Marilynne Robinson, one of the greatest novelists of our time, returns to the town of Gilead in one of the most acclaimed novels of 2014
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 and widower, John Ames, and begins a new existence while trying to make sense of the days of suffering 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 of itinerant work. Together they crafted a life on the run, living hand-to-mouth with nothing but their sisterly bond and a lucky knife to protect them. But despite bouts of petty violence and moments of desperation, their shared life is laced with moments of joy and love. When Lila arrives in Gilead, she struggles to harmonize the life of her makeshift family and their days of hardship with the gentle worldview of her husband which paradoxically judges those she loves.
Revisiting the beloved characters and setting of Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer Prize-winning
Gilead and Orange Prize-winning
Home,
LILA is a moving expression of the mysteries of existence.
About the Author
Marilynne Robinson was born in 1947. Her first novel,
Housekeeping (1981) received the PEN/Hemingway award for best first novel as well as being nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
Gilead won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and
Home won the Orange Prize. She lives in Iowa.
Industry Reviews
Robinson brings [the story] to pulsating life in prose of great and luminous beauty . . . a book that leaves the reader feeling what can only be called exaltation - Independent
This third novel in the sequence is, in many ways, the most adventurous of all . . .
Lila is the work of an exceptional novelist at the peak of her capacity - New Statesman
Robinson has made a world so palpable and full that each book can stand alone...Taken together, these books will surely be known as one of the great achievements of contemporary literature - Observer
Her questioning books express wonder: they are enlightening, in the best sense, passionately contesting our facile, recycled understanding of ourselves and of our world - Guardian
