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May 19, 2007
Balm in Gilead
I just finished Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer Prize winning novel "Gilead" this last week. The novel is a set of letters (of sorts) written from an elderly father near the end of his life to his very young son (he had his son when he was mid-60's). And I thought the book was absolutely brilliant. There is no "plot" in any traditional sense, but simply an elderly man (John Ames) - who has been a pastor of a small church in the rural midwest all his life - reflecting back on his life and on the present as his lasting testimony to his son. But you read the novel to get to know him, and his struggles and growth even at this late stage in life.
There are a lot of pitfalls for a writer taking on such a book: the possibility of being too sappy from the father-son perspective, or too preachy from his reflections on his work. And sometimes there were hints of the latter, but even these were so in line with what one expects from this man that they didn't bother me at all.
But the draw of the book, its power and interest, is in the writing. Robinson is an absolutely brilliant writer - clear, concise, and entirely convincing from start to finish. The opening paragraph is one of the best I have ever read and I was entirely taken up into this man's reflections from there. It was thoughtful without forfeiting simplicity, and I really appreciated it. If I were to ever try and write a novel (God forbid!), I fear that I would just be mimicking John Ames.
I was really sad to get to the end of the book and realize that I couldn't sit at the feet of John Ames anymore. I highly recommend it as a great literary read. Not a page-turner like Grisham or something, so don't expect that. But an immensely rich read from an obviously masterful writer.
| By j and b | 09:18 PM
Comments
Thanks, Amy - you guys are too good to us. BTW, this was J's post about Gilead - I still haven't read it but now I'm interested since he loved it so much. And sounds like you enjoyed it. Much love to you all.
Posted by: Bryonie at June 6, 2007 05:45 PM
I just finished reading this for the second time and am on my way to my book club tonight to see what everyone else thought of it (it seems tacky to rate it on a scale from 1-10, but we do that with every book, just for fun). What fun to read your blog for the first time and find out we were reading it "together" - thousands of miles and an ocean apart. In totally unrelated news, your in-laws should expect a large check from us next week - for you of course - only large because I've been so unfaithful in sending it a bit at a time!
Posted by: Amy O. at June 1, 2007 02:24 AM
Kris Lundgaard posted his thoughts on Gilead on their website. He loved it too! You should check it out!
Posted by: Sister Kari at May 30, 2007 05:39 PM
Amen. I love Marilynne Robinson and I would highly recommend one of her earlier novels, "Housekeeping" to you. It's very different than Gilead, but just calming, comforting reading for whatever inexplicable reason that her writing is like that. It's like magic.
Posted by: Haley at May 21, 2007 12:49 AM