The Monk Upstairs

Monk #2

by Tim Farrington

When Rebecca Martin finds the love of her life, it's finally time to cross off one giant task from life's to-do list. But not so fast. The wedding is a minor disaster, the honeymoon doesn't get much better, and then the biggest shock of all—living together as monk and wife.

Rebecca couldn't help falling in love with a monk, but that doesn't make it any easier. Mike is up before the sun, meditates every morning in bed, hates socializing (not to mention all varieties of small talk), and last but not least has a rich inner life with which she can't compete. When God is essentially the other women, all bets are off. What has she gotten herself into?

Returning with the same cast of characters that made The Monk Downstairs a New York Times Notable Book and a two-time BookSense top-ten pick, The Monk Upstairs is a page-turning love story that pulls back the curtain on fairy-tale romance to reveal what really happens when two people from very different walks of life fall in love, get married, and live under the same roof.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Family, Spirituality

272 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2007

Reviews

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a different tone than the first, but still felt like a very real picture of the characters and what they were going through. Again, I was surprised by how much I was pulled into their story and how much I sympathized with their troubles and failures. Again, too, the best part of the book was how quietly contemplative it was, how utterly real yet soft it was. Flaubert writes with a realism that's like a harsh fluorescent light: it exposes everything without mercy and almost makes a mockery of humans for wishing there were shadows, for in shadows lie romance and mystery. Farrington writes with a realism that's a little softer. Perhaps his realism is more like dawn--just as powerful, just as illuminating, but acknowledging the shadows cast by the objects in the story. Farrington's novel acknowledges that there is mystery in life--that's one of the reasons his character of ex-monk works so well. He's not preachy but philosophical, and it's very easy to take the religion out of the work and instead contemplate the mysteries of life and everything that we do not know.

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tim Farrington is one of my favorite authors. His writing combines deep, wide compassion with a sharp ear for verbal banter and an ironic, nimble sense of humor. His sensibility seems very Buddhist to me; the heart of his fiction is the idea that everything changes and ends, and yet all of the chaos and fluctuations of life and death are ultimately manifestations of Love. His works often deal with people dying, and this book is no exception.

[Christa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed The Monk Downstairs, the prequel to this book, and I was glad to find that I liked The Monk Upstairs even more. I found this book to be very touching. The main characters were entirely sympathetic, and I enjoyed reading about how they melded and established a life together. Michael is a very unusual but wonderful hero, and Rebecca is a likeable heroine. These two books have made me a fan of Tim Farrington, and I will be reading more by him.

The Monk Upstairs begins on the wedding day of Mike and Rebecca. After Rebecca coaxes Mike to the ceremony almost an hour after it should have begun, they are married and have some wonderful days in Hawaii before life intrudes. Rebecca finds that being married again isn't always easy, especially when the groom was a monk for twenty years. She has some doubts that they can really make the marriage work, which causes Rebecca to pull away and sometimes shut Mike out. They are faced with the steadily declining health of Rebecca's mother, and Mike's lack of qualifications for the job market. Rebecca's ex husband, Rory, and his new wife are often on the scene as Rory tries to reform and leave his drug days behind. Rebecca has to come to terms with the changes in her life while Mike continues to adjust to living in the "real" world.

This was a great book. For most of the story, Mike faced his new life with his usual equanimity. He was calm and composed while dealing with the situations he faced. I loved the intereaction between Mike and Rebecca, and thought that it was overall, a very sweet, emotional book.

[Harry Allagree · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, Tim Farrington's first novel,The Monk Downstairs, was like a religious experience. Not only did I read it twice, I also based a whole retreat on it in 2005 for a group of Affiliates of the Order of Julian of Norwich. Only recently did I learn about his sequel, published in 2007, The Monk Upstairs. It continues the saga of the relationship of an ex-monk, Mike, with a young, savvy, witty, but disgruntled divorcée, Rebecca, who has a precocious daughter, Mary Martha, and a very hip mother, in the best sense: Phoebe. This second novel about the family takes place after Mike & Rebecca are married.

If you read & finish the novel, go back to frontispiece page where there's a quote from St. Augustine's Confessions: "But what mystery there lay in 'The Word was made Flesh,' I could not even imagine." That, in a nutshell, is the meaning of the story.

Farrington's writing is so un-novellike to me: it's more like an extended wise and deep spiritual meditation on the meaning of life and relationship. This second novel deals primarily with Phoebe, and Farrington's descriptions are sometimes breathtakingly perceptive. One example: "Phoebe looked beautiful, serene, and oddly poised, like an autumn leaf leaking its last bit of color before it fell..." (p. 196). Bring a box of tissues with you as you read the book; Farrington will grab your heart and move you to tears...as he did me, for the last four chapters!

[Judy Churchill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about love and acceptance. It is a story about life, death and renewal. It is a story of self discovery. It is beautifully framed in the wonder of the scriptures. When the monk and Rebecca marry, they create a unit of love and trust and quiet. As Rebecca's mother Phoebe dies, new life begins with a pregnancy for Becca and Mike. This is so beautifully written - it is a gracious tribute to life.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sequel to Farrington's Monk Upstairs delivered the same warm, human realistic type of story. We learn more about the main characters' lives and values and see them grow in their relationships. Delightful, funny and a pure pleasure to read.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed all of the characters and their relationships with their irritations, humor, and growth. The ending was completely sad, but real.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half star. It would be a hard feat to sustain the experience of the first novel, The Monk Downstairs, into the sequel. I rated the first five stars, loved it. I found the sequel uneven, slow start, but still there is much food for thought here, on the messiness of everyday life, the balancing act between loving, earning a living, being honest an open to all that life may throw at us. I really like monk Mike's take on religion. His intuitive common sense when it comes to teaching his step-daughter's catechism class. Still, Mike needs his daily retreat into the contemplative habit, he is still a monk grappling with the complexities of communion with the world along with his God. Yes, this sequel does have a lot to offer in continuing the story; and not the least in the touching telling of Phoebe's end of life journey. But perhaps inevitably it lacks the astonishment and delight I felt in my first encounter with The Monk Downstairs. Tim Farrington is a talented and perceptive writer, his characters are well rounded and believable.

[Amy L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it more then is reflected in the starred rating. Perhaps 3 1/2 stars...I think it was kind of an easy read but laced with serious religious and life contemplating thought. Upon reflection not truly believable as fiction goes but the writing was above average. The dialogue, inner and outer was well done. Not the deepest novel but not a mindless read either (I feel Twiglight series to be in the "mindless read" genre). I found the characters commonly relatable and sympathetic. Never thought saying and believing that would sound so droll and boring. My point: it made it easier to read and find out what is happening with those two again. Even if the outcome was predictable.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel, and have given it 5 stars in my review at Amazon.com:

http://tinyurl.com/ytcsm2

For those who are not familiar with Tim Farrington, I suggest reading 'The Monk Downstairs' first because you will meet most of the major characters there.

This is a novel about relationships, changing roles and life itself. Mr Farrington has a wonderfully elegant, spare prose style that makes these novels a joy to read.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this just after I read a book ("Leaving a Trace") that was largely about the craft of writing. This caused me to really notice Farrington's writing style. His descriptions were vivid and unusual. He wrote skillfully from a variety of adult perspectives, including some moving passages from the point of view of a stroke victim. A beautiful story of grown-up love. Sequel to "The Monk Downstairs," but so well written it could probably stand on its own.

[Kristen Heitzmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite. This novel and the precursor The Monk Downstairs were two of the most beautiful, depictions of the value, the dignity, and sometimes the foolishness, but ultimately the joy of life, the struggle to comprehend the profound, and the realization that one merely needs to accept, to embrace the Divine Love that is God.

[Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read The Monk Downstairs first (it was free) and loved it so much I paid 7.99 for this one!

It was worth it! Beautiful story, characters I wish I knew in person. A northern California setting with ocean, fog, surfing, and sand. Love, family, life and death.

quotes I loved:

"Mike was often enough several hundred years, if not millennia, out of sync with the rest of the world, and he was perfectly capable of losing the stray hour here or there, like a pair of socks kicked under the bed of eternity."

"There really was no such thing as a fresh start; a second marriage was built on the ruins of the first, as the first was built on the ruins of previous boyfriends. The archeology of love only got more layered and mysterious with every new construction."

[Sheila Pritchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a sequel I liked this in terms of “what happens next” but I’d found it a bit more obviously focused on the agenda of specific spiritual points sometimes to the expense of the flow of the story. It sometimes went from natural dialogue to lyrical descriptive passages that felt quite a different style.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the sequel to The Monk Downstairs, Rebecca and Mike finally get married. Phoebe gifts the with a honeymoon to Hawaii, Rory has a surprise waiting for them and Mary Martha has made a religious decision.
All the characters, and they are characters, have returned from The Monk Downstairs. There is just the right amount of love, laughter and sadness in this near perfect little book.

[Janina K Bratina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good follow-up to The Monk Downstairs. I didn't find it to be quite as profound. I also missed Mike's periodic letters to James. The adjustments that all characters made to their chances in circumstances were well-handled. And I really liked the evolution of Phoebe to her life well-lived. I would like to see one more sequel, but if I mention why, it will be a spoiler.

[Leah De Leon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sequel to The Monk Downstairs, which I loved
I enjoyed this book as well. I was invested in the characters and truly interested in the next chapter of their lives. They will stay with me for while.

Tim Farrington has a way with words. Truly beautiful writer

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super

I did not read the first book in the series but there was no need. A lovely nuanced celebration of life, from a marriage beginning to a death ending one’s time on earth. Gentle yet profound.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in a series of three. It is even better than the first book, " The Monk Downstairs". The story is obviously unfinished at the end of the book ( I won't give anything away, but there are some unfinished stories...) and by now I have come to love all the characters. My library doesn't have book# 3, "The Lazarus Kid", so I ordered it online.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book at a library sale. Didn’t know what to expect but I enjoyed it a lot. I felt like I could really understand what the characters were going through.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the first book much better. So-so follow up. Too many uninteresting secondary characters.

[Cherylann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know what to say about this book. It was certainly not what I expected, but I loved it. Maybe it will help me slow down and enjoy my life a bit more.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent sequel

The first monk novel was such a piercing examination of conscience that Im afraid it spoiled me. This was enjoyable enough, but not as deep or wide.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very different in ways from the Monk Downstairs but equally moving. The story is both provocative and soothing - kind of like Mike himself. I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these characters!

[Yvonne Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love

[Ruth Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delight to read. Sweet, poignant. I'd like these characters to be my neighbors.

[Karen May]

Recommended by Anne-Marie

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, poignant. Little too much religion for my taste. The first book was better.

[Jim Krotzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Monk Upstairs is the sequel to The Monk Downstairs. All the main characters are back with Rebecca and Mike as the main characters. Character and the theme of religion are most important in the novel. Mike is a saint in the making, patient, tender, unfailingly kind & unselfish, but according to the world useless. Phoebe embodied courage & natural dignity; her humor & her faith touched everyone every day. Rebecca is made better by Mike, but she has mellowed and treats her ex-husband Rory better than before. She also learns to like Rory's new wife.
To Mike life is carrying the cross we’re given up the hill in front of us. All we can do is keep on going. According to Mike “All the world was the temple of the Lord, and every moment was as holy as every other.” (98) To Mike, God didn’t care a bit what material goods you’d piled up, & never had, He only cared what you’d spent or good works you had done. Rebecca wondered what it actually took to change a life, how deep one really had to go, what price one had to pay. Bob’s God was a genial mid-level managerial type. Fallible, but good people who are just trying to make their ways through this labyrinth we call life, are likeable humans.