 THE ISLE OF MONTE CRISTO: FINDING THE INNER TREASURE (304 pages; ISBN-13: 978-2896462292). Novalis, 2010
A Catholic Press Association Award Winner for 2011 (Spiritual Books In Paperback).
To read a recent review of this book, click on this link: Monte Cristo
The Isle of Monte Cristo is S.T. Georgiou's third book of spiritual reflections grounded in the life and work of Robert Lax (1915-2000), poet, mystic and friend of Thomas Merton. The meditations continue to explore his understanding of the divine Presence in everyday life.
Drawing from his wide range of scholastic and creative experiences that highlight his faith journey, Georgiou imparts how life is an inner pilgrimage that ultimately leads to the treasure of the Christ, hidden in our hearts.
Georgiou's interior trek began on Patmos where St. John experienced the Revelation. There Georgiou serendipitously met Lax, the much-beloved poet and hermit, who became his mentor. In this book a circle of love completes itself. As Br. Patrick Hart, last secretary to Thomas Merton, makes evident: "Like his mentor, Georgiou is a teacher whose lesson-plan focuses on agape, the highest and purest form of love."
"The underlying theme in this new collection is agape and inwardness, and it's full of wisdom, honesty, insight, and charm, as his earlier works. Georgiou's sensitivity to the mystical depths of everyday encounters and discoveries is compelling and profound."
- The Bookshelf, Living Spirituality Network, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
"A poetic journey through the liminal landscapes of the interior life. The Isle of Monte Cristo will unlock hidden treasures within you."
- Dr. Michael Ford, presenter, "Heart & Soul," BBC World Service Programs
"The spiritual quest is never a solo journey and Georgiou is a sure companion. A great book to give to a friend."
- Sr. Renee Branigan, O.S.B., The American Monastic Review
"The Isle of Monte Cristo is an inner pilgrimage of faith, hope, and love. We awaken to the mystery of Christ dwelling in each of us. The author's conviction that 'the entire universe is a kind of spiritual school, a cosmic classroom designed to ready us for our entry into paradise' is evident throughout."
- Rosemary Ellis Robinson, Director, St. Agnes Spiritual Life Center, San Francisco
"With The Isle of Monte Cristo, Georgiou brings to a close the trilogy first begun with the The Way of the Dreamcatcher and then Mystic Street. As always, the search is for the Christ...Georgiou finds solitude in the beauty and wonder of nature as he seeks the image of God in his own being."
- Harold Isbell, In Communion, The Journal of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship of the Protection of the Mother of God
"In this book Robert Lax becomes Georgiou's 'Abbe Faria' and helps him escape his own 'Chateau d' If,' a prison of worldly and self-centered thinking. Lax gives Georgiou the map to a treasure called agape, the all-embracing love of God and the whole of creation...As with Dreamcatcher and Mystic Street, The Isle of Monte Cristo reveals what the great contemplatives knew, and what Lax has humbly expressed through Georgiou: that we must accept God's kingdom like children, otherwise we shall never get into it (Mt. 18.3). This energizing optimism can be summed up in Lax's own simple maxim: 'We'll get there.'"
- Michael Shackleton, The Southern Cross, South Africa
"Personal experiences of the author are translated as adventures in the Spirit; the life in God is meant to be exciting and fulfilling. It seems natural that the author (as a teacher) does his most sophisticated writing on the subjects of learning and education."
- Sr. Bede Luetkemeyer, OSB, Spirit and Life, the Magazine of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
"This book gathers together strands from The Way of the Dreamcatcher and Mystic Street and moves the reader up the mountain toward revelation. You can start anywhere in the trilogy and will be rewarded with insight brought via good writing. It's a journey worth taking, especially with the guidance of someone like Georgiou, who knows what's important and what isn't."
- Bill Tammeus, Kansas City Star
"Throughout the book, the author demonstrates and encourages the move to a 'place apart,' whether that is in nature or a church setting, to find the hidden treasure within…This ability and keenness to see Christ in all things will appeal to many."
- Liz Hanvey, The Merton Journal, Thomas Merton Society of Great Britain and Ireland
The Isle of Monte Cristo is published by Novalis of Toronto and is distributed in the United States through 23rd Publications/Bayard 1-877-944-5844. For bookstore orders: 1-800-321-0411, Ext. 151.
The Isle of Monte Cristo is also available through Amazon and through the author.
To read two recent The Isle of Monte Cristo author interviews, click on the following links: Holy Trinity Familian Interview [PDF - 76 KB] and Novalis Interview [PDF - 97 KB].
To download a promotional brochure for The Isle of Monte Cristo, click here [PDF - 730 KB]. | 
