This is a short novel that is eloquently written, but it's a very slow, almost abstract read. It is a deeply profound and philosophical book that tackles the big questions, such as the meaning of life, the importance of love and family, the significance of God, the impact
…more of the Christian church in our daily lives, especially through the sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Holy Eucharist, and the grief we humans suffer.
While parts of it are absolutely mesmerizing, much of it is rambling and sluggish. There are no chapter breaks; instead, it is a single, long narrative.
Translation: This isn't a book for everyone.
It's the 1950s, and the Rev. John Ames is dying. He 76 years old with a wife in her early 40s and a seven-year-old son. John is the minister at the congregational church in the fictional town of Gilead, Iowa. The book is a letter he is writing to his young son. In addition to stories about his life, he offers life lessons—those things he would have shared with and taught the boy had John lived to see his son become an adult. He also explains to him what John calls his son's "begats"; that is, the family history, which goes back 100 years to John's rather eccentric grandfather, who served as a chaplain for the Union forces in the Civil War.
While this highly original book by Marilynne Robinson feels like a prayer in parts, it is just as much the theological inquiry of a man who spent his life in the Lord's service as he considers and deeply probes what it all means.
This is an intelligent and accomplished literary achievement. Read it because it is a masterpiece, but don't expect a compelling, page-turner of a story. (less)