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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Book is about Faith,
By
This review is from: In the Beauty of the Lillies (Hardcover)
"In the Beauty of the Lillies" begins when minister in turn of the century New Jersey loses his faith, suddenly and ominously concluding that "There is no God." Shorn of their moral compass, his family then spends generations descending into the hell of modern American materialist society. Although some family members achieve material success, they all are essentially unhappy, and never realize that this is because they have no faith in God. Updike has a fine command of history and theology to compliment his mastery of English prose. The minister's story is a deliberate antithesis to Jacobus Arminius, a theologian at the University of Geneva in the late 1500's. Arminius was studying non-Calvinist writings in order to bolster Presbyterianism. Instead, he ended up being swayed. Today, we call denominations that believe in the ecumenical nature of salvation 'arminian.' Updike's minister is a Presbyterian who studies athiest tracts to refute them and ends up instead renouncing a faith which at the time was well-known as the "frozen chosen." Updike chronicles the family's journey through four generations and ends with a strange renewal of faith. Updike, deliberately, puts aside the sarcasm and humor that he wields so well in "A Month of Sundays" and "The Coup." What remains is one of the best novels of the late 20th century, a serious work on faith and American society.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
My first Updike is a good one!!!,
This review is from: In the Beauty of the Lilies (Paperback)
This is an excellent read. Note however that the first 50 pages or so drag, as Updike plunges into the development of his characters. However the payoff arrives in the 2nd and 3rd (of 4) chapters with a moving and realistic portrayal of young people growing up in turbulent times. Yes, the 1st and 4th chapters have religious overtones, lending a certain symmetry to all that occurs in between...you may or may not buy that. And yes, the lengthy timeline detracts from the development needed to morph his characters over and into different time periods. And yes, the 4th chapter, right out of Koresh and the Branch Davidians seems a bit goofy (as I suppose it should anyway)..but what the heck..I couldn't put the book down!! Enjoy.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A sweeping and cluttered generational saga...,
By A Customer
This review is from: In the Beauty of the Lilies (Paperback)
How does the great-grandchild of a Presbyterian minister
end up a gun-toting member of the True and Actual Faith cult? The failed faith of Reverend Wilmot in turn of the century Paterson, New Jersey creates a fault in the family psyche that slips in a grand earthquake finale, complete with apocalyptic human bonfires. These inquiries into the spirit of things begin and end the novel, as Reverend Wilmot feels his calling slipping away and as his great-grandson finds a home and a faith with mountain dwelling religious society.
And who fills the pages between? A Hollywood movie star, a disabled woman in Delaware, a lonely New York homosexual, and a Colorado ore baron. The range of Updike's novel, while admirable, costs the book some necessary depth. The lists of relevant movies, streets, historical figures and world events do not effectively create a sense of place or time. Rather, they add to the sense of frenzy and disintegration that is an unfortunately accurate representation of our current world. Worth the wade.
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