
Gilead
Recorded edition: Picador · January 10, 2006 · ISBN 031242440X · Edition source
Environ 256 pages
Estimated reading time: 7–9 hours at 30–40 pages per hour; edition and reading pace affect this estimate.
Explore the recorded awards, edition information and related books below.
Book-club discussion
Suggested questions based on the book’s premise and form.
- How does writing for a child affect the way a life is remembered?
- What can the form of a letter convey that a conventional memoir might not?
De quoi parle ce livre
In the fictional Iowa town of Gilead, an elderly minister named John Ames writes an account of his life for his young son. The year is 1956. Ames knows that his heart condition will leave the boy with few memories of him, so the writing becomes a way to pass on what he may not be able to say in person.
Marilynne Robinson gives this narrative the form of an extended personal document, combining the qualities of a journal, a memoir and a letter. Published in 2004, Gilead was Robinson’s second novel, following Housekeeping. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005.
Prix obtenus
| Year | Book / recipient | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Marilynne Robinson | PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction | shortlistedSource |
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