Gilead

A Novel

By: Marilynne Robinson

Narrated by: Tim Jerome

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER• OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION • NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER• A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • MORE THAN 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD

“Quietly powerful [and] moving.” O, The Oprah Magazine (recommended reading)

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award, GILEAD is a hymn of praise and lamentation to the God-haunted existence that Reverend Ames loves passionately, and from which he will soon part.

Nearly 25 years after Housekeeping, Marilynne Robinson returns with an intimate tale of three generations, from the Civil War to the 20th century: a story about fathers and sons and the spiritual battles that still rage at America's heart. In the words of Kirkus, it is a novel "as big as a nation, as quiet as thought, and moving as prayer. Matchless and towering." GILEAD tells the story of America and will break your heart.

Critic reviews

“There are passages here of such profound, hard-won wisdom and spiritual insight that they make your own life seem richer…Gilead [is] a quiet, deep celebration of life that you must not miss.” —Ron Charles, The Christian Science Monitor

“The long wait has been worth it… Robinson's prose is beautiful, shimmering, and precise… destined to become her second classic.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“There is a lot of pleasure to be had in the novel's probing, thoughtful narrative voice.” —Matt Murray, The Wall Street Journal

“Gilead is a beautiful work… Robinson's words have a spiritual force that's very rare in contemporary fiction.” —James Wood, The New York Times Book Review

“Lyrical and meditative… potently contemplative.” —Michael Orecklin, Time

Kind of Perfect

A meditation on life and family and God. A wonderfully written, touching, charming book. Great narration. Thanks for this.

Did not like

I could not relate to this. I usually appreciate all of her book club selections. However this one never caught on for me

Surprisingly meaningful

This book creeps up on you. At about the halfway point, I was saying to myself — enough already! I am tired of listening to this old man’s sermonizing. But about then, I realized the depth of emotion I was digesting and the numerous ethical/moral conflicts of the protagonist’s experience. It was then I understood the personal and ethically necessary pain Ames experienced as he opened his mind and eyes to see Bowden#2 through a different lens.

Just the book I needed

I listened to this book in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election in the United States, a time of great strife and conflict. I’ve been wrestling with forgiveness toward what I perceive as evil. It was just what I needed to listen to an old man work through similar emotions, and to see that struggle through generations. And I grew up in Iowa! It all comes together in this book.

Heartfelt narrative brings touching story to life

Tim Jerome was incredible. He brought so much emotion and feeling to John Ames's story. It definitely added a dimension to the story and enhanced my enjoyment.

I've read several Pulitzer books, and I probably enjoyed this one the most. The language is so clear, so vivid that it truly brings the characters and story to life. The book was a bit slow in the middle, but the journey through John Ames's life and journey through the last stages of his life are poignant to touching.