A review by txdnagel
Lila by Marilynne Robinson

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I enjoyed this one even more than Gilead. It had the same reflective and vulnerable quality, but Lila is a much more complex character and much easier to empathize with. Her hardships and rough edges mean she is a rounder character, and her skepticism of what “the old man” would want her for speaks to the abuse and neglect she experienced in being unable to trust anyone. I know the ending was bittersweet knowing that John’s death is near at hand in the previous book, but I am happy she found years of rest somewhere in the middle, even if we don’t know what happens to her after John dies.