Gilead

What Our Readers Are Saying

Share your thoughts on this title!

Average customer rating 5.0 (33 comments)

---

`

Before I read her new book in this series I wanted to re-read Gilead, the first book. I'm not sure what impresses me more -- that a middle-aged woman can voice so well the thoughts of an aging man, that she understands and explains so well issues of faith without having a seminary education, or just that she has such a remarkable gift for telling compelling, believable stories about people in a small town. Marilynne Robinson is truly a remarkable writer and Gilead is a treat to be savored.

`

There are very few novel that take as their subject religion/spirituality and can appeal to both believer and non-believer. Robinson's graceful, poignant and nuanced book is one of the rare that does so and does so beautifully.

`

You read this novel for how it has you experience the time of the mind, the time of family, the time of the memory one leaves with others, the time of lived history. The plot isn't worth relating because it's about the sentences that travel through emotion, through certainty and into doubt, from endorsement to estrangement, all between the space of periods. Rooted in Iowa, in a town that may slowly fade into a history that only a few will remember, and in a time in US history that some see as a Golden Age and some as an age of delusion. Just excellent. One of the few recent novels to earn that Pulitzer that actually deserved it.

`

A story that can be both gentle and disturbing. When you finish reading, the book must closed quietly, so as not to disturb an old man's life.

`

A truly spiritual book, and in the pure sense, not in the cheap, distorted marketing/publishing sense. This was the first book I read in 2011 (and its sequel, Home, the second) and it's strange that I should pick them up in January, because by February, all hell broke loose in my life, and how much worse it would have been without the thought this book provoked and the subsequent insight provided.

`

A truly amazing book. Rooted in the harsh bedrock of early Midwestern settlements, illuminated by compassion and deep insight, Marilyn Robinson lets us share the heart of an aging preacher, who has stayed to serve his tiny community when those he'd thought to emulate have abandoned, not only their roots but their own beliefs. As he comes to terms with modernity, in the person of the ne'er-do-well son of his friend and fellow pastor, he learns that things are far from being what they seem- and we learn what it is to HONESTLY examine a heart and a conscience, resisting the temptation to believe what seems obvious or easy. With all of that , it's still a readable, engaging story. The portrait of his wife, a much younger, uneducated woman, and the quality of her love and understanding will stay with me forever.

`

A few years ago, I bought a used copy of Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead because it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005 and I aim to read most ��" if not all ��" Pulitzer Prize Fiction winners through the ages. However, I was in no hurry to read Gilead based on its synopsis. The combination of a seventy-something protagonist, an obscure town setting, and a religious theme just didn’t sound like the page-turning story that I confess I’m always looking to read. Eventually, I had the good sense (or dumb luck) to pack Gilead alongside several other books for a solo vacation a couple of years ago. I love when my negative assumptions are completely upended, and the object of my assumption is revealed in beautiful truth. That’s exactly what happened with Gilead. What I thought would be a boring novel turned out to be a profoundly transforming one. The story is narrated by minister John Ames, who is seventy-six and dying. As a gift to his seven year-old son, John shares his meditations on life, love, family, friendship and forgiveness. He describes three generations of Ames men, the misunderstandings between them, their love. Whether John is pondering a moment or a lifetime, he is never far from its spiritual significance. Those soulful musings ��" rather than coming off as preachy or unwelcome or scriptural ��" are delivered gently, simply. The prose is spare yet arresting and beautiful. Gilead is an experience…and yes, a spiritual one I am grateful for.

`

A beautifully written, quiet book about faith, family, friends & forgiveness. Gilead goes beyond religion to speak of the simple things that give life meaning. And although John Ames seems to have found the spiritual answers to a peaceful, happy life, even he has issues to work through. It gives the rest of us hope. A pure joy.

`

A book I sit down and re-read every year. It's built around moving reflections on life, religion, and forgiveness in dying pastor's letter to his young son. It's a slow read you should enjoy for its beauty and language rather than a plot driven novel.

`

Deservedly won the Pulitzer Prize. One of the best novels I've read in a long time. The prose was breath-taking and the story moving beyond words. The old preacher, John Ames, who is close to death and wants to leave an account of himself and his life to his young son is heartbreaking yet beautiful. There are so many scenes and images in this novel that are achingly lovely. There is also much American history, of which I knew little, that was fascinating, such as the struggle for a free state in Kansas. There were many layers to this deceptively simple novel. The themes that stood out were those of generational conflict between fathers and sons; pre-destination vs. free-will; tolerance; and forgiveness. I'm not a religious person and usually don't like novels having to do with religion, but Robinson's gorgeous writing and heartfelt characters made me wish that the novel would not end. I hope to continue reading about these characters in her next novel, Home.

`

This book, more than any other I have read in a long time, had prose that moved me to tears and filled my heart with joy.

`

What a wise and wonderful book by Marilynne Robinson. In creating the written legacy of an old man who never expected to be a father, and another man's son who relies on him, Robinson has opened a window onto the human heart that shows how love and forgiveness can make a life worth living. Going back two generations from the narrator to wicked stories of bloody Kansas to the mid-20th century, GILEAD also shows how the sins of the fathers do not have to dictate the fate of the sons, although the sons are free to make their own mistakes.

`

Gorgeous and thoughtful prose investigates parent-child, family, friendship, faith, prejudice, redemption and love without preaching and with encompassing wisdom.

`

My choice for the best book of the decade: This is a very quiet, intensely beautiful story of a minister in the small town of Gilead, Iowa. The story is of a quite ordinary life in many ways. It is written in a series of letters from the minister to his young son, reflections about his life and the things he wants his son to know. This basic premise, however, is written in powerful and lovely prose. It is so packed full of imagery and clear thought, that I felt as if I was being led through a series of prayers or meditations on different aspects of human relationships with God, the world, and with the people in our lives, a prayer walk of sorts.

`

I had despaired of reading another book from her after all the years that went by after Housekeeping. I was leery when Gilead appeared. Would I be disappointed? It surpassed all my expectations. The generosity, perspicuity, and gentle wit of the author showed a mind matured and writing ability mastered. I love the book.

`

The best compliment I can give a book is to recommend it to everyone I know, and that's exactly what I've done with Gilead. When a friend of mine said she thought "all modern fiction is trash," I said she needed to read Gilead. She loved it. I shared it with my mother, who promptly bought copies for several other people. I lent it to my mother-in-law, who was so moved she wrote an essay about the book. I have not read another book in the past decade that has had such an impact on so many people. Read it.

`

I adored Gilead. It was a quiet, complex book with characters who were all striving to do the right thing and yet were often unable to connect with each other. The book is backdropped by a fascinating historical time period. Highly recommended.

`

Gilead is quiet, calm, and slow moving, and yet I was entranced by the memories and spiritual musings of its narrator. You must read it to understand its appeal.

`

Gilead is the most beautifully written, lyrical and thought-provoking book I've read this decade. This first novel of Marilynne Robinson absolutely deserves the 2010 Puddy Award!

`

This book was so beautiful and so meditative... it forced me to slow down to savor and appreciate every last word. It is a beautiful tale of faith, whether you believe in a higher being or just humanity here and now.

`

This is a story that will stay with you. It is simple, yet incredibly powerful. The love that moves a father to write to his young son is admirable and enviable. Thoroughly loved this book!

`

A quiet book that fully immerses you through its beautiful language in another time. It is thoughtful and thought provoking.

`

Epistolary novels are tricky to pull off. To tell a captivating story through the letters of a character, revealing them using their own words and views, requires a great deal of skill. Marilynne Robinson waited a quarter-century after her first novel to publish her second, Gilead. The wait was worth it. The tale of an elderly 1950s minister who sets out to leave a record of his life for his seven-year-old son, we see him find a peace he never previously knew. It is the decade's most satisfying resolution in American fiction.

`

This is a truly beautiful book. Robinson has found a unique and moving way to tell the story of three generations so that the narrator's little son, the fourth generation, will know his father and his heritage. Gilead is a book worth reading again.

`

Best of the past Decade.

`

Robinson is a wonderful writer...the story is excellent and the writing is beautiful. I love this book and her next one, Housekeeping...both are not to be missed if you are a serious reader.

`

Gilead informs a swath of American history in the 19th and 20th centuries through the stories of two families, continued in the follow-up novel, HOME. Robinson creates a beautiful character and voice who tells us the story of the small town of Gilead, Iowa, with its history in the Underground Railroad, the narrator's father's attempt to contribute to the anti-slavery fight in Kansas, all while a subtle love story goes on, or rather, multiple stories. The narrator's love for his 7-year-old son, to whom he speaks, as he anticipates his death; the love he shows his young wife, who appears brashly unexpected in his old age; the love he has for his neighbor and fellow minister, another declining man of the spirit, also facing his last days; and, perhaps most importantly, the love he manifests for each day of his waning life. Twice I have listened to GILEAD on CD, and will do so again, as if listening to a long meditation, a prayer.

`

remarkable.

`

This book seems like it would be slow and plodding. But the internal workings it generates are explosive. Best book I've read in a very long time.

`

The cover of Gilead is much like the light blue open plains airyness of this story. The lines hem in the lives of mentioned characters but are also thin and porous. Thin so one small young life can can move in and out of another older. Back and forth, no one life lived close to others is ever by itself.

`

This has become one of my favorite books. It is very "meaty" but is all full of "dessert". It is the type of book your heart yearns for, because it has so much sage advice , that you pick up while reading it.

`

This book is in the form of a letter from a dying pastor to his young son is beautifully written, wonderfully painted and sculpted with words and phrases. Some of the biblical references were lost on me but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book anymore than not understanding abstract art would keep me from enjoying a painting. Like a delicious dessert to be enjoyed just for the pleasure of it.

`

My mother lent me this book, commenting that it was beautiful, but made her wish she knew more about the Bible. I sedately went through this book, as there is no way to fly through it. I can only describe it as a slow meditation in reading form, leaving you with a complete feeling of peace and satisfaction at the end. I literally put it down and just sat there smiling. And being a heathen, I'm sure some of the finer biblical points were lost on me, but the writing was so well done, it never made me feel as if they were.