Product Description

A lighthearted parable of the human search for happiness is reminiscent of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and follows the journey of individuals who follow long paths to see a holy man who profoundly affects their lives. Reprint. K. AB. PW.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44262 in Books
• Published on: 1996-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Amazon.com Review
The Holy Man is a delightful pilgrim's tale set in the modern world. Written with wit and verve, it tells the story of a gentle-natured disciple who, in the space of a week, moves from fear and doubt to joyful enlightenment. Anna's teacher is Joe, a wise and patient sage who sees in her the acolyte he has long been seeking. As their relationship grows, she begins to assume his mantle, while he sees her become ever more sure-footed. Watching this relationship unfold is wonderful, and Susan Trott shows uncanny insight into the nature of friendship as well as the interplay between pupil and teacher.

But this novel isn't solely about Anna's progression towards enlightenment, since she doesn't come alone to the holy man's door--she is accompanied by her skeptical husband, Errol, and their two children. They, too, have spiritual journeys to make, and in so doing enrich and instruct both Anna and her mentor. The Holy Man is a charming read and an uplifting one that never veers into the sentimental or trite. --Lucas LoBlack, Amazon.co.uk

From Publishers Weekly
Trott, who has won a wide readership with her individualistic, witty novels (Divorcing Daddy), may touch some readers with this charming and quirky, if sometimes woolly, fable about a 72-year-old holy man named Joe and the pilgrims to whom he dispenses advice. Joe, who likes to allude to Jesus and Buddha, is very human and fallible, clandestinely taking pills for his heart ailment. Most visitors are rushed through his mountain hermitage in 20 seconds; he rarely talks to them but many seem to benefit anyway, letting go of egotism, envy, arrogance and other spiritual ills. Joe's wisdom too often seems lifted from fortune cookies ("Your life, stripped to its essence, is pure gold"). He glibly recycles Eastern ideas, as when he tells a grieving widower that his wife "was never yours. Nothing that you have is yours," and he occasionally slips into New Age psychobabble ("Einstein completely abandoned his ego.... Then he was free to think, free to release his intuitive power"). But his basic message?tolerance, overcoming greed and ignorance, recognizing the inherent holiness of people and nature?shines through Trott's prose. BOMC and QPB selection.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Trott, the author of eight novels (e.g., Sightings, LJ 6/15/87), changes gears with this work, which is best described as a deceptively simple Buddhist parable. The eponymous holy man is Joe, a World War II veteran, who suffers the loss of his family and goes in search of answers-a quest that eventually leads him to a hermitage on top of a mountain in an unnamed country. Because of his goodness and wisdom, Joe is sought each summer by thousands of people who stand in line for days, even months, only to be given a one-minute interview. The author recounts the experiences of people waiting in the line, the transformations wrought by their interviews with Joe, and the inner problems of Joe's monks. The reader learns of a drunkard who becomes sober, an angry man who has his last tantrum, a warrior who finds peace, and a famous man who learns humility. While Trott offers up facile answers to complex problems, the simplicity of her tale and the lucidity of her writing make this novel a major contender in the inspirational self-help field.
Andrea Caron Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, Kan.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A Lyrical Pilgrimage
This book is a metaphor (in the tradition of the Canterbury Tales) for the various journeys each of us take to find wisdom. Often we feel that someone or a place will give us the results we seek in life, but eventually the realization grows on us that the answers are already programmed in ourselves. In her writing, Susan Trott takes us along for the ride as she slices into many perspectives on the road to the Holy Man. Highly recommended reading... but give yourself some thinking time in between the chapters. It will help you reconnect with your beliefs in an authentic way.

Joy to read
The Holy Man was such a pleasurable book to read. The writing style was simple, but the meaning was so deep. The Holy Man lives on a hill and people from every surrounding village, and some from even farther, come to ask his advice on every matter. There are small chapters of about 4 pages that introduce some of the pilgrims that have made their way to the Holy Man's house. The advice and words he dispenses are beautiful amd sometimes humorous.

Refreshing, like a breath of fresh air, a dip in cool waters
I loved this book. It is so simple and yet so profound. I got it because of a review I read in Unity magazine. It sounded so original. And that it was. Somehow you find yourself seeking answers... throughout the pages... but just like the people in the line you realize that you have all you need NOW in this instant. This book is like a lemon, I think you could read it over and over and squeeze out just a little more each time.