Dearly Beloved (Rediscovered Classics) [Paperback]

Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Author), Joan Anderson (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Rediscovered Classics | Publication Date: April 1, 2003

A June wedding sets the scene for Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s bestselling novel, Dearly Beloved. The ceremony is a great moment during which the “gathered together” survey not just this couple, this occasion, but their own lives, hopes, and fears. As the family and guests follow the familiar marriage service, they are stirred to new insights—on love, on marriage, and on all the stages of development involved. For the young and eager bridesmaid and best man, marriage still lies ahead; but for the mothers of the bride and groom, and for friends and relatives, the sight of the young couple and the words of the minister evoke more troubling thoughts and deeper questions. Anne Morrow Lindbergh wisely chose the framework of a wedding as a meditation on togetherness to contrast the questions she contemplated on solitude in her bestselling classic Gift from the Sea. The novel's structure also gave her scope for her reflections—some of them autobiographical—and intuitions about the most crucial of human relationships, reflections she calls “a theme and variations.” This classic book, first published in 1962 and long out of print, illuminates the truths behind marriage, not with easy optimism, but with perception, compassion, candor, and courage.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Anne Morrow Lindbergh was born in 1906 to financier, diplomat, and U.S. Senator Dwight W. Morrow and poet and women’s education advocate Elizabeth Cutter Morrow. In the winter of 1927, Anne met the famous aviator Charles A. Lindbergh. They were soon married and Charles taught Anne how to fly. She became the first licensed woman glider pilot in the United States. Recognized as an important contributor to the aeronautical and aerospace fields, Anne was also inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. However, Anne was best known as the author of 13 books including Gift from the Sea, reflections on her travels with her husband, and personal diaries. Anne retired to Connecticut after her husband’s death in 1974, where she lived until her death in 2001.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556524900
• ISBN-13: 978-1556524905
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #184,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book, wonderful author, August 1, 2004

By 

C. L. Ferle (Midwest Reader and Writer) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dearly Beloved (Rediscovered Classics) (Paperback)

My introduction to Anne Morrow Lindbergh was through "Gift from the Sea," a life-changing classic that I treasure and give as gifts to friends every year.

"Dearly Beloved" is a meditation on marriage as well as a novel told by various characters attending a wedding. It takes place in one day, as the bride and groom and their families gather in the bride's home for the ceremony and reception. It is not sugar-coated. Here is a realistic view of the pains and pleasures of this complicated sacrament we call marriage. I couldn't put the book down and read it start to finish in one night. I sensed Lindbergh's own conflicts about her difficult marriage to her famous husband, plus her feminist philosophies glimmer throughout the stories and are remarkably ahead of their time. (This novel was written in the 1960s.) It was moving, sad, wise, inspiring, uplifting, infuriating and more -- like marriage itself -- and should be read by anyone who's newly engaged or even thinking about getting married.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Holy Matrimony, August 7, 2008

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Jayne P. Bowers "jayne bowers" (SC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dearly Beloved (Rediscovered Classics) (Paperback)

Unlike any book I've ever read, this entire novel takes place within the space of a few hours as family members and wedding guests examine their own thoughts about marriage, love, relationships, families, children, and life itself while they witness the wedding of Sally and Mark. Beginning with Deborah, the mother of the bride, and ending with her father Theodore, all of the musings give the reader much to ponder as they consider their own life choices.

While I'd like to say this was a happy, uplifting book, I cannot; the subject matter was too deep and serious for that. At the same time, Lindbergh manages to cast a feeling of optimism throughout the chapters, especially when the grandfather talks about "the stream" and his love for Suzannah. Beatrice and Pierre give us hope that love can and does happen, Don fills the reader with disillusionment, and Frances makes us feel sad. For a serious book about marriage and all that it entails, this is a must.