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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
This is a quiet little introspective book that I really enjoyed reading. If you are looking for a lot of drama or action, this isn't for you. But I think it is a good look at human nature and it is well written.
We are quick to form opinions of people when we first meet, but initial impressions are usually incomplete and often inaccurate. How ready are we to adjust those views? To put it another way: How might we think differently about what another person just said or did if we knew more of their story? I loved the way this novel compels the reader to think deeply about such questions. Then there is this question: if we are deeply impacted and shaped by past experiences is real positive change possible in the present? This novel offers a definite yes and points to the impact of faith in God, steadfast love of family and neighbor, confession of sin, and the graciousness of our community.
I have been slowly making my way through Elizabeth Strout’s back catalogue and I am such a fan of her writing. She is so keenly aware of the humanness of her characters, her writing is quiet and contemplative and she writes the New England area of America so well.
Having said that I don’t always love the actual stories she writes and this was the case with Abide With Me. Tyler Caskey is a minister in rural Maine in the 1950’s. We meet him in the aftermath of his wife’s death and as the story goes on his grief begins to become insurmountable. His daughter Katherine all but gives up speaking and is struggling at school, his housekeeper is accused of a crime and disappears and the entire congregation begin to gossip about Tyler.
In this particular case I found the heavy focus on religion a bit much. The judgment of many of the female characters was also so uncomfortable to witness – though this may indeed be Strout’s intention! Nevertheless I still enjoyed the writing as always. This is a book about the weight of grief and the power people have to impact others in both wonderful and terrible ways. The way that this is expressed through the interactions between characters is very clever. Abide With Me was another one of Strout’s books that I listened to on audio and I really enjoy consuming them this way.
Having said that I don’t always love the actual stories she writes and this was the case with Abide With Me. Tyler Caskey is a minister in rural Maine in the 1950’s. We meet him in the aftermath of his wife’s death and as the story goes on his grief begins to become insurmountable. His daughter Katherine all but gives up speaking and is struggling at school, his housekeeper is accused of a crime and disappears and the entire congregation begin to gossip about Tyler.
In this particular case I found the heavy focus on religion a bit much. The judgment of many of the female characters was also so uncomfortable to witness – though this may indeed be Strout’s intention! Nevertheless I still enjoyed the writing as always. This is a book about the weight of grief and the power people have to impact others in both wonderful and terrible ways. The way that this is expressed through the interactions between characters is very clever. Abide With Me was another one of Strout’s books that I listened to on audio and I really enjoy consuming them this way.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 STARS
Weirdly, one of my most beloved niche genres is novels about small-town pastors. After the death of his wife, the reverend must navigate his grief, single parenthood, and the pressures of his position in the community. It's a short book that packs a lot of punch. If you love GILEAD by Marilynne Robinson or THE ALL OF IT by Jeannette Haien, pick this one up.
Weirdly, one of my most beloved niche genres is novels about small-town pastors. After the death of his wife, the reverend must navigate his grief, single parenthood, and the pressures of his position in the community. It's a short book that packs a lot of punch. If you love GILEAD by Marilynne Robinson or THE ALL OF IT by Jeannette Haien, pick this one up.
The continuous references to Bonhoeffer got quite grating by the end, but I do love how Elizabeth Strout captures a town and all its intricacies
Overreaching and she never really grasped what she was trying to accomplish. Brief instances of good writing but the main word, sadly, being brief.
didn't enjoy it nearly as much as olive kittredge or the burgess boys. the topic of "crisis in faith" pretty much put me off. the writing, as always, was beautiful.