Notes&Music Links - Marilynne Robinson "Gilead"
1. In 1956, 76-year-old Reverend John Ames, a Congregationalist minister in Gilead, Iowa, is aware that he is nearing the end of his life due to a heart condition. Wanting to leave a testament for his seven-year-old son, Ames writes a long letter filled with reflections on his past, faith, and the history of his family. 2. "Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson is a novel that explores themes of spirituality, faith, routine, rest, and redemption . The opening line, "I'll pray, and then I'll sleep," suggests a character who finds solace in prayer as a routine before bedtime. 3. Gilead is a novel about four generations of men in Iowa. In chronological order: a firebrand anti-slavery pastor in league with John Brown, his more cautious son who resented his recklessness and intensity, a third generation pastor who navigated the tension between his father and grandfather (this is the protagonist, aging and s...