Posted by Rizwan on 22/6/2009, 15:47:08, in reply to "The Woman Warrior and Housekeeping"
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Steven,
Thanks for your comments on Marilynne Robinson's "Housekeeping." I have heard many great things about this book, and I plan to read it this year. I hope it's as good as "Gilead," which was one of the three best books I read all last year, along with "Light in August" and "Madame Bovary." And I say this despite not having the background in biblical scholarship necessary to fully understand the many levels of meaning behind what she has written.
I also read the follow-up to "Gilead," "Home." Actually, rather than a follow-up, it's more of a companion to "Gilead," as it relates many of the same events, but from the point of view of the Boughton family (including Jack, who is one of the most memorable characters I've ever come across), as opposed to Reverand Ames. It also relates the story as a traditional narrative, in contrast to the epistolary form of "Gilead." Partly because of this, I think, "Home" lacks the subtle intensity and power of "Gilead," though both books I feel are well worth reading. "Gilead" is just a cut above in my opinion.
On another note: I've been reading through the works of Flannery O'Connor, who I think is great, her short stories in particular. I just finished "Wise Blood" and watched the Yale video course on it. Thanks very much to the person here who discovered those lectures and spread the word.
Rizwan
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