Reviews THE TRILOGY

"One gains the immediate impression on taking up these books that they are not some glib response to an editorial suggestion but rather something carefully meditated. Torkington writes about prayer and one feels that he writes from experience, with the authority of one who has prayed. The hermit in question is Peter Calvay, who lives off the island of Barra in the Hebrides. The narrator is in pursuit of Peter and his knowledge of prayer. When the two meet, various conversations ensue and, with Peter as our guide, we are taken on a tour from the depths of semi-Pelagianism to the heights of mystical experience, encountering some serious spiritual theology on the way. Torkington has the happy knack of marrying style and content. At no time do we think this is a prayer manual dressed up as a novel, the novelistic trappings being the honey to snare the flies. Rather, we realise that prayer isn't simply a matter of theory, but something to be lived -- and these books succeed in presenting theology as lived experience. In an age such as ours where faith and life are so dangerously divergent, this is a considerable achievement. Torkington's books may well end up on the shelf marked "Popular Theology." This is a little unjust, as these books are far from simplistic; indeed, they are a welcome antidote to modern ignorance. But St. Francis de Sales wrote "popular" works too, and if these books end up next to Introduction to the Devout Life, they will be in fitting company." --David McLaurin, winner of the "Daily Express Book of the Year Award" for his novel Bishop of San Fernando, in the Catholic Herald, Sept. 6, 1998

"David Torkington's Trilogy on Prayer immediately reminds one of that rich tradition which stretches back to the first days of the church and Origen, moves on through the Middle Ages with masters like William of Saint Thierry and reaches into our own century in such works as the masterful Three Ages of the Spiritual Life of Garage-LaGrange. Indeed 'three ages of the spiritual life' might be the best way to sum up Torkington's volumes. The first, The Hermit, gets us started on the journey, inculcating basic openness to God through humility, listening to the Scriptures and practising the other virtues. The second, The Prophet, drawing from monastic and Franciscan spirituality, moves us along from conversion and repentance to openness to the mystical life. And it is the third, The Mystic, which gives the reader a quick over-view of the teaching of St. John of the Cross with some helpful practical applications. But Torkington's three-part presentation is no ponderous tome. Rather these slim volumes -- which form a whole and are to be read in order -- delightfully use the vehicle of story so dear to the Lord himself and increasingly popular in our time. And David Torkington, an experienced lecturer and retreat master, is a good storyteller.... [This] threefold journey is a refreshing experience, enlightening and promising, and calls us to the living, for the proof of the pudding is in the eating." --M. Basil Pennington, O.C.S.O. in America, August 28, 1999

"An adventure in serious prayer life: Reading like a rambling, atmosphere-filled 19th Century English novel: A thought-and-action-for-prayer packed trilogy from English author and retreat master David Torkington (columnist for London's "The Catholic Herald"). General title: Torkington Trilogy on Prayer. Format: Story of a priest who seeks greater depth and meaning in his prayer life, leads to a modern-day hermit (lay man) spiritual director (via a reference from a devout lay woman) -- it deals with the experience of being rooted in the great spiritual traditions of the Church in a way that will enrich life in any century. Filled with journeys, island-seaside-and-urban vistas, the English language artfully employed, the grace of European gardens, British wit at its best, deft insight into parish life, and the basic "given" -- the essential human quest for intimacy with God. Readers can make the trilogy a seasonal adventure in reading. By itself, it may just bring back the written word, at least in terms of spirituality. Quick look at each volume: (1) The Hermit (A Personal Discovery); looks at the basic stages of prayer life and the quest for holiness, with the bleak and windswept Scottish islands as backdrop. 112 pages. (2) The Prophet (The Inner Meaning of Prayer); examines the truths that give foundation to the spiritual life, told via looking at how a young man became a hermit, and how people react when he disappears (themes include understanding the role of the Cross, sacrifice, and self-denial. 176 pages. (3) The Mystic (From Charismatic to Mystical Prayer); drawing on the writings and experiences of the Carmelite masters, Saints Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross; brings the marital imagery of the series into full focus with a look back to the example and pathways of the hermit's parents. Filled with insights into spiritual growth and the options for meeting God in daily prayer time. 128 pages." --Crux of the News, August 30, 1999.

 "It would be understandable if someone initially responded to this book by asking: 'A novel about a hermit living on one of the islands of the Outer Hebrides is supposed to help me to learn to pray better? Are you kidding?' On the contrary, we've never been more serious. David Torkington's book, The Hermit, has the format and flow of a short novel but the impact of a work of deep mysticism. The story itself is intriguing, and includes a genuine 'Blue-Print for Prayer' (and an explanation of how best to use it) that is powerfully practical. This little book can revolutionize the way you pray, for as the hermit says; 'You see, once you admit that prayer is merely the word we use to describe the practical way we go about allowing God's love to enter into our lives and change us, and through us others, you have to admit that prayer is the most important thing in our lives.' To get better at doing 'the most important thing' in your life, we recommend you read this book." --Larry Holley, O.S.B in Book Nook from Dove Publications, Pecos, NM, Spring 2000

Reviews INNER LIFE  

 "A popular columnist in Great Britain, David Torkington here brings his down-to-earth style to this collection of 52 meditations on the life of prayer. With an irresistible combination of common sense and clear-headed insight, Torkington offers a companionable text that will interest and benefit any 'fellow-traveler.' Like many authors, Torkington draws heavily on his own experiences (the chapters, in fact, move chronologically through his childhood, adolescence, and adulthood). Thankfully, these reminiscences are never self-serving or glib; rather, they offer honest and often amusing glimpses of a lifetime of spiritual development. And even more important, Torkington offers insights that transcend the particulars of his own story to offer encouragement -- and sometimes reproof -- to his readers. It is simply an added bonus that his writing style is so engaging. One of the reflections begins with the following sentence: 'I don't think Mr. Hogg would have been employed in the first place had his predecessor not suddenly dropped dead on the way to school.' How can one not read further? Peppered with practical advice on prayer and on the spiritual life in general, Inner Life is a book you will find yourself recalling and recommending to others far into the future." --Spiritual Book News, December 1998

"Anyone serious about prayer ought to read Inner Life. It is a compendium on prayer framed in the author's experiences from youth through adolescence to adulthood. Torkington shares with us the lessons he gleaned in his own spiritual life. Inner Life is not a theological treatise on prayer; it is a compilation of 52 pieces which appeared in the British Catholic Herald, written in a witty, popular style with some deep implications for everyday living. Torkington's views on prayer and spirituality are based on the thoughts of the Desert Fathers, Dom John Chapman, Bernard Basset, SJ, St. Augustine, Martin Buber and others. Torkington is a master of prayer, having previously written a trilogy on the subject. His engrossing style masks the depth of his practical advice and specifics about many forms of prayer from the traditional to the new. Inner Life will be particularly appreciated by busy people on the run with the 2 to 3 page chapters. It deserves a wide readership. In the Foreword, Sr. Wendy Beckett of Public TV fame, gives the best recommendation for the work: 'All this book will torpedo is our complacency, our lethargy and our reluctance to let God love us and make us loving in return. It should be mandatory reading.'" --Stanley M. Grabowski, Ph.D. in Pastoral Life, February 1999

"It's so easy to read spirituality and in the reading to deceive ourselves into thinking that we live it. This book leaves us no bolt hole for self-deception. David Torkington is concerned with the reality of love, its failures, its desires, its need to trust and let Jesus take possession. He is absolutely certain that we cannot do it, but that God can, and in communicating that certainty, so humbly and so surely, he gives us confidence to turn the floating desire for God into prayer and acts of goodness. This book should be mandatory reading." --Sister Wendy Beckett  

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Reviews A NEW BEGINNING

"The strength of the book is its sheer simplicity. The images are concrete and the resolutions of each piece are practical. There is also an overarching mystical tone which is refreshing" The Furrow Aug 99

From his column in The Catholic Herald, London, David Torkington has gathered together 52 simple story-style reflections. He became my friendly companion with his avuncular style, blending the humorous with the touching. Torkington writes many poignant reflections on prayer. He links Francis Thompson's challenging statement that every Christian is given the gift of genius - the Holy Spirit" with what St Iranaeus  meant when he said, "The greatest glory to God on earth is man fully alive." He tells us of Cardinal Hume's recommendation that we preface every description of prayer with "trying to".... When his brother died in a terrible accident he describes how his mother was all but inconsolable. But a priest friend helped her to identify with the selfless giving of Mary. The sacrifice she had to make was exactly the same sacrifice that Mary had to make on Calvary. He writes about suffering, depression, alcoholism and dozens of other topics. David has the humility to inform us about the time he was told he was a supercilious hypocrite and should keep his facile inspirations to himself. I'm glad he didn't because there is enough meat in his reflections to make them a worthwhile read. Gabrielle Reid is a piano teacher and mother of eight. New Zealand Catholic March 99

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Reviews DEAR SUSANNA 

Every book David Torkington writes is about prayer, the true deep prayer of the heart that surrenders us to the Father of Jesus. Put in another way, all his books are about holiness, but so simply expressed, so colloquial, that we understand the total love of God as the essential act of being human. His latest book, Dear Susanna, is perhaps his best, refining the gentleness of unpretentiousness to a captivating ease. Torkington speaks to us from his own weakness and failures: he does not expound, he reveals, taking us with him on our own blundering search for faith. He writes about real faith, transforming and wholly non-judgmental, clear as spring water and as refreshing. It is this very simplicity that makes him so challenging. Remember how the professionally virtuous, the Pharisees, disdained Jesus because of his accepted humanity? He ate, he drank, he associated happily with sinners. The Pharisees expected a man of God to have an abnormal and striking life-style. So, today, serious seekers for God, students of contemplation, will warm to a book with a complex title and an impressive cover. They tend to think that Torkington’s books, so easy to read, so attractive, so interesting, are therefore less serious. But their seriousness is that of Jesus himself, a matter of the inner spirit and not that of the outer casing. This book grounds itself in the condition of the contemporary church. It discusses frankly and humbly its failings and blindnesses, not to condemn but to call on us to respond with hope in a ‘Christian Renaissance’, the book’s subtitle. The young married Susanna to whom these letters were written, received a treasure, and it is one she graciously shares with us. This is a book that would delight both St Teresa and St John of the Cross. Sr. Wendy Beckett. Mount Carmel. A Review of the Spiritual Life. January 2001