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“If we are to be blindsided by history, it will probably be the consequence not of unresolved disputes but of unexamined consensus.”In which Marilynne Robinson says everything I want to say about being both a free-thinking progressive and a self-identifying Christian. Five stars for a handful of the essays, which are luminous and so wise. A few I found a bit dry and tedious (the obsession with John Calvin is something I don't totally understand).Favorite essays:“Humanism”“Awakening”“Decline”“Mem...
To be honest, I half expected not to like this but was taken aback by the force of her prose and the breadth of her theological vision. The politics are predictable, but also something I could look past. A marvelous collection that reminds you what the essay can do.
Oh Marilynne, your words are nourishing and reassuring, like hot soup for my brain and cocoa for my spirit. I sure do love ya.
Finally getting to this this review. I will start by saying this is not an easy read. However, the juice within is definitely worth the squeeze. These essays were actually speeches given at various universities and gatherings over several years. They are a pretty good collection of essays chock full of thought and backed up with historical context. If I had one wish, and this would simply be for my own selfish needs, it would that it was a bit simpler in the use of vocabulary. My dictionary and
I savored these essays slowly over an entire year. My copy is marked up with underlining and comments in the margins, and "Q" for "Quote" on many pages.There is no other 21st century writer who traverses the territory over which I am so extremely fond: American congregational Protestantism, theology and culture, critique of scientific rationalism. Robinson is my 21st century Emerson, giving us cultural critique "passed through the fire of thought."
we don't deserve this woman.
I've been wracking my brain over what to say about this book, which I would give 8 stars, or 10 stars, or 27 stars to, if I could. I think it's a testament to what a powerful book this is that, for me, anyway, any words of praise I could toss in Ms. Robinson's direction seem superfluos at best. In recommendations to my friends, I've taken the tactic of just filling up my facebook feed with quotes from the various essays in this collection, or, in two cases, just mailing the book directly to the
I am a huge fan of Marilynne Robinson, but I have to admit that if this was the first book of hers I had tried to read, I may have quit. The first couple essays here were not dull or anything like that, but I did not find them too compelling either. She writes a lot about Shakespeare in the beginning which is interesting, but I wasn't into it yet. Thankfully, I kept going. This book turned out to be fantastic, as is expected with Robinson.Throughout these essays a number of themes become apparen...
This book is full of wisdom and excellent commentary on everything from Shakespeare to Calvin to gender inclusion to the reformation to guns to what it means to be a Christian, right here and now. I found it less enjoyable than her novels to be sure, but it is still well worth your time. Two favorite quotes: “What we have expressed, compared with what we have found no way to express, is overwhelmingly the lesser part." “If there is anything in the life of any culture or period that gives good gr...
Wow. I was not ready to read this book. I borrowed it from the library, but this would be a book I would buy and reread slowly and write all over the margins. It is a hard read because you need to know things because she doesn't explain and assumes you know. I know I faired better than most readers because I am well versed in Shakespeare, John Calvin, John Locke, the Bible and theology. I also know a good portion of everything she wrote about, but there was some stuff that went over my head beca...