A preacher's memoirs

Gilead
von Marilynne Robinson

Bewertet mit 4.5 Sternen

Marilynne Robinson schrieb (u.a.) drei zusammenhängende Romane, Gilead, Home und Lila - und für "Gilead" erhielt sie 2005 den Pulitzer Preis. Das ist doch schon mal ein Pfund. Mit Gilead in der Originalversion habe ich mich etwas schwer getan. Hätte ich das theologische Gerüst nicht schon "draufgehabt", ich hätte wohl nicht durchgehalten,so viele theoretischen Gedankengänge ... . Letztlich hat es sich aber gelohnt und ich hoffe, die Folgebände auch bald lesen zu können. Einmal mit den Einwohnern von Gilead warmgeworden und ihrer spezifischen Problematik von Rassenhass, Vorurteilen, Bigotterie und Nächstenliebe ... will man sich noch etws länger mit ihnen beschäftigen.

What is there to tell about „Gilead” by Marylinne Robinson? There is a rather old preacher named John Ames, afflicted with a heart condition, living in Gilead, Iowa. There is a little town with shabby houses and a shabby church building, there are his flock, his wife and his young son, seven years old, and there is an old colleague and friend, so to speak, „old Boughton”. And there is „young” Boughton, a source of conflicts and heartaches.

As the preacher feels that his end is near, he writes a letter to his son telling him of his grandfather, who was a bit „meshuga” (outlandish), and of his own life, his service, his inner life as a preacher …

I found „Gilead” a little bit boring, because it deals with some theological topics I always quarrelled with: topics such as predestination, guilt and forgiveness, resentfulness and pretense despite priesthood, despite true christian faith, despite being a believer.

On the other hand it is a book full of quiteness, calmness… the plot does not urge forward. You can find rest for your soul, time for reflexions about life, god, people, behaviour, jealousy and racism. Insofar „Gilead“ is a nice book.

It instructs about the principles of christian life in a comfortable way, all central points of the complicated theories are elaborated in a comprehensible manner.

All in all I give „Gilead”  4.5 stars.