The Delight of Being Ordinary: A Road Trip with the Pope and the Dalai Lama
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The Delight of Being Ordinary: A Road Trip with the Pope and the Dalai Lama Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Roland Merullo (Author), P. J. Ochlan (Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 806 ratings
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Roland Merullo's playful, eloquent, and life-affirming novel finds the Pope and the Dalai Lama teaming up for an unsanctioned road trip through the Italian countryside to rediscover the everyday joys of life that can seem, even for the two holiest men in the world, unattainable.

What happens when the Pope and the Dalai Lama decide they need an undercover vacation? During a highly publicized official visit at the Vatican, the Pope suggests an adventure so unexpected and appealing that neither man can resist. Before dawn, two of the most beloved and famous people on the planet don disguises, slip into a waiting car, and experience the countryside as regular people. Along for the ride are the Pope's overwhelmed cousin Paolo and his estranged wife, Rosa, an eccentric hairdresser with a lust for life who cannot resist the call to adventure - or the fun.

Against a landscape of good humor, exploration and spiritual delight, not to mention the sublime rolling hills of Italy, The Delight of Being Ordinary showcases the charming sensibilities of Roland Merullo (whose best-selling Breakfast with Buddha has sold over 200,000 copies) in a novel that makes us laugh as well as think about the demands of ordinary life, spiritual life, and the identities by which we all define ourselves.

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  1. Listening Length
    13 hours and 22 minutes
  2. Author
    Roland Merullo
  3. Narrator
    P. J. Ochlan
  4. Audible release date
    April 11, 2017
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B06XKPBD1D
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 13 hours and 22 minutes
Author Roland Merullo
Narrator P. J. Ochlan
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date April 11, 2017
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B06XKPBD1D
Best Sellers Rank #45,151 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#448 in Humorous Fiction & Satire
#1,446 in Humorous Fiction
#1,731 in Literary Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
806 global ratings
Im a Merullo fan.
4 Stars
Im a Merullo fan.
Roland Merullo uses road trips to explore inward spiritual trips. He explores the value of fath itself plus the similarities between various faith traditions, especially Catholicism and Buddhism. He also explores the relationship between the narrator and his wife, the role of fear, the need to be right, etc. I liked this very much. I think it's my 6th Merullo novel and I only put down one of them.
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Top reviews from the United States

sadiesadiesade
5.0 out of 5 stars great book
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2023
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this book arrived early and it's a great book
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Ima Nobody
4.0 out of 5 stars Merullo Does It Again
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2019
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It's a good read, some good philosophical discussions and a good story line, too. It's not Breakfast With Buddha (my personal favorite from the author) but it's worth your while.
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Michael Cotter
5.0 out of 5 stars Hope for our journeys...
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2017
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My review is this letter I wrote to Mr. Merullo with great appreciation and respect -
Dear Roland,
I hope it is encouraging more than a burden to hear from appreciative readers like myself.
I just finished “The Delight of Being Ordinary” another of your uniquely wise,moving and funny travel guides for the road trip we are all on. From such an imaginative,fantastic premise and so many great dialogues and scenes I have several enduring “souvenirs” for myself. ( I won't belabor the metaphor further.)
Regarding Religion-
You presented an insightful and respectful overview of the real struggles with faith from the perspectives and conversations of Pope Francis (“Who am I to judge?” how pontifically progressive and humane )Dalai Lama/Paolo and Rosa. Beyond the tenets and rituals the fundamental of any of the many expressions of religion should be “loving kindness” for self/all others/our planet. In my last email to you I referred to myself and wife Cyndy as “recovering, roaming Catholics” now embracing and promoting humanism. After years of devotion and thought it finally occurred to me the essential and obvious relationship is in the words- “god = good”; “devil = of evil”. Generally what is good or evil for people and our planet becomes clear with experience and reason.
Relationships
Someone once asked,”Do you want to be right or do you want to be loved?” It was so touching and helpful to portray Rosa and Paola's reunion...two strong, independent,individuals able to embrace their commonalities , bridge their differences and disagreements to live and love together.
Regarding Paolo's anxiety ,another mantra= “most of the things we worry so much about, never happen.” So breathe deep, relax and enjoy the ride.

Of Fascism and Fear
Your portrayal of Mussolini is so timely as you remind us to understand and remember the not so distant past so as not to repeat its tragedies. Hatred is a disease,usually born of pain and fear, leading to “demonizing/dehumanizing” and persecuting the “other”. This inhumanity is manifest lately in many forms- from walls to travel bans, a rise of “white power” etc. While we must refute hatred ,we must find ways to counter it with respect,non-violence and loving kindness. (Chanting “go home Nazi scum” or toppling Confederate statues may vent the spleen,but we must articulate what we have learned,and can/must agree upon ...)

Surely everyone looks forward with hope to the next developments with Otto ,Rinpoche,Cecilia,Shelsa,and Tommaso, a delightful surprise planted in this tale.
I have such respect for your writing, your way to understand and help/ heal our wonderful, weird, ailing and hopefully resilient world. I'll continue to spread the word about your books.
16 people found this helpful
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Kit Marlowe
5.0 out of 5 stars A Delight and Hardly Ordinary
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2017
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Here is classic Merullo. Master of the road-trip narrative, he has reached new heights here by employing The Pope and the Dalai Lama as two of his main characters, men of tremendous wisdom and intellectual power thrust into the daily life of Italy. This exposes not only their goodness but their innocence, in ways that are often hilarious. Merullo thickens the plot with the story of estranged spouses, (one of whom keeps persistently reminding me of Sophia Loren) and a haunting sense of history.
The Delight of Being Ordinary is essentially comic, but like all of Merullo’s writing the seeming lightness has a philosophical base that is, if unobtrusive, deeply felt and deftly handled. He sees in various religions a certain stubbornness that inhibits cooperation and leads to ugliness. He believes that the world is improvable. Atheists like me might remain unconvinced of the validity of the story’s aspirations, but there is never any doubt about the authenticity of character and of thought, and the honesty of the writer.
And there are real surprises. Roland Merullo can spin a tale and make it twist as well as any writer around, and he can do this without losing his reader’s respect. Surprises a firmly grounded in the plot and yet stunningly unexpected.
Fans of his very successful Buddha series will find themselves very much at home in this new venture.
This is a road trip, and as such demands that the writer know the territory –Italy in this case—and, for depth, know the past of that territory. Here this novel seems to be the result of a great deal of research and personal experience. Anyone interested in Italy, its current wonders and its somewhat less than wonderful past will enjoy this novel it only as a travelogue.
Merullo is no cynic; he is really no ironist either. I guess that’s what keeps his fine writing off the pages of some sophisticated reviewers. But he is a great story teller, a brilliant creator of character, and his books always return at least double the reader’s investment in the currencies of pure enjoyment and moral stimulation.
20 people found this helpful
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Terese
5.0 out of 5 stars Practice kindness everyday
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2019
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I expected nothing but a great reading experience and that is what I received! Roland Merullo is a gifted writer and storyteller. He infuses wisdom and insight into his text with each twist of the story. I would describe this as a feel good read, as I chose this while recovering from knee surgery. It made me smile often, reminded me to continue to be grateful, to be happy for each breath. I love his characters and would love to run into them at some out of the way diner or trattoria. Read his Buddah series first, because he builds a depth in each character. And this novel focused on the Italian countryside. Now for sure I want to visit !
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Philip N. Gross
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun
Reviewed in Canada on June 26, 2017
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Great surprise ending. Can't wait for the sequel......
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Mary M. Tavis
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 10, 2017
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Ezcellent
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Tracey
4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
Reviewed in Australia on January 2, 2019
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A lovely story bringing the heads of two religions together on an “ordinary journey”, with Mussolini thrown in for good measure!
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Sherri P.
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in Canada on August 28, 2018
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Good read
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