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I purchased this book as part of my research for a novel set in a medieval priory. I was already familiar with the work and had used information I gleaned from it for my project. Having borrowed a copy from the local library, I decided it was a work I wished to include in my own library. I was surprised to find a copy priced so inexpensively. When it arrived I was amazed at the excellent condition. I am well pleased.

This book is a terrific resource for learning the details and routines of day-to-day monastic life in the Middle Ages. It goes into as much depth as would be expected in a 250-page book, and Kerr livens the presentation with revealing personal detail drawn from chronicles and records of the time. There is a useful glossary and, for anyone interested in going further, a robust bibliography and notes section. Well done.

There are many medieval cloisters in Europe and most of the time it's hard to imagine what life was like in these beautiful settings. This book really brought the texture and sounds of that world to life for me. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in medieval research.

Good as for "used"

This book was advertised in the History Book Club's brochure, but I was unable to find additional reviews or a description of the target audience before spending money on it. There was one copy available through the consortium used by my public library, which includes most large and public libraries in NJ, and I was able to borrow that copy to read (thank you, Drew University).

I expected a general history with some analysis, and while the book is simple enough for a lay audience and also a quick read, it's written in the style of a term paper or extended Wikipedia article. The text is primarily strung together from anecdotes attributed to or about various historical figures, and some anecdotes are mentioned two or even three times when the story concerns different topics. Each chapter begins and ends with a summary, with subchapters of a page or two given separate headings and sometimes quotes. The quotes are frequently restated as a prominent part of the limited discussion which follows. Many anecdotes have no conclusions, leading the reader to wonder what happened to the participants. It would have been gratifying to at least be told why the outcomes are not included, even if because they are unknown. There is no discussion of how people who were forced to live in a monastic community for some reason affected the other inhabitants. There are, however, lengthy descriptions of the lack of cleanliness, which apparently resulted at times from rules against bathing or cleaning, which were viewed as a means to vanity. That part is really gross - thank goodness smells are not yet available to accompany print.

Both miracles and visitations (by the devil, saints, or deceased) are treated as though factual, which might be just a style of writing (and the reader trusted to understand that the author is describing the participants' viewpoints) or might indicate this was written for an audience which accepts the reality of such events.

The book includes a very helpful glossary. Illustrations are limited to a few b&w medieval renderings of the cloistered life. There are no maps or diagrams of monastery layouts, which would have been welcome. All-in-all, I'm glad to read have read this, but it could have been much more than it is.

I live in Burgundy so you cannot go far without tripping over something monastic. Not least the vineyards, some the finest wine in the world an inheritance of the great religious houses. How can you not write a fascinating book on medieval monastic life? Read this and you'll find out!

Dr Kerr seems to have noted down almost everything she knows (mainly British peppered with some information from other countries) and lumped it together under seven general headings. It is just a collection of research notes (eleventh to sixteenth centuries) and jumps about aimlessly. Dr Kerr may say it was her intention to deal with the micro (life inside a monastery) but that only makes sense if you explain the macro (how they functioned in the society). Of course life was hard for monks - cold, poor food, quack medicine etc - but what was it like for people outside? Monks made major advances in medicine, agriculture and technology (such as water power) which is not mentioned.

Many houses were wealthy, how did they acquire and manage that wealth? I did not learn about much monastic finance from this. It said next to nothing on the 'management' of a monastery, how was the Abbot appointed? And what of the relationship with the Catholic Church? She almost gets there - page 127 described the visitation (inspection) process but it is cursory. They were very sophisticated - complex - international organisations with wide political impact. Where did power flow from and to? How many monks became Pope Dr Kerr? So much is missing from this book although there is endless repetition - about lack of sleep for example. We are told that people joined a monastery freely but were subject to severe punishment if they deserted (page 146) - what was their legal status? There was considerable physical punishment - who did the beating etc?

Maybe I opted for the wrong book. She has now co-authored a work on the Cistercians. They "were by no means isolated from society but influenced, and were influenced by, the world around them; they moved with the times..... architecture, administration, daily life, spirituality, the economy and the monks' ties with the world." That's what it says on the Amazon page and I expected here. Always a risk, I bought this book online. On a library shelf I would have immediately seen the limitations.

I look for three things in a book, industry (that the author has worked hard), imagination (to engage the reader) and intellect (to organise information, it is often more about what is left out than included). Dr Kerr is industrious. There is a huge story to tell, but for those that are curious look elsewhere.