Gilead: A Novel | Marilynne Robinson

Gilead: A Novel | Marilynne Robinson | A Book for Reflection

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Gilead: A Novel

	Gilead: A Novel Marilynne Robinson, 2004 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 291 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

2005 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Fiction 2004 National Book Critics Circle Winner 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 fifty, 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.

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An enjoyable read

The critics hailed Marilynne Robinson's second novel, Gilead, when it was released in 2004. However, everyone I talked with about the book confessed that it was a total snoozefest. The novel came up in conversation with a new friend recently who was sure I would enjoy this character-driven novel.

I had a little trouble getting into the story as it is a letter from the 76/77-year-old John Ames to his six/seven-year-old son. I think the problem results because the letter does not begin with "Dear..." The son's name is never given, which I found irritating. Why keep it a secret? The novel starts by stating "you" and that always makes me squirm. I felt as if Reverend Ames was addressing me, and I hate that in a novel.

The letter that John writes flows smoothly, relating stories about his grandfather and father, and the child's much younger mother. The stories are peppered with family history and John's best friend and colleague Don Boughton. Like Ames, Old Boughton is nearing the end of his life but seems to be in much worse shape.

Boughton's son Jack, has returned to Gilead. To Ames, he is a godson and a potential threat to become his wife's new lover after Ames dies. Jack, however, has other problems he is trying to resolve, the nature of which is quite surprising.

It may seem that the letter rambles a bit, but it is carefully constructed. Gilead is reminiscent of William Faulkner's Absalom! Abaslom! in that the same story may be told repeatedly, but with each telling, a new information is gleaned. I got a bogged down on Ames' interpretation of the Fifth Commandment. Ames descends from a long line of preachers so his comments and thoughts are not unexpected.

One thing I did find surprising and am hopeful that Robinson will give us in the future is the text to the thousands of sermons Ames has written and are now stored in the attic. I find myself wishing I could take a peek in the boxes.

Gilead isn't for everyone, but I enjoyed the read.

Armchair Interviews agrees.

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A Book for Reflection

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson is a novel for reflection. It is not just one of those books that can be read on a whim but must be read in a quiet place, where there are no distractions. I give Gilead, though it was a good book a 4 because it took a little while to get into it.
Once I was in the story I was hooked and actually finished the book within three hours. Recently I have been reading my "teen" novels just for something to read and I have come to the realization that I have outgrown them. They bore me, their problems and ideas are trivial unlike Gilead's, which are real, lifelike and not superficial.
The story is told through a series of letters by narrator Reverend John Ames to his son. He recants about visiting the gravesite of his grandfather and how much he learned about his father while doing so. They are a soft family, kind, resourceful, and always positive. Though Reverend Ames is dying of a failing heart and has lived a hard life he continues to persevere and write in order to guide his son through life. Reverend Ames's first born, a daughter, died when she was a baby and now John Ames who is 76 will die before his sees his 6 year old son grow older.
Gilead, to me is a story about finding yourself through the words of John Ames. It helps a person reflect on their own life and pushes the reader to think about his or her decisions in life. Gilead is inspirational and should be loved until the end of time because Reverend John Ames could be the person living next door. You never know.

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Same pace and tone throughout the book creates a low-key read

The entire book, from beginning to end, starts at the same pace along with being kept on the same note. It never intensifies, things never get tense, and it continues at a slow pace throughout. This made the read very dull. There was never a time where I got "hooked" because the book never developed anything.

The thing that did save the book for me was that the main character was a well-rounded one. He had emotions that ranged from all over the spectrum and constantly showed the internal conflicts he had with his religion and philosophy. This made the main character extremely interesting along with the plot of never being able to see his child grow up because of his age.

The other characters, are, well... not there. He talks about them but there isn't any substance in his relationship with them. I expected to see the main character to be further fleshed out by defining the relationships he has. Reading the summary about the abolitionists and pacifism aspects of his father and grandfather made it seem like there was going to be a dynamic relationship between the 3 generations. Instead, it is more of a regurgitation with not enough interaction to really speculate or apply anything.

All in all, a slow-paced, low key read that will raise some questions with the tension in a preacher's life between his religious beliefs and actions in the world. Odd Pulitzer Prize selection in my opinion.

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