Home

A Novel

De: Marilynne Robinson

Narrado por: Maggi-Meg Reed

Hundreds of thousands were enthralled by the luminous voice of John Ames in Gilead, Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Home is an entirely independent, deeply affecting novel that takes place concurrently in the same locale, this time in the household of Reverend Robert Boughton, Ames's closest friend.

Glory Boughton, aged thirty-eight, has returned to Gilead to care for her dying father. Soon her brother, Jack--the prodigal son of the family, gone for twenty years--comes home too, looking for refuge and trying to make peace with a past littered with tormenting trouble and pain.

Jack is one of the great characters in recent literature. A bad boy from childhood, an alcoholic who cannot hold a job, he is perpetually at odds with his surroundings and with his traditionalist father, though he remains Boughton's most beloved child. Brilliant, lovable, and wayward, Jack forges an intense bond with Glory and engages painfully with Ames, his godfather and namesake.

Home is a moving and healing book about families, family secrets, and the passing of the generations, about love and death and faith. It is Robinson's greatest work, an unforgettable embodiment of the deepest and most universal emotions.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“The gifted Maggi-Meg Reed captures the world-weary tone of the characters as life ebbs from the failing but still faithful Robert. Reed shines brightest as Glory, the daughter who comes home to care for her father. Almost as affecting is Reed's portrayal of Jack, the beat-down preacher's kid who has fallen from grace.” —AudioFile magazine, Winner of an Earphones Award

“Robinson's style is old-fashioned… Maggi-Meg Reed is perfectly amenable, retreating into the audio attic and retrieving some of the creakier techniques… In writing of clergymen and faith, Robinson's prose is near-biblical; Reed's voice conveys a similar depth of feeling and simplicity of expression.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“In the cacophony of the 21st century, listening to Marilynne Robinson's Home is a nearly peaceful oasis... Maggi-Meg Reed's narration of the story is pitch-perfect... Home is an extraordinary meditation on just what the title implies.” —Sarasota Herald-Tribune

“[Maggi-Meg Reed] did a wonderful job narrating... I enjoyed each of the 12 hours that I listened to the book.” —5 Minutes for Books

“Her character is one of the proofs of Robinson's immense literary talent, aided immeasurably by the reassuring tones of narrator Maggi-Meg Reed.” —Winston Salem Journal

“Gilead is a beautiful work--demanding, grave and lucid . . . Robinson's words have a spiritual force that's very rare in contemporary fiction.” —James Wood, The New York Times Book Review on Gilead

Wish that I had read this one

I loved Marilynne Robinson's last book, Gilead. As the mother of 3 sons and the only sister with 3 brothers, I read and reread Robinson's words in the voice of Ames, the Congregationalist minister, about the trust that parents must have before they, like Abraham, can send their sons into the wilderness. She writes beautifully, and she clearly has much theological thought and study behind her. This book, which included the same characters, shows what happens when that trust isn't enough. Jack Boughton, prodigal son of Ames' friend, Robert Boughton, comes home, bringing all his misery along with him. He seems repentant, but seems still to wallow, and perhaps even enjoy, his past transgressions. It gets rather tiresome and we lose patience with him. Robinson's beautiful theological reflections remain in this book, however, and, because I liked rereading and referring to them, I wish I had read the book instead of listening to it. Also, the reader's voice was a little too Charlton Heston for my taste. That too, got a little tedious.

Marilynne Robinson does it again

I love Marilynne Robinson writings and this is a wonderful book. I listened to Gilead a couple of years ago, and I think this one is even better. It is difficult to conceive both books separately once you have read (or listen) to them. The story is about family interactions and I am not going to spoil it for you. It is written in such wonderful prose that it takes your breath away.

The narrator of this book is good. It always takes me an hour or so to get accustomed to a new voice, so try to get over the initial hump and she becomes a convincing Glory. I did not like the characterization of Boughton the father, because his voice was a little annoying, but I suspect in real life I would have found his *real* voice annoying too.

Housekeeping was about sisterhood, Gilead is about fatherhood, Home is brotherhood. I am dying to see Marilynne Robinson talk about motherhood. I want to hear more about the stories of Della and her son Robert and Ames wife Lila and her son.

I cannot wait until Marilynne Robinson next book. I think she is one of the most gifted authors of contemporary American literature.

An Exploration in Acceptance and Kindness

This was my second exploration of the world of Gilead. Marilyn Robinson is a treasure. Her empathetic voice and style give her novels a rare realism and grace.
The opening of the book took a while to develop, but I appreciated the hints at things to be revealed in more detail later. I still think that Gillead is the better novel, but Home is a moving and intriguing addition to the world Robinson has created.
I didn’t love the voice of the Reverend Boughton, at first. But the reader did a great job capturing the nuance of the text, and I was able to distinguish the characters easily.
I wouldn’t want to live in Gilead, Iowa, but have loved reading/listening about the lives of the clergy of that town, and these books have expanded my capacity for acceptance and kindness.

Painful and Beautiful

another marvelous novel. While it stands alone, I think the book is richer if you've read "Gideon" first.

I am so moved

I write through tears. What a special story and such gorgeous writing by Marilynne Robinson. I'm especially glad I heard rather than read it. These incredible characters are now so vivid to me. Maggie-Meg Reed was outstanding, and thank you to her for sharing her vocal gifts. It was the perfect follow up to her first book in this trilogy, "Gilead, which also had a sensational narrator. I am eager to hear "Lila" now. This was/is a treat.