
Salimah rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/12/07

Read in November, 2002
the current cover of this book is a disappointing cop out. I own this book in hardback, with an original, much more poetic cover (a sepia photograph of a woman's foot and a bit of her dress), but I digress.

I dreamt in the language of this book for days. After I was finished I held it for a long, long time...

I was in love with this monk, who is sexual, charming, innocent, funny, spirited, and true believer, and who makes a believer of the woman who loves him. If you'd like to read a com...more
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Gina
10/25/07

Read in October, 2007
I was surprised by how much I liked this book, and by how much I identified with the Rebecca, the main character. She's a single mom who doesn't hate her ex-husband, and she works as a graphic designer (which she remarks often feels like playing, as does working as a librarian for me).

I loved Michael Christopher, who was painted just as I would hope an ec-monk would be.

I loved Mary Martha, and the weight on MC's mind about the dilemma between Mary and Martha, and action and prayer.
...more
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Phil
Phil rated it: 1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars
07/24/07

Read in June, 2007
Ridiculous crap. If I wanted a rom-com, I would have watched something with Hugh Grant and/or Meg Ryan instead of reading this bizarre yuppie vision of San Francisco. It feels like the author has also been in a monastary for 30 years, since the sharpest satire he can come up with is aging hippies and making fun of new age people. He also has a character explain what hair plugs are. This is what passes for a "New York Times Notable Book Of The Year" these days? Yuck.

(never trust a b...more
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Michelle
Michelle rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
12/15/07

Read in December, 2007
recommends it for: romantics
This is a Christian fiction book that is good for Christians and non-Christians alike. The story is that of a Catholic monk who leaves the monastery after 20 years after he decides that he is not fulfilling the life that God has planned for him. He rents a room in the house owned by a single mom who is disillusioned with the Church. A romance ensues. The story has interesting discussion of religious ideas, good and bad, as well as a nice real-world romance.
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Rosie
Rosie rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/19/08

Read in March, 2008
I tend to be drawn to books about middle aged women that feel lost in their life, haha. I feel like it should have its own genre name! I enjoyed it, it is a very relaxing read, and very hopeful as well. There is not much more I feel that I can say, other than it was pleasant and I can add it to my collection of "Middle-aged-females-having-crises" books that I've enjoyed :).
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Amy
Amy rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
05/09/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
Read in May, 2008
entertaining but not great. it's the kind of book that you read if you don't want to think too much and need something to fall asleep to. too many catholic references for my sporadic religious upbringing. although i do have to say that it is an interesting concept...a monk that decides one day not to be a monk anymore and his struggles with it.
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Eileen
08/25/07

Read in May, 2007
This was an interesting, entertaining and captivating book. I enjoyed the style of writing as well as the content. The juxtapositioning of the 'real world' with the contemplative religious world was fascinating. Characters were believable and intriguing. A finely balanced combination of thought provoking passages with real life challenges.
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Amanda
08/10/07

I liked this one. I don't have a crappy ex-husband or a monk living downstairs - but I think this book was well written. She captured the brittle way that damaged people guard their privacy and their hearts, and how difficult it is to let anyone in.
I have the new book, The Monk Upstairs, and look forward to reading it.
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Andrea
Andrea rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
02/23/08

bookshelves: romance
Read in February, 2008
recommended to Andrea by: misfiled on the new acquisitions shelf at the library
Not a bad read. Reasonably well-written, though a tad predictable. I was hoping for a stronger tie-in to the Martha/Mary dichotomy, I never did quite get the point of the "letters," and I don't think the author has a clue how to write about children. And yet I enjoyed the book enough to finish it relatively quickly.
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Jaime
Jaime rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/27/07

this is a love story that is based on all of the ingredients that make sense to me: compassion, kindness, affection, intimacy, calm, laughter, loss, god... but mostly real-love and the recognition and power of spirit.

tim farrington understands the language and silence of a woman quite beautifully.
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Carrie
06/18/08

You know how you can tell that this book was written by a man? The female protagonist calls the monk who lives downstairs by his last name. Women just don't do that; men do. Other than that (and it really bothered me, whether it'a a legitimate or not), this book was great.
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Tara
Tara rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
11/02/07

Read in October, 2007
recommends it for: Girls
Although not your typical chic book this one is still for the the ladies. I did enjoy the characters in this one and thought they were very realistic. For the most part this book was an easy relaxing read. There was nothing too awesome about it but I still enjoyed it.
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Jewelz
Jewelz rated it: 1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars
06/28/07

Read in June, 2007
Not my fav. I picked this book up on the recommendation of the local bookstore owner. The characters struggle between balancing their romance and balancing their spirituality.

I just couldn't connect with the characters.

It's an easy-read.
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Chelsea
bookshelves: haveread
Read in January, 2001
I really liked this book. The characters and emotions are so vivid, I felt like I was standing in the room watching them. I didn't enjoy the ending as much... I read this book when I was younger, and it confronted me with harsh reality.
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Kat
07/09/08

bookshelves: college-years, lets-read-it-again-and-again
An unexpectedly good love story, unexpectedly written by a man. There is something fascinating about the idea of an ex-monk, and Farrington deftly makes use of it. It is a sweet, engaging tale--not at all over the top.
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gardentraveler
gardentraveler rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
10/06/07

Read in October, 2003
Recommended by my bookgroup. This one was good, but there are a couple other books by this author that are better (California Book of the Dead, and, especially, Blues for Hannah.
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Libby
Libby rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/23/08

Read in March, 2003
Not fine literature, but this is a very sweet, lovely book. It lacks significant depth when addressing questions about religion, existential crises, etc. -- but it was a very enjoyable read.
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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 3.46 (199 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 3.37 (152 ratings)
number of reviews: 46






other editions

The Monk Downstairs (Hardcover)
The Monk Downstairs (Paperback)
The Monk Downstairs (Board book)