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The Hermit of Carmel
by
Overwhelmed by personal loss, Robert Das abandons his home and career, and embarks on a personal journey to escape his grief. Das travels to a place he knew in happier times - the theatrically beautiful Monterey Peninsula. A chance turn finds him deep in the Del Monte Forest, where one night’s sleep in his car turns into an improvised plan to live illegally and covertly –
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This story has an interesting premise. A man loses his wife and seeks comfort in chosen homelessness in Carmel, CA. Unfortunately, numerous typos and a scattered narrative made for clunky reading. I’ve sent the errors to the publisher and hope they are able to make the changes prior to publication.
There were very enjoyable parts to the book. The part when Robert meets Jules got an audible giggle from me. I enjoyed reading about when he constructs his house, how he survives, and meeting Kate. Bu ...more
There were very enjoyable parts to the book. The part when Robert meets Jules got an audible giggle from me. I enjoyed reading about when he constructs his house, how he survives, and meeting Kate. Bu ...more
Jun 03, 2019
Susan Obryan
added it
The first few chapters had me wondering if I'd complete this novel. Too much description about the region, and too little about the characters. That quickly changed, and I'm so glad I continued with this story.
Gregory Phipps captured so much in this novel about a man, his loss and his unconventional self-treatment. Rob's grief after the death of his wife is so believable, and how he deals with it is unique. Choosing to live a semi-hermit life with the fringe benefits of a love of golf - what a ...more
Gregory Phipps captured so much in this novel about a man, his loss and his unconventional self-treatment. Rob's grief after the death of his wife is so believable, and how he deals with it is unique. Choosing to live a semi-hermit life with the fringe benefits of a love of golf - what a ...more
The Hermit of Carmel is the story of a mans loss, sorrow and despondency and how he deals with it. It explores the dark roads we sometimes take while suffering, and the paths we take to return to ourselves. I enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed, the writing was strong and the storyline was authentic and inspirational. I would be interested in reading more of this author. My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair
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I got this as a e book for my i pad from Net Galley. I enjoyed reading it. It had a good story to it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.
May 30, 2019
Cozy Cat Reviews
added it
This was such a interesting and fun book to read ! As one who has been in the Carmel area for decades I enjoyed reading of our area and of the author's love for the area. Its hard not to love this area even amid his extensive grief. I enjoyed the chapter dedicated to the area and to Point Lobos. The author has a great love for our spectacular environment and it shows in his writing.
This is a story of the human condition of grief and how it changes our lives. The author writes of taking a sabbat ...more
This is a story of the human condition of grief and how it changes our lives. The author writes of taking a sabbat ...more
Wow! I wasn’t expecting this when I chose to read this book. It slowly reels you in and then takes you down a path you weren’t expecting but are glad you went.
All said and done it is part “Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance” , part romance novel, part travelogue, and part reminder not to wear fuchsia in the woods. I am thankful I was allowed to read this for review purposes. I am better for it.
All said and done it is part “Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance” , part romance novel, part travelogue, and part reminder not to wear fuchsia in the woods. I am thankful I was allowed to read this for review purposes. I am better for it.
This was not the book I expected from the p u publisher's description. It's VERY heavy on minutia-level details about the setting (Monterey/Carmel), to the point I just had to jump ahead. The cover should have been a clue that it'd be heavy on golf too. Sadly, I have up after about sixty pages. Not the book for me.
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The Hermit of Carmel
Book Review | 📚📚 2/5
Gregory Phipps (writer) | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
The Hermit of Carmel is one part published author with a past; one part backstory to author’s recently published work; one part travelogue of the Monterey Peninsula.
Why I was interested in this book:
Having lived on the Monterey Peninsula for a number of years, I was intrigued to read this book. Not sure what to expect, I relied on the title to lead the way.
My assessment:
This book falls ...more
Book Review | 📚📚 2/5
Gregory Phipps (writer) | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
The Hermit of Carmel is one part published author with a past; one part backstory to author’s recently published work; one part travelogue of the Monterey Peninsula.
Why I was interested in this book:
Having lived on the Monterey Peninsula for a number of years, I was intrigued to read this book. Not sure what to expect, I relied on the title to lead the way.
My assessment:
This book falls ...more
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Phipps has been a writer for a long time - since he learned to write, in fact. There's some debate about when that was. After a few drinks, he's been known to swear it was age five, but I suspect he's embellishing. But Phipps has genuinely agonized over many an essay; authored a few short stories; penned some credible entrepreneurship & finance-related blogs; been published in several business per
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“A single, perfectly executed drive, out to 250 yards, can make up for twenty flubbed, duffed, hooked, sliced, shanked, and pulled drives that end up in the woods. Every amateur golfer knows and embraces this theology. For many, it’s the only thing that keeps them coming back to this game again and again. You remember the great holes or entire courses that you’ve played out successfully and conveniently forget the bad ones. Psychologists call it motivated forgetting. Psychology aside, I suspect this rationalization, by golfers, falls into the same category of things from which God saves idiots. Without it, I suspect there would be exponentially fewer golf enthusiasts in the world. - The Hermit of Carmel”
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“With a rage that surprised even him, Robert swung the club with all his might into the adjacent drywall. The club missed the two-by-fours and plunged deeply between the studs, leaving a dark, gaping hole in the garage wall. He pulled out the club like a swordsman and struck the wall again and again and again. Robert’s screams — intense, guttural and primal — drowned out the sound made by the impact and penetration of each thrust at the drywall enemy. On the fifth stroke, the surprisingly tough club found an intransigent wall stud, and the shaft and head of the club finally surrendered. Rather than bending, it splintered into a jagged mess, rendering the entire club useless. The garage wall, now pockmarked with deep holes, suffered a similar fate.
Panting from the exertion and uncontrolled release of emotion, Robert dropped the remains of the club and stared blankly at the cratered wall. He took a deep breath and held it. Anguish and grief were family relations who had invited pain to join them in his home. Pain evidently had an angry cousin. None were welcome. He wished the family reunion to be over.”
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Panting from the exertion and uncontrolled release of emotion, Robert dropped the remains of the club and stared blankly at the cratered wall. He took a deep breath and held it. Anguish and grief were family relations who had invited pain to join them in his home. Pain evidently had an angry cousin. None were welcome. He wished the family reunion to be over.”
