In 1981 Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping won the PEN/Hemingway Award for best first novel. Well over two decades elapsed before her next novel, but clearly the wait was worthwhile because Gilead received the Pulitzer Prize in 2005.
Gilead is primarily about the Reverend John Ames. As he nears death, he reflects upon his life and writes down his thoughts and feelings in a letter to his young son.
![A small church in Iowa [Image:TRiver under CC-BY-NC-ND licence]](/openlearn/files/ole/imported/13921/iowa_catland.jpg)
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A small church in Iowa [Image:TRiver under CC-BY-NC-ND licence]
Critics have praised the ‘meditative calm’ and ‘spiritual intensity’ of this beautifully crafted book, noting that its elderly hero is a rarity in fiction: a truly good man who somehow manages to remain interesting!
Ames laments: ‘I will never see a child of mine grow up and I will never see a wife of mine grow old’. One factor contributing to his anxiety is wariness of his unreliable godson, the reprobate Jack Boughton. Ames has to come to terms with his situation – to find ‘a balm in Gilead’.
In 2009 Robinson’s third novel, Home, was the judges’ unanimous choice for the Orange Prize. She takes her readers back to Gilead to view the previous events from different perspectives.
This time the focus is on Jack (Prodigal Son? Penitent Thief? Man of Sorrows?) and his supportive sister, Glory. Both have suffered much; both seek peace.
Home can certainly be enjoyed and appreciated in its own right, although I confess that I chose to read Gilead first. I concur with the critic who described Home as ‘one of the saddest books I have ever loved’.
Join us in reading Home, and let us know your view by leaving a comment below.
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Home by Marilynne Robinson - October 2009 book of the month
Three novels in thirty years is a sedate pace for an author, particularly in the face of widespread acclaim. In October the Open2 Book Club will be reading Home, the long-awaited third novel from Marilynne Robinson.
Do join us as we explore the book. Learn more about Home with Stephanie's introduction, then join the discussion right here.
Re: Home by Marilynne Robinson - October 2009 book of the month
I read Gilead some time ago and thoroughly enjoyed it - less dense than Home perhaps but still, as you say, exquisite. Gentle, and moving. I tried Housekeeping, the first one, but couldn't take to it at all and I'm ashamed to say I didn't finish it so I'd be interested in your view.
Re: Home by Marilynne Robinson - October 2009 book of the month
When I read 'Housekeeping' the thing that struck me most was that the author had created something absolutely original, and that the 'voice' was unlike any I had ever heard before. That, in itself, intrigued me. I was also interested in the water imagery: the lake was such a powerful presence in the book.
The novel as a whole seemed to be very much about women. 'Gilead', in contrast, has a strong male voice in the narrator. I expected 'Home' to be Jack's story; but I think it is also Glory's book.
Re: Home by Marilynne Robinson - October 2009 book of the month
I agree with you that 'Home' is also Glory's book. The contrasts between Glory and Jack went beyond gender roles and differences for me. I was moved by the ending the writer gave her, and thought she was an intriguing creation.
Re: Home by Marilynne Robinson - October 2009 book of the month
I had great sympathy for both characters, and found myself genuinely wondering what the future would hold for them. Did you feel that Jack might well have a chance of happiness later? Did you feel that Glory had any prospect at all?
For readers who care primarily about plot, I suspect the writing would be too 'slow'. The style suited me, though. The characters had me engrossed and concerned.
Re: Home by Marilynne Robinson - October 2009 book of the month
Home is one of the eight books shortlisted for the prestigious International Impac Dublin Literary Award.
The winner will be declared on June 17th. The link below will take you to a site with further details: www.impacdublinaward.ie/ -
The other shortlisted books are:
The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
In Zodiac Light by Robert Edric
Settlement by Christoph Hein
The Believers by Zoë Heller
Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
God's Own County by Ross Raisin
Re: Home by Marilynne Robinson - October 2009 book of the month
'Home' is a wonderful book. The writer creates the enigma that is Jack, by giving us mostly reactions to his behaviour of others rather than any indication of his motives and feelings . All family life and its conflicts and oppositions are present here. And she writes so elegantly too.
Re: Home by Marilynne Robinson - October 2009 book of the month
Yes, I think Robinson's writing is absolutely exquisite. Have you read any of her other books? I had a blitz on her writing over the summer, taking her novels away with me!