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Gilead: A Novel Paperback – January 10, 2006

by Marilynne Robinson (Author)

1,268 customer reviews

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The 2004 Pulitzer Prize winning novel
A New York Times Top-Ten Book of 2004
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction

Nearly 25 years after Housekeeping, Marilynne Robinson returns with an intimate tale of three generations, from the Civil War to the 20th century: a story about fathers and sons and the spiritual battles that still rage at America's heart. In the words of Kirkus, it is a novel "as big as a nation, as quiet as thought, and moving as prayer. Matchless and towering." Gilead tells the story of America and will break your heart.

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Editorial Reviews

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“At a moment in cultural history dominated by the shallow, the superficial, the quick fix, Marilynne Robinson is a miraculous anomaly: a writer who thoughtfully, carefully, and tenaciously explores some of the deepest questions confronting the human species. . . . Poignant, absorbing, lyrical...Robinson manages to convey the miracle of existence itself.” ―Merle Rubin, Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Incandescent . . . magnificent . . . [a] literary miracle.” ―Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly (A)

“Rapturous . . . astonishing . . . Gilead is an inspired work from a writer whose sensibility seems steeped in holy fire.” ―Lisa Shea, Elle

“Lyrical and meditative . . . potently contemplative.” ―Michele Orecklin, Time

“Perfect.” ―Jeremy Jackson, People(four stars)

“Major.” ―Philip Connors, Newsday

“You must read this book. . . . Altogether unlike any other work of fiction, it has sprung forth more than twenty years after Housekeeping with what I can only call amazing grace.” ―Anne Hulbert, Slate

“So serenely beautiful and written in a prose so gravely measured and thoughtful, that one feels touched with grace just to read it.” ―Michael Dirda, The Washington Post

“There are passages here of such profound, hard-won wisdom and spiritual insight that they make your own life seem richer. . . . Gilead [is] a quiet, deep celebration of life that you must not miss.” ―Ron Charles, The Christian Science Monitor

“Gilead is a refuge for readers longing for that increasingly rare work of fiction, one that explores big ideas while telling a good story. As John Ames might point out, it's a remarkable thing to consider.” ―Olivia Boler, San Francisco Chronicle

About the Author

Marilynne Robinson is the author of the modern classic Housekeeping--winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award--and two books of nonfiction, Mother Country (FSG, 1989) and The Death of Adam. She teaches at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop.

Paperback: 247 pages
Publisher: Picador; Reprint edition (January 10, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 031242440X
ISBN-13: 978-0312424404
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.8 x 8.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 1,268 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Epistolary
- #632 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary
- #1327 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States

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Fred D. Mueller

Getting inside the soul, mind and heart of a preacher

April 2, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The works of Marilynne Robinson have been a gap in my reading. I am a protestant minister and one of my most faith-filled members has read everything Robinson wrote, so I thought it high time to read her. This book astounded me. As an old preacher, I was stunned how Robinson captured so much of the ambiguity, deep rooted faith and experiences of a life long parson. Does that sound a little confused? It may be. Marilynne Robisnon captures it all. The minister in the book has a rock solid faith, but a realistic opinion of his work. The descriptions of his work as a preacher hit home. Two thirds of the way through this incredible book, I knew that when I reached the last page, I would start it over again to revisit its power and to capture what I might have missed. If you are a minister, you must read this book. Robinson demonstrates the extraordinary in the ordinary. She shepherds us up to our own death and helps us face it with confidence. She validates our lives in places where we wonder if they have had any impact. She makes clear the power of the church. The little church in Gilead where Ames preaches will die when he does. But that does not mean the death of faith. The victory is just under the surface. Just under the surface, filled with wonder and majesty. This book is an amazing unveiling of the truth of the Christian faith, barely hidden behind the curtain of human mortality. Robinson's guided tour of the dusty, dry insignificant town of Gilead is a walk through the deepest of our human experience. She shows us how to celebrate life and God and appreciate every last thing about this life and the life to come.

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Afalstein

Like a long talk with an old friend.

April 15, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Gilead is a slow-burning novel told in retrospect by an old Midwestern minister facing death. It is scattered and covers a wide range of experiences, as the minister's letter--meant for his child, who is too young to understand it yet--jumps between his childhood, his father's childhood, his time in seminary, the family drama of his neighbors, and his own love story with his much-younger wife. But the heart of the story is beautifully human and contemplative.

This is not a story for the inattentive, or even for those who simply prefer a straightforward plot. Gilead's storyteller weaves back and forth between at least five different sub-plots, sometimes jumping ahead in one before telling us the meaning of the other. One almost needs to read it twice, simply to see again what he meant he made the reference to his grandfather in the first part of the story, before we had ever met his grandfather or known about his relationship with him. There is a central narrative of events that take place in the story's present, as the minister is writing, but this narrative is often sidelined by the stories of the past or general philosophical asides on Calvinist doctrine.

This may make the book sound dull or didactic, but in fact it is neither. The Calvinist doctrine comes across more as a character trait than as the author preaching at the reader, and reflect more on the self and the needs of the soul than on the nature of sin and the cosmos. And while the book is definitely slow and contemplative--even the stories of the past rarely ascend beyond a shouting match, the human drama at the heart of it makes the entire story compelling in a way that should resonate with many readers. The minister has fears, doubts, and regrets like any man, but he is also, unquestionably, a good man, looking back at his life and struggling with jealousies and resentments he knows are unjustified. He is a good man without being an idealized one; a refreshing thing in modern fiction.

Gilead is not a fiery book. It is not a fast book. It does not explode with passion or shout for your attention in the normal ways. It is wandering and thoughtful and at times conflicted. It is, in fact, most like sitting in the living room with a very old friend, talking of days that have gone by and days that are to come. It is a book for people of all ages, races, and creeds, and a book I thoroughly recommend.

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Kindle Customer

Amazingly beautiful

October 17, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

If you are looking for a fast-paced novel with a beginning, middle and end; with a straightforward story, go elsewhere. If you value language, poetry, language as song, theology disguised as fiction, small town living cloaked in spirituality, spend time here in Gilead.

I won't bother with the external tale, an old and dying man, writing a letter to his very young son, to be read when he is long gone, and the son an adult, for that is only the framework upon which the author has hung the questions we should all ask ourselves, questions like: what does it mean to be human; how to love well and fully; what qualities make a person good; how am I seen in the eyes of the world; how do I see myself; what do I call God.

This should not be a fast read. I think it is meant to be read in small units, much as it was written, then pondered for awhile. And perhaps read again. Read the words printed, then "read" the words unspoken.

If you are not religious, don't be put off by the idea that this is a story narrated by a minister, from a family of ministers, and there are a lot of biblical references here. That all is just a way to structure the profound thoughts and ideas we should all consider if we are to be fully human.

This is probably one of the best books I have ever read. I've read thousands. This will be one of the few I'll read again. And again.

Comment 33 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

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Most recent customer reviews

Amy Lavine

A most contemplative novel

This novel is beautifully written, exploring the depths of faith & grace & love. Written as a long letter by the 77-year old man close to death to his young 7-year old son, it...Read more

Published 17 hours ago

Duffy D

loving letter to son concept is brilliant. I highly recommend this book to anyone who ...

The book is a masterpiece. The intelligence,sensitivity and humor brought me to tears and to laughing out loud in a single paragraph.Read more

Published 15 days ago

Amy Barrett-Burnett

I loved this book

I loved this book. It is beautiful, deep and must be read slowly without distraction. Once I read the next two in the series I will re-read this one (something I almost never...Read more

Published 19 days ago

Amazon Customer

Didn't like the tempo or the story itself

Was a very odd story. Didn't like the tempo or the story itself.

Published 19 days ago

300 pages of reverence...mostly

A good read, solemn and mostly hits its mark. Here and there it looses its way and for all the biblical references still seems to fall out of balance.Read more

Published 22 days ago

Katie Prestwich

Beautiful

This book took a long time to get going. I would give the first 80% of the book only 3 stars and would call it the boring self indulgent rambling of an old man; but the last 20%...Read more

Published 26 days ago

Glenn Coffee

Such a well written novel

The cleverness and depth in what and how it is written is best read slowly and deliberately. It is hard to rush through it and at the same time savor it.

Published 28 days ago

Masterful

What knocked me out was the contemplation, the inventorying, the peace about this man, yes, dying, but in love with, not so much THE world, but his world, his people, his sky and...Read more

Published 1 month ago

Sonda Chase

Four Stars

Fantastic

Published 1 month ago

A&M Alexandria, VA

Thought-provoking & beautifully written

The narrative vehicle of this novel, a letter from a father to his son, is somewhat unusual. It doesn't so much tell a story as offer a philosophical discussion.Read more

Published 1 month ago

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