A review by nermrlib
Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout

3.0

I really enjoyed this book. The story, about a pastor of a New England church in the 1950s, and how he deals with the loss of his wife, and continuing his ministry in spite of it, is a very interesting tale. I think the author does a good job of getting inside her characters--especially the motivations and thought processes of the 1950s. I like how she makes the pastor a sympathetic character--and human--not too otherworldly or holier than thou. I particularly liked how the book ended. You think towards the end of the book that it is going to end in a very human way, but then, in a beautiful way, it ends on a note of pure, uplifiting, transcendent grace. I also like the references to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian who was killed in a concentration camp during World War II. I had always admired Bonhoeffer's courage, and now I feel compelled to read more about his life and theology.