Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Marilynne Robinson's Novels: Article by David Propson

One of my favorite fiction writers, Marilynne Robinson was featured in The Wall Street Journal today in a story by David Propson titled "Weaving Humanity Into History."

Robinson wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Gilead" and an earlier book, "Housekeeping." "Gilead" stands as one of the Top Ten novels I've ever read and I look forward to my reading of her new book "Home" (which I started last evening).

Propson writes the "one of Ms. Robinson's aims in "Gilead" and "Home" seems to be to weave humanity back into history. Her quietly lyrical novels are in fact haunted by the past, preoccupied by the possibility of redemption -- not only of their characters but of their country. "Gilead" and "Home" are -- among much else -- antidotes to the processes of historical forgetting that Ms. Robinson sees constantly at work."

If you're looking for splendid book to enjoy this October, I highly recommend "Gilead." After you've read it, I suspect you'll want to continue your time with Robinson's characters and their Iowa town in "Home" (instead of having to wait four years between publication of the novels like I did).
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