Gilead (Oprah's Book Club)

By: Marilynne Robinson

Narrated by: Tim Jerome

Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize, Fiction, 2005

National Book Critics Circle Award, Fiction, 2005

In 1956, toward the end of Reverend John Ames's life, he begins a letter to his young son, an account of himself and his forebears. Ames is the son of an Iowan preacher and the grandson of a minister who, as a young man in Maine, saw a vision of Christ bound in chains and came west to Kansas to fight for abolition: He "preached men into the Civil War", then, at age 50, became a chaplain in the Union Army, losing his right eye in battle. Reverend Ames writes to his son about the tension between his father, an ardent pacifist, and his grandfather, whose pistol and bloody shirts, concealed in an army blanket, may be relics from the fight between the abolitionists and those settlers who wanted to vote Kansas into the union as a slave state. And he tells a story of the sacred bonds between fathers and sons, which are tested in his tender and strained relationship with his namesake, John Ames Boughton, his best friend's wayward son.

This is also the tale of another remarkable vision, not a corporeal vision of God but the vision of life as a wondrously strange creation. It tells how wisdom was forged in Ames's soul during his solitary life, and how history lives through generations, pervasively present even when betrayed and forgotten.

Gilead is the long-hoped-for second novel by one of our finest writers, a hymn of praise and lamentation to the God-haunted existence that Reverend Ames loves passionately, and from which he will soon part.

©2004 Marilynne Robinson (P)2005 BBC Audiobooks America, Published by Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

" Gilead is a beautiful work: demanding, grave, and lucid...Robinson's words have a spiritual force that's very rare in contemporary fiction." ( The New York Times Book Review)
"The long wait has been worth it....Robinson's prose is beautiful, shimmering, and precise....Destined to become her second classic." ( Publishers Weekly)
"[ Gilead] is so serenely beautiful, and written in a prose so gravely measured and thoughtful, that one feels touched with grace just to read it." ( The Washington Post Book World)

paints a picture with words

Marilyn Robinson is wonderful wordsmith, the landscapes and emotions truly come alive within the pages of this book. if her mission was to highlight the humanity of Calvinists I would say, mission accomplished.

The wonder of retrospect

I feel that I listened to this book two and one half times due to the many rewinds I made in order to hear again the poetic charm of Robinson's use of our marvelous language. Emotions, concerns and recollections are expressed in a manner that I could feel as my own. Perhaps this is in part due to the wonderful narrator whose voice seemed to be perfect for a story cited on the plains of Iowa and Kansas. His voice had a rawness, a lonliness, a solid mid-american character that brought the words alive. I believe that I shall listen to this book again. It felt that good.

Good but. .

Great story and narration but the folksy parochial religion left me feeling a little empty.

I like a finished work.

I like a book that has an ending. One that lets me know what happens to the characters That I have spent the entirety of the book acquainting myself with. This one left me wondering. Not my style without happy ending. Good twist though.

Strange but endearing

This was a strange book, but I enjoyed listening to it. The main character is a preacher, and if you don’t like quotes of scriptures and stories about sermons, better pass on this one. But many times it made me laugh out loud, so for me it was worth the read!

Listen more than once

The second time I listen to this book was even more magical than the first time. A fine story at the sentence level all the way up to the serious and human endeavors. Savor this book.

Definitely not for children

I had a hard time getting invested in this book but am so glad I hung in there. The story of a conscientious minister in his late 70s with a heart condition writing down thoughts for his young son to read later. His search for insight, meaning and the resolution of a painful relationship are very touching.

A good book for every pastor to read

I was assigned this book back in seminary, some 12 years ago. I loved it then. I love it now as I reread it. Robinson captures so much of the kind heart, the anguishing heart, of the pastorate. She also writes beautifully of a father‘s love for a son.

Life as it is; Life as at times, I wish it wasn’t

As an observer, I think I see many people I know in the story’s characters. I’m wondering, will having listened to this story help me to better understand others. Will it help me to better understand myself?

Great Insight into the Human Condition

Marilynne Robinson is a gift to readers. Like Steinbeck she understands what drives people. I believe her book Housekeeping is more accessible then this book but with a little effort and patience you will find great insight here.