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)

Will tug at your heartstrings

This is a really beautiful story told through the words in a letter from father to son. It may make you reflect on your own life and mortality, but it is lovely.

Meh

The voice of the narration was perfect. Exactly spot on. However, I found the story unfulfilling. There was so much build up to the great reveal, and maybe it’s a sign of the times, but it didn’t strike me the way I anticipated it would. Not a bad book by any means, but I can’t see myself recommending it strongly.

Deeply Personal

This is a beautifully written book, and the narrator's voice is so well suited to this work I forgot I wasn't sitting with John Ames listening to his story. There are countless nuggets of wisdom to be mined in this artuflly crafted memoire.

Masterful!

Would you listen to Gilead again? Why?

I have already planned on doing so. As with her previous novel, Marilynne Robinson has captured such wonderful selections of the english language to tell this story that it reguires much more than one pass. Perhaps twice for the masterful story line, twice for the characterization, and innumerable for the glorious language she chooses. I will keep it on my

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gilead?

I especially enjoyed the times that the main character described the love and appreciation he had for his son. What child wouldn't want to hear those remarks from their parent?

What does Tim Jerome bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Tim Jerome WAS the Reverend, our main character. His intonations and expert use of his voice brought this story to life. Excellent job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were so many parts I adored but I can point clearly to the telling of the trip to the graveyard and meeting the woman on the farm. It was greatly moving to me.

Any additional comments?

I will keep reading this work as I did Ms. Robinson's first work, Housekeeping. Both of them are glorious works.

it was a slow burn

Is slow burn the right phrase. Basically it was very, very, extremely difficult to get into for me but once I did, I loved it and I want to read it again. very thought provoking and beautifully written. also I listening to it on 1.4 speed seemed to be ideal.

Well written, but a little disjointed

The first part was a narration about family, the second about dealing with the quasi-antigonist. The plot device of an elderly father writing a letter to his young child before his death didn't really carry the second part very well.
In spite of that - I enjoyed the story.

Beautiful writing

A thoughtful, well written book. Some have complained about the narrator sounding too old but I thought he was perfect. The main character IS old. The story revolves around a minister who struggles with age and jealousy. He overcomes, for the most part, by focusing on his faith, love of family/friends and understanding the flaws of a lost soul.

Slow but beautiful

This book moves slowly but is beautifully written and interesting in a dull but enlightening way. I love how the main character finds good in all people and beauty in all things. To me it’s inspiring in the chaotic world we are currently living. .

I’d read it before but this was more wonderful

This book was a profound experience 15 years ago when I was only 65 but now with this reader , my God! I don’t really have the words but being an ordinary, very old man with a sometimes doubtful narrative about my life , this was soul soothing. This showed me how to think about all the events and meanings a long life in a rich narrative with superb reading. I cannot express how moved i was and how is reshaped my own iffy narrative. I’m so glad I listened this time instead of reading.

Not a kids book

I didn't enjoy this book. It's certainly not a great kids book! Audible kids should choose better.