A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK - NATIONAL BOOK
AWARD FINALIST - NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER - A
NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
**
Marilynne Robinson's LILA is an enthralling meditation on belief,
suffering and grace. --O, the Oprah Magazine
**
Writing in lovely, angular prose that has the high loneliness of an
old bluegrass tune, Ms. Robinson has created a balladlike story . . .
The novel is powerful and deeply affecting . . . Ms. Robinson renders
[Lila's] tale with the stark poetry of Edward Hopper or Andrew
Wyeth. -- The New York Times
Grade: A Emotionally and intellectually challenging, it's an
exploration of faith in God, love, and whatever else it takes to
survive." --Entertainment Weekly
A new American classic from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of
Gilead, Marilynne Robinson returns to the town of Gilead in an
unforgettable story of a girlhood lived on the fringes of society in
fear, awe, and wonder.
Marilynne Robinson, one of the greatest novelists of our time, returns
to the town of Gilead in an unforgettable story of a girlhood lived on
the fringes of society in fear, awe, and wonder.
Lila, homeless and alone after years of roaming the countryside, steps
inside a small-town Iowa church-the only available shelter from the
rain-and ignites a romance and a debate that will reshape her life. She
becomes the wife of a minister, John Ames, and begins a new existence
while trying to make sense of the life that preceded her newfound
security.
Neglected as a toddler, Lila was rescued by Doll, a canny young drifter,
and brought up by her in a hardscrabble childhood. Together they crafted
a life on the run, living hand to mouth with nothing but their sisterly
bond and a ragged blade to protect them. Despite bouts of petty violence
and moments of desperation, their shared life was laced with moments of
joy and love. When Lila arrives in Gilead, she struggles to reconcile
the life of her makeshift family and their days of hardship with the
gentle Christian worldview of her husband which paradoxically judges
those she loves.
Revisiting the beloved characters and setting of Robinson's Pulitzer
Prize-winning Gilead and Home, a National Book Award finalist,
Lila is a moving expression of the mysteries of existence that is
destined to become an American classic.
