A Book of Silence: Amazon.co.uk: Sara Maitland: Books

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'A Book of Silence grapples with ideas at the very heart of what it is to be human' -- The Times

'Her artful book ... demands to be taken on its own terms' --Independent

Review

'Unique in its subject, and timely, because good, healing silence is becoming hard to find'

'A brave, honest, fascinating book'

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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews

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4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
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Average Customer Review

3.9 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)

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108 of 110 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book about silences, 15 Dec 2008

By	Dr. L. Murgatroyd (London, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a riveting and quirky book, beautifully written, entertaining and profound. Impossible to classify, it is part travelogue, part witty and devastatingly open autobiography, part review of the experiences of silence of people as diverse as early Christian desert hermits, 20th century yachtspeople and Buddhists.
Mid-life, Maitland chose to place silence at the centre of her life and she explores what this might mean for her in late 20th Century Britain. She addresses challenging issues, such as the fear of what might happen in silence, and practical issues such as earning her keep.
To my mind, she doesn't always get it quite right - her fascinating discussion of voice hearing that sometimes happens in silence does not distinguish between hearing 'inner voices' of guidance and 'outer voices' made by the wind , for example. Her description of silent Quaker worship doesn't quite grasp that this is a listening silence, in which the worshippers' active 'listening towards God' is more important than any spoken word. But these are small points in a huge work, and I would thoroughly recommend this book as a good read for practitioners of silence and others alike.
Maitland articulates beautifully much that is not spoken of in our society , including the importance for everyone of having enough silence in our lives. The book is is not an invitation to silence as such, but offers insights and many possible paths for readers to follow. I can think of several very different people for whom it would be a great present!

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41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book of Silence, 6 Jan 2009

By	AF, Edinburgh - See all my reviews

This was an utterly absorbing book. Thought-provoking and unique, I would recommend this to everyone. I picked it up in the bookshop by chance - I had never heard of Sara Maitland, but found her writing style entrancing. The ways in which she explored silence; in history, religion, literature and especially within her own life, were fascinating.

This book has charm. Give it a try.

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90 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Satisfying Non Fiction Book I've Read For Years, 12 Nov 2008

By	M. C. Wherly (New Brighton, Merseyside United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is beyond classification. It's a spiritual text, an autobiography, a survey of particular branches of science, cosmology and history, a travel yarn, a series of closely-observed, beautifully-executed descriptions of the natural world. It's also in parts wonderfully funny. To my mind, Ms Maitland has outdone the achievement of the Annie Dillard of 'Pilgrim At Tinker's Creek' - high praise from me, for that is my all-time favourite book.
Thoughout the book deals with challenging material, but I - who often get too lost to be found in many books I pick up - was amazed by my own clarity throughout. This I owe to the author's limpid style and the fact that every page is packed with important and beautiful things.
Any criticism? I wanted more. Much more. But the rest was Silence.

Michael Wherly

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars persevering
The subject is fascinating but the author's approach is at best painstaking, at worst patronising and tedious. Read more

Published 1 day ago by Hywel Dda

2.0 out of 5 stars An opportunity missed
It seems a shame that a subject so full of potential and nuance as silence, has really gone begging in this work. Read more

Published 11 days ago by M. Walker

2.0 out of 5 stars Hot and Cold
Middle aged author, now free from familial responsibilities, fancies a change of lifestyle. She's looking for rather more than "peace-and-quiet" and ends up, at the end of the... Read more

Published 21 days ago by Andy

1.0 out of 5 stars Review of Silence
Writes about her own experience of silence and reviews other literature. Most of it could have been written in one sentence.

Published 1 month ago by W. Keeves

4.0 out of 5 stars Finding boundaries
There are many reviews already on this book and perhaps not much more to add. Her study on silence resonated with me and some of my experiences but what was helpful to learn was,... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Ms. C. A. Deans

5.0 out of 5 stars Many words about silence - almost an oxymoron
This is a wonderful and thought provoking book. Maitland explores silence both from her personal experience, and from the garnered writings, sayings and teachings of others who... Read more

Published 1 month ago by titaniamoth

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking
I must confess (if there is any 'confessing' about it) that I have always been a rather silent person myself. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Didier

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderous
I really loved this book and gained a lot from it.
I found it easy to read, engaging and thought provoking. Read more

Published 2 months ago by H. Fisher

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and questionning
I really enjoyed this book. I heard Sara speak at the 'Words by the Water' literature festival in Keswick and was eager to read the book to follow more of her experiences. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Tim Pickles

1.0 out of 5 stars VERY DISAPPOINTING
I was so disappointed with this book which started promisingly but ended up being absolutely tedious, egotistical and self-serving. Read more

Published 3 months ago by idiot proof idiot

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