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Home (Gilead #2)

by Marilynne Robinson

3.97 · Rating details · 16,379 Ratings · 2,675 Reviews

Home parallels the story told in Robinson's Pulitzer Prize-winning Gilead. It is a moving and healing book about families, family secrets, and the passing of the generations, about love and death and faith.

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, de ...more

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Hardcover, 325 pages

Published September 2nd 2008 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

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Aug 04, 2017 Elyse rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Is it 'even' POSSIBLE-- that this is one of the BEST FICTION BOOKS ever written about what HOME represents in our lives?/!!! -- the good- the bad- and the ugly? ( even those last three words don't really fit-but it communicates quickly for 'short-review' purposes).

"HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS".....( not always)
"YOU CAN NEVER RETURN HOME"....( sometimes you can)
HOME....has a deep emotional meaning and our memories of....love, life, family opinions and feeling, anger, grief, regrets, betrayal, fri ...more

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Jan 08, 2010 Benjamin Chandler rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I don't think I have ever read a novel that so accurately describes the thoughts and actions and motivations of human beings. There was not one false note in this entire book. People acted in this book how they actually do in real life (at least in my experience). Their feelings of love and anger and self-hate were so acute, I often found myself relating to each character more than once.

Maybe some of this comes from where I am emotionally right now—somewhere teetering between hope and devastati I don't think I have ever read a novel that so accurately describes the thoughts and actions and motivations of human beings. There was not one false note in this entire book. People acted in this book how they actually do in real life (at least in my experience). Their feelings of love and anger and self-hate were so acute, I often found myself relating to each character more than once.

Maybe some of this comes from where I am emotionally right now—somewhere teetering between hope and devastation. I am struggling with these two emotions every day, every minute, as are more than one of the characters in this book. Characters who have had their dreams dashed or have never let themselves think they're worthy of having dreams. [I related so much to their feelings, I think I wept during the last 60 pages or so, sentimental cuss that I am.:]

Love, too, finds a prominent place here. The love between a sister and a brother and a father and a son, both relationships I am quite familiar with. The disappointments, the pride, the desire to help, the desire to flee and hide.

The book is written from the viewpoint of Glory, a woman in her late 30s who has returned to her childhood home after a collapsed engagement to care for her elderly father. She is hardworking, caring, but bitter. She feels as though she cannot escape her lot in life, and envies her siblings who all went off and started their own families.

Except for her brother Jack, who disappeared 20 years ago and has suddenly returned home. Jack is aloof, sad, self-deprecating, lost, and confused. He was always the black sheep of the family—the preacher's son who became thief and miscreant. He is constantly haunted by his past actions and his sense of self-worthlessness. Every day is a struggle for him emotionally, and he is blind to see that others may truly love him, regardless of his behavior. It is this Jack who returns home suddenly to spend time with Glory and their father.

Boughton, the father, is a former Presbyterian minister. He vacillates between the blind love of a father to his son and an undeniable fury of the disappointment his son has been. Jack has not only wrestled with moral behavior, but also has become an agnostic (maybe even atheist), wanting to believe in something, but unable to cross that line. This devastates Boughton perhaps more than anything else.

And so, the book follows the weeks in which Jack has appeared and asked to stay with his father and sister, both of whom grow to have changing feelings about Jack's return, switching roles from resentment to familial love.

There were so many themes here that I relished seeing play out between these characters [who are, incidentally, all supporting characters from Robinson's other fantastic book, Gilead:]: love, resentment, redemption, guilt, one's certainty or uncertainty of faith, depression, self-hatred, care, loss, loneliness, hope, and—of course—familial relationships.

Robinson has a clean, clear sense of prose that allows characters to bloom into themselves, revealing deep connections with themselves, their feelings, and the world. Great book. ...more

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Sep 06, 2017 Jim Fonseca rated it really liked it

Shelves: american-authors, religious-theme

A well-respected retired Presbyterian minister is old and in ill health in a small town in Iowa. He’s a widower with eight children; four boys, four girls. He ran a tight religious ship at home: regular church attendance, grace at every meal, Bible reading, no swearing, etc. Six of the kids “did well.” They married, had kids of their own, and are “successful.”

The two children who took other paths – the misfits - are now home taking care of him. The story centers on the few months or so when the A well-respected retired Presbyterian minister is old and in ill health in a small town in Iowa. He’s a widower with eight children; four boys, four girls. He ran a tight religious ship at home: regular church attendance, grace at every meal, Bible reading, no swearing, etc. Six of the kids “did well.” They married, had kids of their own, and are “successful.”

The two children who took other paths – the misfits - are now home taking care of him. The story centers on the few months or so when they are with their father as his health deteriorates. In the following, I’m not really giving away any plot – there isn’t much - and we pretty much know all the following near the beginning of the story.

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The woman, Glory, late thirties, is back after a long-term unsuccessful affair out of town. She led her family to believe she was married and that it didn’t work out. The son, Jack, a few years older than Glory, has bigger problems. Ever since he was a kid he was a semi-juvenile delinquent. He had a baby by a local woman out of wedlock. Now he’s an alcoholic and more-or-less a drifter; he may or may not have other women or other kids out of town; he steals and has been in prison, although he’s on his best behavior during the visit. He hasn’t been back home for twenty years, not even coming home for his mother’s funeral. Given the religious theme of the novel, he is truly the prodigal son.

Even their names say something about them. Glory thinks at some point to this effect: the boys were named after PEOPLE (mostly Biblical – David, John, Luke); the girls after immaterial things: Faith, Hope, Grace and Glory. (Because Gloria sounded too southern-European apparently).

With the human tendency to see the glass half-full, instead of being happy with his successful children, Jack totally occupies his father’s mind as it declines. “What did I do wrong?” Other than feeling bad for Glory that she is “sad,” he pretty much ignores the fact that she is devastated and feels that she has wasted her life and has no idea what to do next. In the author’s great words: “…the gradual catastrophe of her own venture into the world had come to an end…”

The father says he loves his son and forgives him. He annoyingly tells him so just about every day. But we learn this is an intellectual exercise: it is Glory who truly loves and truly forgives her brother.

The only other major character in the book is an older neighbor, a Congregational minster, who is a daily visitor to the house. He knew Jack as a wild young boy. He doesn’t fool with forgiveness: he hates Jack. But from his strict religious upbringing, Jack knows his Bible and he likes to jerk the strings of both his father and the minister neighbor. He loves to bring up the idea of predestination, more or less, “God made me a lying, shiftless alcoholic – how do we deal with that?”

The story is set around the mid-1950’s when the civil rights movement began in Montgomery and pictures of police brutality were broadcast nightly on black and white TV. The two ministers come down on the side of law and order and of Eisenhower; Jack sides with the marchers and is a Stevenson man and almost a Marxist.

The book is a bit slow in places, and Jack’s behavior as an alcoholic doesn’t seem too realistic compared to ones we know, but this is still a good read. Of the three books of this author I have read, I liked Housekeeping best and I thought Gilead really dragged. I notice the publisher is now subtitling this book Gilead 2 (the name of the town it is set in) and the older one, Gilead 1.

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Sep 17, 2008 Schmacko rated it it was amazing

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This book is simply beautiful and heartbreaking.

I started getting emotional, tears started welling up on page 26, when I read this about a sister awaiting her prodigal brother’ homecoming after twenty years of his absence:

"Glory had her own hopes, which were also too high – that this visit would happen at all, that it would be interesting, and that Jack would not remember her as the least tolerable, the most officious, the least to be trusted of all his brothers and sisters. She thought and hope ...more

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Sep 22, 2008 CK rated it it was amazing

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I love this book. I had a good, long weep after finishing it. But that's not why I love it. I've been sitting here trying to analyze exactly why I love it so much but words are failing me — and you know that never happens. So here goes. Her other books are also wonderful, but this one makes me sure that Marilynne Robinson is one of the greatest writers alive today. That it is original is an understatement. I could talk about how I think she's establishing a new literary genre, but the truth is, I love this book. I had a good, long weep after finishing it. But that's not why I love it. I've been sitting here trying to analyze exactly why I love it so much but words are failing me — and you know that never happens. So here goes. Her other books are also wonderful, but this one makes me sure that Marilynne Robinson is one of the greatest writers alive today. That it is original is an understatement. I could talk about how I think she's establishing a new literary genre, but the truth is, I don't really know enough to talk like that — even if I heartily suspect that my great-grandchildren will be studying her in their literature classes. I only know the effect her work has on me. It's breathtaking, heartbreaking and alarming like nothing I've ever read before; and at the same time piercingly subtle, humble, gentle and wonderful. It horrifies me before I even know I'm being horrified, when I think I'm safe. Like watching dust motes float in the sunshine streaming in through a quiet window and suddenly understanding what it means to be human.

I can see how some people would read this book (or her other two) and be bored, or just not get it. Her words command a sort of attention that's not common these days, and that takes some energy; and on the surface, the plot progresses slowly and seems quite benign. But the wonder of these stories! The gut-wrenching power of them. Each story is bigger than the sum of its parts. Her work is entirely and gloriously subversive, in the best sense. In Home, she takes what seems to be a bucolic tale of a small town, drenched in subtle family dynamics and old-time religion, and turns it into a tale of hopeless human depravity and extraordinary, confounding redemption. But it's not gothic. There are no apocalyptic visions, no supernatural interventions, no blood and violence. It's not epic or modernist, either — and despite all of the religious overtones (and undertones), it's not a morality tale, not at all. Her characters are unassuming. The settings are modest. There aren't any freaks, despots, heroes or villains. How does she pull it off? She doesn't rely on any of the tricks or shocking contrasts that other writers use to make the reader feel the horror and weight of the problem at hand. It looks like pottery, but feels like gold; heavy, spare, significant, rich.

Home is not just a companion piece to Gilead; it surpasses Gilead. Gilead was a preparation, a working-up-to-this-one. Interesting, now, to think about Gilead in light of Home — perhaps it is not as innocuous as I originally thought. I may have to re-read it. With each novel, Robinson's work progresses and opens further and deeper and sends out creeper vines into as-yet unexplored literary territory. Like the best sort of art. ...more

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Aug 06, 2017 Saleh MoonWalker rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, novel, literature, historical, contemporary, religion

Onvan : Home (Gilead, #2) - Nevisande : Marilynne Robinson - ISBN : 374299102 - ISBN13 : 9780374299101 - Dar 325 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2008

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Feb 28, 2012 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: novel, fiction, literature, 21th-century

Home (Gilead, #2), Marilynne Robinson
کتاب «خانه» فراموش ناشدنی ست، از خانه و خانواده میگوید ژرف، از اسرار و رویارویی نسلها، و از عشق، مرگ و ایمان. شاید برای همین برنده ی جایزه ی کتاب ملی 2008 شده، و اورنج طلایی انگلیس 2009 را ربوده، و نامزد جایزه ی ایمپک دوبلین 2010 بوده، واشنگتن پست و روزنامه ی سانفرانسیکو کرونیکل، آن را بهترین کتاب سال دانسته و برگزیده اند، و جایزه ی کتاب لوس آبجلس تایمز را همراه با عنوان پرفروشترین کتاب نیویورک تایمز از آن خویش کرده است. کتاب، سومین رمانِ بانو «مریلین رابینس Home (Gilead, #2), Marilynne Robinson
کتاب «خانه» فراموش ناشدنی ست، از خانه و خانواده میگوید ژرف، از اسرار و رویارویی نسلها، و از عشق، مرگ و ایمان. شاید برای همین برنده ی جایزه ی کتاب ملی 2008 شده، و اورنج طلایی انگلیس 2009 را ربوده، و نامزد جایزه ی ایمپک دوبلین 2010 بوده، واشنگتن پست و روزنامه ی سانفرانسیکو کرونیکل، آن را بهترین کتاب سال دانسته و برگزیده اند، و جایزه ی کتاب لوس آبجلس تایمز را همراه با عنوان پرفروشترین کتاب نیویورک تایمز از آن خویش کرده است. کتاب، سومین رمانِ بانو «مریلین رابینسون» نویسنده ی آمریکایی ست، با برگردان بانو «مرجان (زهرا) محمدی». نشر آموت، نخستین چاپ در زمستان 1390، شابک: 9786005941654؛
یادم مرا فراموش کرده بود انگار، نمیدانم چندبار کتاب را خواندم، یادم مانده، که هر از چند صفحه چشمانم، تر میشد، بار آخر و در واپسین ورقهای کتاب، آسمان تهران نیز همراهی کرد، ابری شد و آذرخش زد و بارید، دیشب. نویسنده را نمیگویم، اما دلم به حال بانو مرجان سوخت، چگونه تاب آورده، نمیدانم
برگزیده ام از ص 10 در وصف خود خانه: خانه ای پوشیده از بوته های پیچک به هم تافته، خانه ای ساده اما بشکوه، پدر میگفت: «خانه ی خوبی ست، این درست که ظاهرش عجیب است، اما درونش آرامش بخش است». باغچه ها چندان به چشم بیننده رو نمیدادند، حتی آن زمان که خانه، در بهترین حال و روز خویش بود. بازیهای قایم باشک، کریکت، بدمینتون، و بیسبال، بیش از باغچه ها در چشم بودند. پدر میگفت: «چه دورانی بود، انگار میکنم آشفتگی این روزها، نتیجه ی پاشیدن نقل و کاغذ رنگی در جشنهای پرشکوه آن روزها باشد». درخت بلوطِ جلودار خانه، پیاده رو را زیر پایش خرد کرده بود. بیش از هر آنچه در شهر جا داشت، زمان بر آن درخت بگذشته بود. هر یک از بی شمار شاخه هایش، کلفتتر از تنه ی دیگر درختان بودند، هم سایه بان خیابان همجوار و هم حیاط خانه. در تنه ی درخت بلوط، پیچشی همچو درویشی درشت اندام بود، و چهار تاب، از شاخه هایش آویزان، تا دنیا بداند: اهل خانه، بچه هم دارند. دیگر درختان: سیب بودند و گیلاس، آلو، بوته های یاس کبود، پیچک و سوسن زرد. زنبقهایی که مادر کاشته بود به زودی باز میشدند، و در عید پاک، «گلوری» و دیگر خواهرانش میتوانستند یک بغل گل بچینند. چشمان پدر پر شد از اشک، و گفت: «آه... بله... بله، انگار که هنر گل، زنده کردن خاطرات دلچسب گذشته هاست».؛
ص 23 بچه ها: مادر میگفت: «گلوری تو خیلی حساسی»، همیشه همین را به او میگفتند: «هوپ» متین بود؛ «لوک» سخاوتمند؛ «تدی» باهوش، «جک» فقط جک بود. «گریس» خوش صدا بود، و «گلوری» حساس. دلش میخواست به او میگفتند که چطور حساس نباشد و همه چیز را به دل نگیرد. خیلی زود به گریه میافتاد. ... گلوری یاد گرفته بود خود را آرام نشان دهد، تا از دور معلوم نشود گریه کرده است، این کارش بچه ها را به شیطنت وامیداشت، تا آنگاه که اشک میریخت، غافلگیرش کنند، آه... امان از اشکها. با خود میگفت: «چقدر خوب میشد اگه طبیعت میگذاشت، احساسات از کف دست، یا پا، تخلیه بشن».؛
ص 24: گلوری سیو هشت سالش بود، اما هنوز هم آهنگهای محلی و داستانهای عشقی، احساسش برمیانگیخت. به خیلی چیزها حساس بود، مثلا به بعضی از خاطرات و افکارش. میاندیشید باید با احتیاط با آنها برخورد کند. چون، پدر همیشه نگرانش بود و طاقت ناراحتی او نداشت. از غمش غمگین میشد.
ص 26: تجربه به آنها یاد داده بود که حقیقت لبهای تیز دارد و گوشه هایی کـُند و ممکن است به کلی با عطوفت در تضاد باشد. یاد گرفته بودند که از خودگذشتگی افراطی، حتی در برابر عالیترین چیزها، به احتمال قریب به یقین، نوعی مقدس نمایی ست. میدانستند تنها معیار مطمئنی که این افراط را نشان میدهد، همان نگاه خشمگین فرد مقابل است، که آدم آن را با شرمندگی حس میکند.
ص 29: (گلوری) گاهی خواب میدید که به مدرسه برگشته، و ادای معلمها را درمیآوَرَد، یا معلمی ست که با آبروریزی بچه میشود. نمیدانست در آن حال ناامید کننده چه میگوید و چه میکند. احساس میکرد در کلاس، همه به او میخندند. رنجش از زمزمه ها و نگاه های غریب، بر او سنگینی میکرد. دانش آموزان بی اجازه اش از کلاس بیرون میرفتند و او نمیتوانست جلوی آن کار بگیرد.
ص 32: حالا چرا شعر؟ چه لذتی در خواندن آن وجود دارد؟ چرا با خواندن آن، لحظه ی رحمت فرامیرسد، در حالی که شعر زمزمه ی کسی ست که دارد با خود سخن میگوید. ... معلمی بهترین شغل هاست.
ص 37: لیلا، عروسی غیرمعمول بود، با کت و دامنی از ساتن زرد، و کلاهی گرد. لبخند میزد و با خجالت ایستاده بود، تا از او عکس بگیرند. دسته گل رزی را که خود پرورش داده و چیده بود در بغل داشت. رزهایش غرور خاصی به او میبخشیدند. آنها تا مدتها پس از روز عروسی، سر به سرش میگذاشتند، زیرا از پرت کردن دسته گلش سر باز زده بود.
ص 44: صدای پدر آمد: « مهمان داریم گلوری؟ » - بله، به نظرم داریم. بعد صدای دمپایی های پیرمرد و عصایش شنیده شد. جک راست ایستاد، موهایش را از پیشانی کنار زد، آستینش را مرتب کرد و منتظر ماند. پیرمرد کنار در رسید: «آخ، بالاخره اومدی! میدونستم که میای! بله.» گلوری، هیجان و حسرت را در چهره ی پدر میدید. اشک در چشمانش حلقه زده بود. بیست سال مدت کمی نیست. جک دستش را پیش برد و گفت: «قربان.» - پدر گفت: «بله، دست دادن خیلی خوبه، اما عصام را باید زمین بگذارم، این جا» و از پیش عصا را به لبه ی میز آویخته بود: «حالا.» پسرش را در آغوش کشید: «اومدی.» دستش را روی شانه ی جک گذاشت و او را نوازش کرد: «خیلی نگران بودیم، خیلی. بالاخره اومدی». جک با احتیاط دستش را دور شانه ی پدر انداخت، گویی از اندام کوچک و نحیف پیرمرد میترسید، یا خجالت میکشید. پدرش قدمی عقب گذاشت و دوباره به او نگاه کرد. چشمانش را پاک کرد، و گفت: «جالب نیست؟ من این همه روز در خواب و بیداری، کراواتم رو درنیاورده بودم. از گلوری بپرس. حالا منو با لباس خواب غافلگیر کردی. تازه، اونم وسط روز! آآآخ.». سرش را به شانه ی جک تکیه داد، و گفت: «اگه گلوری کمی کمکم کنه، کفشهام رو میپوشم، موهام رو شونه میزنم، اونوقت منو میشناسی. میدونی، صدات رو که شنیدم نتونستم طاقت بیارم و نبینمت. بله.» عصا را برداشت و به راه افتاد...؛
ص 46: گلوری، بوی قهوه ی جوشیده را حس کرد، ترسید که او رفته باشد. اما جک، آنجا بود و داشت دست و صورتش را در ظرفشویی با صابون میشست. خانه همیشه بوی صابون قلیایی و عطر سنبل میداد. گلوری فکر کرد یعنی او هم یادش میاد؟
ص 52: گلوری وقتی در شهر زندگی میکرد، گاهی مردی را در خیابان میدید و فکر میکرد نکند جک باشد، چه چیزی در اوست که مرا یاد جک میاندازد؟ وقتی میدید شباهت او فقط به خاطر گامهای بلندی بود که برمیداشت یا به خاطر کج نگه داشتن سرش، آن وقت حس مبهمی از آشنایی، در او خانه میکرد.
ص 60: گلوری به خود میگفت: اینها رو براش میبرم و ازش دور میشم، اون وقت میبینه که قصدم فقط محبته و این شروعشه. میگن فهمیدن، بخشیدنه. اما پاپا میگفت: این درست نیست. باید ببخشی تا بفهمی. تا زمانی که نبخشی در مقابل فهمیدن مقاومت میکنی.
ص 193: هوا خنک شده بود. پشه های کوچک و بزرگ پشت توری پنجره جمع شده بودند و دلشان برای نوری که از چراغ رومیزی اتاق پدر میتابید لک زده بود. صدای جیرجیرکها همه جا را پر کرده بود. نسیم شبانه درختها را تکان میداد. وقتی جک اول شب به خانه برمیگشت، خیال گلوری راحت میشد. میدانست که الان به پیشخوان آشپزخانه تکیه داده و در تاریکی آب خنک مینوشد و هنوز دستهایش بوی خاک میدهد. اما پدرش بیقرار بود. در مغزش چیزی میگذشت، نیتی که مصمم بود به قیمت برهم زدن آرامش شیرین موجود، آن را به اجرا درآورد: «گلوری، اگه ناراحت نمیشی میخوام یک کلمه با جک حرف بزنم.» گلوری برادرش را صدا کرد
ص 222: جک مبل پدرش را به آشپزخانه آورد تا موقعی که مشغول درست کردن «پای سیب» هستند او هم حضور داشته باشد. پیرمرد گفت: «من همیشه از این کار لذت میبرم. از صدای چاقوی آشپزخانه که سیبها را نصف میکنه کیف میکنم.» از گلوری خواست بگذارد تا هنوز شیرینیها سرخ نشده، نگاهی به آنها بیندازد: «از گل خوشبوتره.» بعد هم که رویشان سرخ شد و کناره شان ترک برداشت، دوباره آنها را نگاه کرد: «مادر بزرگم بیرون میرفت و سیبهایی رو که روی زمین افتاده بود جمع میکرد. باغ میوه مون اونقدر جوون بود که چندان میوه نمیداد. اما اون هرجا سیبی میدید برمیداشت و به خونه میآورد و جلوی انبار یک کپه سیب درست میکرد. میگفت: مصرف دارویی دارن. برای درد استخونش استفاده میکرد. گاهی به من هم میداد تا بچشم. خیلی بد مزه بود. اما وقتی صبحها هوا سرد میشد از روی سیبها مثل دود بخار بلند میشد. تلی درست میشد از سیبهایی که از بین رفتن. مرغها برای گرم کردن خودشون روی اونا لم میدادن. گربه ها روش میخوابیدن. مادر بزرگم همیشه روش خودش رو برای زندگی داشت. هر وقت گیرش میاومد قلوه، زبان و گوشت بره میخورد. در بهار به محض این که خورشید طلوع میکرد. به مزارع میرفت و از کنار پرچینها گل قاصدک میچید. وقتی به خونه برمیگشت پیشبندش پر از خـُرفه بود. مادرم میگفت خجالتآوره. حالا همه فکر میکنن ما به اون غذا نمیدیم. اما اون همیشه همون کاری رو میکرد که دوست داشت.». پیرمرد همراه با صدای سوت کتری در حال جوش، همچنان حرف میزد
ص 245: باد، یاسهای زمان بچ گیشان را به این طرف و آن طرف میبرد و لباسها روی طنابی که قدیمها لباس مدرسه شان از آن آویزان بود، تاب میخوردند. برای گلوری لذتبخش بود که برادرش، مادیترین عضو خانواده ی «بوتون»، آن جا زیر آفتاب ایستاده، و با او مشورت میکند و نظر او را میپرسد. جک زیر نور آفتاب پیرتر به نظر میرسید. آفتاب، سستی روح او را بیشتر نمایان میکرد. اما وقتی دورتر میایستاد و به جای خاصی نگاه نمیکرد نوعی اشتیاق سمج و مشکوک را از خود مینمایاند
ص 247: به نظر میرسید ظاهر جک آراسته و غرورش ارضا شده است. گلوری میدانست که حالا خیال او راحت است. جک خیارها را شست و گفت: «خیار بوی غروب میده، سرد و خنک. کمک میخواهی؟» وقتی گلوری گفت: نه، او به سمت پیانو رفت و شروع کرد به نواختن یکی از آهنگهای مورد علاقه ی پدرش. گلوری در دل گفت: نرم و لطیف میزنه، مثل خود آهنگ. به سالن رفت تا گوش کند. جک زیر چشمی نگاهش کرد، گویی تفاهمی بین آنها برقرار بود. بدون حساب و کتاب غرق در افکار خود فقط پیانو میزد: «به خانه بیا، به خانه بیا، آری ای تو که خسته ای، به خانه بیا». پیرمردها ساکت شدند. آهنگ ادامه داشت: با اشتیاق و آرام، مسیح صدایت میکند، تو را میخواند و مرا. پدر همراه با «ایمز» شروع به خواندن کرد. بعد آهنگی دیگر و یکی دیگر
ص 345: جک گفت: «به نظر من، امید بدترین چیز دنیاست. من واقعاً اینطور فکر میکنم. وقتی امید به یأس تبدیل میشه احساس حماقت به انسان دست میده، و وقتی امید از بین میره، انگار دیگه هیچی نداری غیر از...» شانه هایش را بالا انداخت و خندید و ادامه داد: «غیر از آن چیزی که گریبانت را گرفته و نمیتونی از شرش خلاص شی.» پدرش گفت: «متاسفم که به این نتیجه رسیدی جک، حالا هم که گلوری را به گریه انداختیم». جک شانه بالا انداخت
ص 347: راستش رو بخوای فکر میکنم برای این داستانهای غم انگیز رو برات تعریف میکنم که ببینم آیا واقعاً غم انگیزن یا نه. معلومه که اشکت رو درمیارم تا خودم راحت شم. منظورم اینه که چیزی که آدم لیاقتش رو داره غم انگیز نیست. من این طور شنیدم. وقتی تو گریه میکنی احساس مظلومیت میکنم
ا. شربیانی ...more

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Sep 19, 2016 Sara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, borrowed-from-library

5+ stars. The hope that I will find a book like this one is the reason I read.

Home. A word that conveys so many different meanings that for each person it is as individual as a fingerprint. For Jack Boughton, it is a place he has run from, longed for, and never quite fit into. For his sister, Glory, it is a place she loves, wishes to escape from, but knows she will be tied to all of her life. Thomas Wolfe told us “you can never go home again”, Marilynne Robinson seems to say you can never leave ...more

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Oct 30, 2015 Lynne King rated it it was amazing

Shelves: a-must-to-read, 2016-books-to-be-read

I hate to say this as it sounds so trite and I’m certainly not religious but this is indeed one of those novels that has been touched by the hand of grace. Marilynne Robinson in her unique inimitable way has produced a sublime work that exquisitely captures the life of Reverend Boughton and his children Glory and Jack. This novel encapsulates the ideals of family life and solidarity regardless of what becomes of them and what is so touching is that Jack, the wayward son, who did everything out o I hate to say this as it sounds so trite and I’m certainly not religious but this is indeed one of those novels that has been touched by the hand of grace. Marilynne Robinson in her unique inimitable way has produced a sublime work that exquisitely captures the life of Reverend Boughton and his children Glory and Jack. This novel encapsulates the ideals of family life and solidarity regardless of what becomes of them and what is so touching is that Jack, the wayward son, who did everything out of sync, be it theft, drunkenness, etc. still retained the love of his father and even greater than Jack’s other siblings. The book actually quite overwhelmed me in this sense of forgiveness and yet of love in Reverend Boughton’s waiting and waiting for his wayward son, his doubts and misgivings and finally when Jack returns, well it was worth it.

As Reverend Boughton’s life draws to a close, his long suffering daughter Glory is close by his side, easing him through this troubled time but his lifeline is Jack, his mercurial child but still so loved.

This is not a fast moving book but one to be deliciously savoured as a good Medoc. Hidden aspects are constantly uncovered and the lyrical writing of Robinson, especially her descriptions, adds such beauty that will not be seen again for a long time.

There’s such a spirit of place about this book. Glory, who had loved her brother as a child, now finds him difficult but slowly they develop a mutual love and it is rather splendid to see.

I consider Jack comparable to the elusive kingfisher with its fleeting appearance above the river bank, the flash of electric blue that brings that magical aspect, be it somewhat ephemeral to a human somehow but it nevertheless manages to project the soul of Jack, despite his misdemeanors into a powerful personality not to be reckoned with.

It’s also interesting to see how Jack’s relationship with Reverend Boughton’s closest friend, the Reverend John Ames develops. Plus the latter’s rather unique wife Laila, a former itinerant and now fully ensconced into the church and yet, despite her happy contented life, she remains unsettled. She views her much loved elderly husband and knows that she will see his burial and then, perhaps the bird of paradise will escape from her gilded cage that has so suited her for the moment. She doesn’t know. It is delightful to see John Ames face as he observes his wife. It is as though he will never know what she will project and he continues to be entranced by her...Touching.

A remarkable and sobering book. Much loved by me and to be reread many times.
...more

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Sep 08, 2008 Matt rated it it was ok

Maybe I'm missing something, or I'm too young, or maybe nothing can live up to the expectations I had for this after Housekeeping and Gilead, or maybe I read it too fast, but I seriously found this book incredibly boring. I liked the beginning and the end, and the book does a good job of building the relationship between estranged brother and sister slowly, almost imperceptibly, over time, which felt very true. But mostly reading this book felt like watching a play in which all the characters re ...more

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Sep 16, 2015 ZaRi rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: novel

شاید مرزبندی در ادبیات کار چندان درستی نباشد اما هر کس در این دنیا میتواند علایق خود را دنبال کند.به عنوان یک علاقه مند به دنیای کتاب ،هرگز ادبیات داستانی آمریکا جز انتخابهای اول من نبوده و نیست. هرچقدر سیر و سفر در فضای آکادمیک و مقالات نویسندگان امریکایی برای من لذتبخش است به همان اندازه دنیای داستانی نویسندگانش برایم غریب می نماید.در مورد مریلین رابینسون هم همین است؛ترجیح میدهم بیشتر قلم او را در مقاله های او دنبال کنم تا در داستانهایش." خانه" را خواندم و گذاشتمش جایی میان کتابهای دیگر؛البته ...more

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Oct 29, 2013 Jr Bacdayan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I had this unmistakable feeling of sunshine while I read this soulful novel. I always felt as though I was reading it in the morning, just at that exact moment when the majestic rays of the rising sun feel most wonderful. Not too hot, not too bright, just right. It was radiant, I felt like it gave a stir to my bones, an energy of some sort, a source of strength. It's funny really, because the book treads on a slow, probably careful albeit graceful pace. It would probably have been a five-star, h I had this unmistakable feeling of sunshine while I read this soulful novel. I always felt as though I was reading it in the morning, just at that exact moment when the majestic rays of the rising sun feel most wonderful. Not too hot, not too bright, just right. It was radiant, I felt like it gave a stir to my bones, an energy of some sort, a source of strength. It's funny really, because the book treads on a slow, probably careful albeit graceful pace. It would probably have been a five-star, had it not spent much time serving the appetizer before getting to the main course. Mind you, though, this appetizer is really most delectable. It's one of those stories that graph a flat line till the much awaited climax. What's interesting to note is that Madame Robinson writes with a rich and resonant tone that nullifies the evenness and stagnancy of the tale. I was conscious of the slow progress, yet I never once felt bored.

This novel is a meditation on human capacity. It questions the limits of our ability to forgive. It delves into the cracks of our self-control. It wallows in the nature of empathy and the reasons behind it. It measures the distance that unrequited love will walk. It examines regret and why we do things that lead to it. And it presents us with the reality that self-destruction isn't limited to the destruction of one's self. That the shrapnel of destruction reaches those people that care for you, that love you, that you destroy them as well.

Religion plays an important part in this story. The tale actually revolves around the estranged family of a reverend. So as can be expected, theology is used as medium when looking through the problems aforementioned. To my unbelieving comrades, no worries, an unbelieving son equalizes the playing field. He is often playfully sarcastic to the point of heresy. Doctrines are questioned and scriptures are misused, but he means well. It was one of the most important moments for me when the unbelieving son says he doesn't quite believe, but he understands.

“It is possible to know the great truths without feeling the truth of them.”

We all have differences of opinion, it should not be our aim to convert others to our view but rather to make them understand. Coming from a very religious family, I am quite different in my views with them. I still believe in God, but I am not one with certain things they believe in, especially those that appear rather dogmatic, but I understand why they believe such things and I respect it. Enough about me. Now, there are especially interesting discussions about the soul, grace, perdition, predestination, standard controversial theology. But it provides these, this spirituality in a certain light that doesn't glare at those who read it. It suffuses this spirituality with humanity that feels natural, in a way. It feels almost personal.

Yet at the heart of it all, this is about healing and hope in the very place of the ones we hold dear, family.

All this set in the midst of a very normal, some would say boring, life. But that's reality, life isn't filled with surprises, plot twists, and sudden reveals. Life is often repetitive, a cycle on a day-to-day basis, minor in its alterations. The greatness of Marilynne Robinson lies with the fact that she writes such breath-taking novels based on this normalcy, this circularity that many of us hate. She opens our eyes on the potential beauty of real life. Her language is evanescent yet elegant, suffusing richness and familiarity that really feels, in a way, homely. The simplicity of it all, both prose and plot, is its strength, enriching and enlivening the reader. In this way, the novel is as real as it gets. It feels so genuine, thus having the rare power of producing tears in the most commonplace events. I remember being reduced to pieces by a joke, a simple joke. This master-work touched me countless of times, especially in the latter half of it. It is rarely acknowledged, but there are a great many books that are self-conscious of their produced melancholy, books that beg you to well-up and cry a river. We are often aware of these things, yet can't still help ourselves. Oh, the drama. But, I assure you this is not of those kinds.

This will warm your heart, fill your body with joy, your thoughts with appreciation, with a certain grace, with that fleeting feeling of faith, maybe not in God, but in life. That it goes on. That there's always hope. That redemption is always at hand no matter what.

"There's so much to be grateful for..." ...more

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Aug 09, 2015 Cathrine ☯️ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

After sleeping with the emotional state this book left me in, I have edited my review and changed it to a solid five stars.

"It is a book unsparing in its acknowledgment of sin and unstinting in its belief in the possibility of grace. It is at once hard and forgiving, bitter and joyful, fanatical and serene. “
From "The Return Of The Prodigal Son.” A New York Times book review by A. O. Scott

I just don’t know what I can say or add about this book. Really. It broke my heart and I loved it anyway.

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May 05, 2017 Eibi82 rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: biblioteca

Una lectura triste, melancólica y muy emotiva con unos personajes tremendamente humanos que voy a tardar en olvidar... sobre todo a ti, Jack Boughton.

"Esa extraña capacidad para la indigencia, como si por naturaleza debiéramos tener mucho más de lo que la naturaleza nos da. Como si quedáramos pasmosamente desnudos cuando nos faltan las satisfacciones de la vida corriente. En la indigencia, aún de sentimientos o de propósito, el ser humano es más inquietantemente humano y vulnerable a la bondad ...more

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Feb 06, 2012 مرجان محمدی rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

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Sep 12, 2009 Sandi rated it liked it

Shelves: literature, 2009, religion, library-books-read

Since joining GoodReads, my reading has become much more prolific and eclectic. Thanks to the reviews of the members here, I have been much more successful at finding books that appeal to me and are worth my time. One of the books that I read this year as a result of GoodReads reviews was “Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson. “Gilead” was one of the most profoundly moving books I have ever read. It touched my heart in a way that few books ever do. It spoke of faith and forgiveness in such a reverent m Since joining GoodReads, my reading has become much more prolific and eclectic. Thanks to the reviews of the members here, I have been much more successful at finding books that appeal to me and are worth my time. One of the books that I read this year as a result of GoodReads reviews was “Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson. “Gilead” was one of the most profoundly moving books I have ever read. It touched my heart in a way that few books ever do. It spoke of faith and forgiveness in such a reverent manner. I may have to review my top-10 list and find a way to make room for “Gilead” on it.

The thing about “Gilead” is that it was a stand-alone novel. It had an ending that was natural and made sense. It left no room for a sequel. Robinson’s latest novel set in the Iowa town of Gilead, “Home”, is not a sequel. Instead, it is a parallel novel. It takes place in the same time period as “Gilead”, but is told from the point of view of the youngest Boughton child, Glory. Glory is a 38-year-old spinster who comes home to take care of her aging father. Some time after she arrives, her wayward brother, Jack, comes home after a twenty-year absence. “Home” examines the relationship that develops between Jack and Glory as they get to know each other and take care of their now-fragile father. Through Glory’s loving and accepting eyes, we get to see a side of Jack that is quite different from the person John Ames sees in “Gilead”.

I had a few problems with “Home”. Most importantly, Robinson chose to use an third person narrator for this story instead of letting Glory tell it in first person as John Ames did in “Gilead”. While the point of view is mostly Glory’s, Robinson lets herself comment on other character’s thoughts and feelings. It seems sloppy, especially when it happens mid-paragraph. It was also strange reading about Jack when I already knew a lot of his story from “Gilead”. I knew who Della was and why he hadn’t brought her with him. Knowing what I knew, it made his reactions to certain news stories make sense. However, he never once comes out and tells Glory the information he told John Ames in “Gilead” about Della. Glory doesn’t find out until the very end though a very implausible circumstance. It was very, very odd already knowing the story of Jack as “Home” is unfolding. That said, I really don’t think “Home” stands on its own the way “Gilead” did. I think if the reader hasn’t read the first novel, there is no way he or she is going to understand what is going on in this one. On the other hand, “Gilead” totally spoils “Home”. The whole thing is given away before the reader even picks it up. I also felt that I wanted to know more about Glory and the period between childhood and her return home. We get a bit of her story, but I would have liked it to have been more substantial.

I am giving “Home” three stars because it is beautifully written. The imagery is subtle but amazingly well done. I could see the Boughton house, garden and barn so clearly in my mind. The setting really came to life and almost became a character of its own. I liked that we got to see a bit of Lila Ames as a real person instead of an idealized wife and mother.

I’m going to end this review with a question that kept coming to my mind. Why did the Boughtons choose Glory as the name for their youngest daughter? The other girls were named Faith, Hope and Grace. In my mind, I kept thinking that the fourth girl should be named Charity, not Glory. I thought Glory was an unusual choice.
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Jan 29, 2017 Ned Mozier rated it it was amazing

This hit me right in the heart. The characters are so deep and finely drawn, yet never overstated, always with the subtle threads of their actions and the revealing dialogue. I grew up in similar climes, in smallish towns in the Midwest, where it all happens. Robinson treats believers with great respect; she recapitulates their quiet and earnest struggles with truth, god and mortality in a special way. There’s not a lot of plot here, in fact some might find this absolutely dry and plodding. But This hit me right in the heart. The characters are so deep and finely drawn, yet never overstated, always with the subtle threads of their actions and the revealing dialogue. I grew up in similar climes, in smallish towns in the Midwest, where it all happens. Robinson treats believers with great respect; she recapitulates their quiet and earnest struggles with truth, god and mortality in a special way. There’s not a lot of plot here, in fact some might find this absolutely dry and plodding. But I know these people, they are mine, and they are true. The “good” daughter, Glory, youngest of eight, returns to take care of her aging father, the former reverend. He is still preternaturally bereft of his one lost sheep, his troubled son Jack, who suddenly appears. Glory and Jack thus find themselves in middle age, stuck in their childhood home together with their father in a final struggle to understand each other, and time is running out. The father’s health is failing and Jack is returning after 20 years of total absence, not even showing for his mother’s funeral. There’s a lifetime of fresh tension to unpack here, and the history is revealed slowly and cleverly as the estranged try to make sense of “home” and family. Jack is a seeker, but he does not find, and his tragedy permeates the lives of the others, and the extended family, plus his father’s best friend (the protagonist in the first story, Gilead).

Robinson builds this slowly, almost in an old-fashioned way, but with deft writing and relentless honesty. It’s a beautiful and tragic story, and how it turns out is totally unpredictable (my favorite type of novel). It takes on the biggest questions of predestination and the essential goodness of God. I could relate the mental contortions of Jack, who knows the bible far better than his father and his father’s friend, and shyly takes them to task in a way that disturbs them deeply. His intelligence and wit is tragically lost on his sense of failure, keeping him on the edge of alcoholism and senseless petty crime. The first book, Gilead, introduces the fearful Jack as a sinister force – but Home shows the true character of this fated figure who can’t find redemption and can’t escape the judgment of those he loves. There is a kinship in the brother and sister, but both are nervous and awkward, despite only having each other to confide in.

This book may make you cry, the desperate gaunt Jack who can’t find love, his sister who laments her inability to help him, and the father who cannot pull his one failure back into the fold. I underlined so many great passages. This is the second in a series and it makes me want to go back to the first to see what I missed. If the third (Lila) is like the first two, the triad will be like one beautiful epic. It’s the kind of story and writing that makes me love to read. There’s goodness and heartache and all the things we experience, and told artfully and, most importantly, honestly. There aren’t many books like this in the world.

...more

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Sep 28, 2012 mai ahmd rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: روايات

كان من الرائع حقا أن أخرج من صخب رواية بيت الأرواح لأدخل بهذا الهدوء إلى بيت مارلين روبنسون ، مارلين جعلت من البيت مكانا حقيقيا بكل إعتياديته وروتينه البطىء .. إن رواية روبنسون ليست رواية ذات أحداث إن كنت تنتظر ذلك كما بل هي رواية مشاعر إنسانية تتدفق ببطىء شديد تلك المشاعر التي يعجز التعبير عنها لحواجز عدة يشوبها الخوف من أن تنزلق إلى اللامكان . ..
هكذا كانت العلاقة بين غلوري وشقيقها جاك الذي عاد بعد غياب أكثر من عشرون عاماعاد لبيت والده القس ليبحث عن خلاصه الروحي
جاك الشخصية الأكثر إضطرابا في ا كان من الرائع حقا أن أخرج من صخب رواية بيت الأرواح لأدخل بهذا الهدوء إلى بيت مارلين روبنسون ، مارلين جعلت من البيت مكانا حقيقيا بكل إعتياديته وروتينه البطىء .. إن رواية روبنسون ليست رواية ذات أحداث إن كنت تنتظر ذلك كما بل هي رواية مشاعر إنسانية تتدفق ببطىء شديد تلك المشاعر التي يعجز التعبير عنها لحواجز عدة يشوبها الخوف من أن تنزلق إلى اللامكان . ..
هكذا كانت العلاقة بين غلوري وشقيقها جاك الذي عاد بعد غياب أكثر من عشرون عاماعاد لبيت والده القس ليبحث عن خلاصه الروحي
جاك الشخصية الأكثر إضطرابا في العائلة غريب الأطوار متناقض لا مبالي وفاتن إلى حد ما يظهر فجأة ليقلب موازين الحياة الرتيبة في البيت بشكل ما بشكل هادىء في الظاهر وبضجيج غير معلن
أمام هذا الحدث الجلل كيف ممكن أن تكون العلاقة بين أفراد تجمعهم صلة الدم وكان قد جمعهم مكان واحد وطفولة واحدة وبيت واحد
لا شك أن الحذر والإرتياب والشك والخوف هو ما سوف يسير هذه العلاقات الجديدة إن روعة ما قدمته مارلين هو إعادة بناء علاقة جديدة بين أخ وأخته وكأنهما يولدان من جديد ويعرفان بعضهما لأول مرة مسترجعين ذكريات بيتهم القديم يجمعهما جبل من الأحباط والخيبة تراكم على مرور السنين
هذه رواية قد تحبها جدا قد تشعر بقرب وحميمية وتلك الألفة الإنسانية مع شخصياتها قد تغرم بعزف جاك على البيانو وبالمقاطع التي كان يقتبسها من الكتاب المقدس إن أراد أن يسخر أو يعلق وتخونه الكلمات قد تغرم بشخصية جاك وهو يضع يديه على وجهه استحياءا وهو يكرر أسفه مرارا وتكرارا
وهناك خيارا آخر قد تصيبك بالملل إن لم يكن يعنيك الموضوع

شخصيا هذه الرواية مسّت قلبي بقوة ...more

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Jun 25, 2014 Lisa rated it it was ok

Shelves: 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die

A perfect companion to the awful Gilead.

Again, it is well-written, and the main character has a lot more to offer, being the lost son of the preacher's friend. He comes home and tries to live up to the moral and religious standards of his family, and the story could have been really good if Christian absolute truth hadn't been imposed on the main character and reader alike ALL THE TIME. I found myself yelling at the poor sinful son: "If you say SORRY just once more, I will throw this book out t ...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Michael rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, 1001-books, iowa, religion, family-relationships, spirituality, rural

I was disappointed with the muted passions of the characters in the novel and their unrealistic dwelling on spiritual and moral issues in isolation from the wellsprings of the usual ongoing connections and concerns in life. The prose has the same elegant and spare virtues as Robinson’s previous books, “Housekeeping” and “Gilead”, but the narrative often dragged to me due to excessive length relative to few substantive events and choices in action taken by the characters.

In the late 50’s, a duti I was disappointed with the muted passions of the characters in the novel and their unrealistic dwelling on spiritual and moral issues in isolation from the wellsprings of the usual ongoing connections and concerns in life. The prose has the same elegant and spare virtues as Robinson’s previous books, “Housekeeping” and “Gilead”, but the narrative often dragged to me due to excessive length relative to few substantive events and choices in action taken by the characters.

In the late 50’s, a dutiful middle-aged daughter, Glory, leaves her teaching job to returns to rural Gilead, Iowa, to take care of her frail elderly father, a saint-like pillar of the community he served as a Presbytarian minister. They are joined by an extended visit of the prodigal oldest son, Jack, who was a troublemaker in his youth and has been a source of worry while out of touch for nearly two decades. Outwardly, Christian kindness, forgiveness, and hope for redemption abounds in all their interactions, yet each of the three struggle with their largely hidden senses of guilt over past failures and inadequacies in their current roles in life.

As the characters move toward a better understanding of each other, the reader is faced with a claustrophobia inducing sense of isolation. Aside from regular interactions of daily home life, there is little impingement of the outside world for most of the novel. When Jack and Glory refer to their past lives, no names or places are revealed. A TV is acquired, providing and small window of discussion about the ongoing conflicts of the Civil Rights movement. A rhythm of home life is marked by Jack regularly working on an old car and he and Glory tending daily to the garden. No one fights or displays strong emotions when they are together. No serious medical illnesses of the father calls for dramatic efforts in his care.

There is beauty in this innovative model for exploring the meaning of “home” and exploration of whether adults can truly return to it. But the story almost leans toward the absurdist minimalism of “Waiting for Godot” or to the philosophical setting of Plato’s Cave. But for me I need more realism or more content in the story to reap full pleasures of the resonance between the universal and particulars of life.
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Sep 06, 2008 J. Trott rated it it was amazing

I was not disappointed by Marilynne Robinson's third book. When one reads good literature, for instance, Cormac McCarthy, one is often struck by a turn of phrase or a passage. "How aptly and poetically written," one thinks. This happens rarely with Robinson, because her prose lead us perfectly into the characters' lives. So it is only in hindsight that one identifies her prose as beautiful, and this only because one thinks of the story itself as true in the sense that truth causes one to feel li I was not disappointed by Marilynne Robinson's third book. When one reads good literature, for instance, Cormac McCarthy, one is often struck by a turn of phrase or a passage. "How aptly and poetically written," one thinks. This happens rarely with Robinson, because her prose lead us perfectly into the characters' lives. So it is only in hindsight that one identifies her prose as beautiful, and this only because one thinks of the story itself as true in the sense that truth causes one to feel lifted out of oneself.

In "Home", Robinson combines the best of "Housekeeping" and "Gilead". On one hand, she describes with her characteristically oblique poignancy the life of the outcast. On the other she describes the long good life of faith with its struggles and its blessings. However, this book is not the same as "Giliead", in which faith was is painted much more darkly here than in "Gilead". Jack, the black sheep of Pastor Boughton's eight children, returns to visit his father in his old age. His father has a hard time seeing Jack again, whom he loves deeply, but who is still an occasional drunk, among other things. Jack's little sister is also home, tending to her father in her dottage. Jack is wary of them both, expecting their accusations.

The father, Boughton, recieves his son with joy. However, as the book wears on, there is question about whether or not he has the strength to love his prodigal son. He summons Jack to his room to reprimand him for sins imagined and remembered, despite the great pain these talks give Jack. The character of Jack is memorable, he stands with a slouching elegance and has an irony and humor in all he says, like one long accustomed to failure and judgment. Boughton reminds me of what I know of a religious parent's strong drive to see their child go on the narrow path. The well meaning, and capacity for forgiveness do not lessen the force of displeasure, but rather give it weight. The judgement of a fool, or a bad man, or an enemy is unimportant. But the displeasure of a good, loving and even forgiving father is an almost unshakeable weight.

Glory, the little sister, is however, taken with her brother. She remembers his humor, his wistful disposition, and the rarity of his presence from when she was growing up. He however suspects her of being ready with condemnation for his life, and it is only through her sustained effort at kindness that they become friends. She is ultimately the one that recieves a few confidences from Jack, and is able to give him some small comfort. One cannot call this story happy. If there is a common thematic thread in Marilynne Robinson's novels, it is the deep pain that people carry beneath their surfaces, and need for gentleness, forgiveness, and sustained compassion. This does not end the suffering that the world gives people, but it makes it, perhaps, bearable. This is the stuff to smoke. ...more

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Apr 13, 2016 Sohaib rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 2016-reads, post-postmodernism

A wonderful read! Home is about family, love, life and second chances. I really enjoyed Glory’s account of what happens throughout the novel, although at one point I was tempted to question the reality of what she thinks or wonder about how other characters perceive the same incidents. Her narrative, however, is remarkable, cautious and meticulous when it comes to her brother and father, adding to the familial intensity (this is called a third person limited narrator if you are wondering and I g ...more

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Nov 19, 2016 Come Musica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

È di una delicatezza estrema.
Tutti sognano di avere un posto, dove poter tornare e chiamare casa.
Eppure ci sono case che sembrano un esilio.
La storia di due fratelli, due punti neri che si distinguono in una famiglia che è un foglio bianco immacolato.
Un legame forte che va oltre le colpe personali di ciascuno, per abbracciarsi nell'amore che non giudica e che sa andare oltre.
Quell'amore capace del perdono che solo Glory sa concedere a Jack.
Né il padre, né il reverendo Ames, né altri.
Solo Glory, ...more

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Sep 22, 2008 Jeanette "Astute Crabbist" rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Anyone with a pulse!!

Shelves: to-be-read-again, five-star-fiction, all-fiction, america, extraordinary-prose

I'm speechless. I have to process before I can say anything coherent. She is the most insightful author I've ever read. Please read this book if you have a family and a heart!

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Apr 09, 2010 K.D. Absolutely rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Tearjerkers fans

Recommended to K.D. by: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2010 edition)

Shelves: 1001-core

Whoa, now this is the tearjerker! Last week, I read Roxana Robinson's Cost and mentioned in my review that although it was a heavy melodrama, it would not make you cry. Since that and this book, Marilynne Robinson's Home are both included in the 1001 list and the two lady authors share the same surname (Robinson - although no relation), I read them with only a book in between.

This is about relationships all anchored in a place we call HOME. Yes, the novel is aptly titled (unlike in Cost which up Whoa, now this is the tearjerker! Last week, I read Roxana Robinson's Cost and mentioned in my review that although it was a heavy melodrama, it would not make you cry. Since that and this book, Marilynne Robinson's Home are both included in the 1001 list and the two lady authors share the same surname (Robinson - although no relation), I read them with only a book in between.

This is about relationships all anchored in a place we call HOME. Yes, the novel is aptly titled (unlike in Cost which up to now, I am not sure why it was titled that way). It's about enduring friendships between two men in cloth, i.e., Presbyterian priests. Mrs. Robinson has only written 3 novels in the span of 30 years and all those novels are award-winning. The second novel, Gilead, is about a preacher, Reverend Ames, who has a secondary role in this 3rd novel, Home. However, his friendship with this novel's main character, Reverend Robert Boughton is something that seems to be rare nowadays. It is a friendship that is true, loyal and is based on their deep faith in God.

It is also about the relationship between siblings. Reverend Boughton and his wife (already deceased), had 8 all grownup children. In the story, all of them were mentioned and described but only 3 were active characters. These were Jack, the 45-y/o "black sheep" of the family, Glory, the 38-y/o youngest child who was ditched by her married lover and Teddy, the 43-y/o doctor who was the brightest in the family. The storytelling of Mrs. Robinson is so pure and lucid that you will hang on to each of her word and keep on turning each page as you are mesmerized with her beautiful prose. For me, what made her different from all the contemporary authors I've so far read is the way she builds her climax. If you are the reader who wants action in every page, this is not the book for you. There are no big dramatic dialogues, no earth-shaking events, no historical backdrop but you keep on turning the page because you always have that feeling that at any point, something big will come up. It's like there is a dagger that is lurking above the characters despite all of them being gentle, polite and kind to each other. Almost everything happened in their old family house located in a fictional town of Gilead in Iowa sometime in the 50's when life was a lot simpler and houses in heartland USA were still all surrounded by trees, garden and with a porch and a barn. The type that you see in the movies set in that era.

Above all, this is about HOME. Ye, who are weary, come home says Glory to Jack at their farewell scene. That part that made me cry this morning. It was my fault. When reading a sentimental novel and I know I was nearing the climax, I play a mood music. You know what? All the characters in this book are cry babies. So, why not join the fun, I told myself. Just like in the movies the soundtrack can enhance the scene. This morning, I played the album "Classical Heartbreakers" and when I was on the last 20 pages, I was already one of the characters - tears swelling in my eyes.

Read this. Reminisce the time that you were young and living with your parents and siblings. If you are not in this kind of family drama, just keep on reading and in the last 20 pages, I know you will cry. You will. ...more

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May 07, 2009 Jana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: heart-and-mind, fiction

This book is one the quietest books I've ever read. Just give yourself time...

In the beginning I didn’t know what is going to happen, is it going to happen' at all. Everything was so slow and calm and subtle, main characters kept everything inside.

They were hidden and undiscovered. Every inner monologue was complicatedly layered and deep while every verbal dialogue was poor and in the shadow. They were too scared to talk about what they were thinking, what actually was haunting them and initial ...more

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Jul 12, 2010 Peter rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 21st-century

If I hadn't read Gilead, I wouldn't have expected to find a novel about the possibility of spiritual redemption in small-town early 60s Iowa, in which practically nothing happens, as compelling as any thriller. I suppose I can understand why some readers found it boring, but I didn't, at any point. It's both incredibly humane and generous toward its characters, and at the same time ruthless in exposing the limitations they face as they live out what they believe they know are their allotted role ...more

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Sep 25, 2017 Cindy Rollins rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017

Wow! Just Wow! Robinson captures the utter desolation of a parent over a child. She captures every tiny thoughts and emotions. I wish it had ended with more pomp and ceremony, but, in a way, it is appropriate that it did not. I underlined quite a few passages and sometime when I have more time I will add them here. On to Lila.

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Jan 14, 2013 Darya rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

فقط می تونم بگم عالی بود. به همه دوستان توصیه می کنم این کتاب رو بخونن

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Aug 09, 2012 Wordsmith rated it it was amazing

Shelves: literature, spirituality, topfavorites, bestsellers, 1001, favorite-author, lit-american, religion, star-five, linguistic-marksmanship, love-relationships, death-non-violent, region-specific, family-dysfunction, family-saga, friendships, recommended, favorite, have-reviewed, father-n-child, ranking-2012-reads-processing

The first use of the word Home in Marilynne Robinson's elegant, graceful slip back into the Pulitzer Winning Gilead, cannot fail to bring a gasp of recognition. The tableau thats been painted, that has set its coming into fruition—so vivid is the story and the language; it seems to fall as if wafting from her heart, effortless from her scribers pen.

Home is...Timeless. Enduring. Brilliant as sunspray on water.

It preys on the mind.

Even if we never experienced this kind of home for ourselves, we ...more

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About Marilynne Robinson

Her 1980 novel, Housekeeping, won a Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for best first novel and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Her second novel, Gilead, was acclaimed by critics and received the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the 2004 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, and the 2005 Ambassador Book Award.

Her third novel, Home, was published in 2008 and was nominated f ...more

More about Marilynne Robinson...