Lying Awake

By: Mark Salzman

Narrated by: Linda Stephens

Mark Salzman received critical acclaim for Iron & Silk, his personal account of two years spent in China. In Lying Awake, he creates a fascinating spiritual landscape that lies behind the walls of a monastery. Audiences around the world praise the beauty and originality of this novel.

Sister John has devoted her life to serving God. For almost 30 years she has lived in a Carmelite monastery near Los Angeles. There, she experiences religious visions of such intensity that she is revered by the other nuns. But these visions also bring on excruciating headaches. When she is offered an operation that may stop the pain, she realizes that it may also stop the visions. Now Sister John wonders how this change will affect her faith.

Lying Awake is an eloquent examination of religious experience that transcends the boundaries of church and doctrine. Narrator Linda Stephens perfectly conveys Sister John's thoughts, feelings, and visions.

©2000 Mark Salzman (P)2001 Recorded Books

Interesting listen for sure

I got a lot more out of this when I listen to it the second time around.

Beautiful book

Truly steeped in Carmelite spirituality with an interesting, relatable human story. Excellent descriptions of physical surroundings and emotional experiences. Highly recommend this book.

Liked it

I'm not sure why I liked this book so much. Maybe Hildegard von Bingen, if she'd lived in modern times. My aunt was a nun, and I was very fond of her. From what I knew of her community, it was much as portrayed here. Always things to deal with in life, but different things in a monastic community.

Excellent audio of a fabulous book

I hesitated listening to this complex story of the lines between religious experience, faith, and physical experiences. it has been a favorite book for over a decade and I feared the audio treatment would diminish the experience of depth available with the written book.
It is different, but still worth listening to in this format if you are interested. I'd suggest both reading and listening, then explore what you fell is different about each version. An excellent book either way.

Still need to process

I finished this little book at one sitting. Yet, there is something to it. It tells the story of Sister John of the Cross who learns that her ecstatic visions may be seizures that endanger her health. She has to decide whether her life is a life of faith or a life of closeness to God through these ecstasies. It raises interesting questions about the meaning of the life of faith.