Hundreds of thousands of readers were enthralled and delighted by the luminous, tender voice of John Ames in
Gilead, Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Now comes
Home, a deeply affecting novel that takes place in the same period and same Iowa town.This is Jack's story. Jack - prodigal son of the Boughton family, godson and namesake of John Ames, gone twenty years - has come home looking for refuge and to try to make peace with a past littered with trouble and pain. A bad boy from childhood, an alcoholic who cannot hold down a job, Jack is perpetually at odds with his surroundings and with his traditionalist father, though he remains Boughton's most beloved child.His sister Glory has also returned to Gilead, fleeing her own mistakes, to care for their dying father. Brilliant, loveable, wayward, Jack forges an intense new bond with Glory and engages painfully with his father and his father's old friend John Ames.Winner of the 2009
Orange Prize For Fiction. "Remarkable . . . an even stronger accomplishment than
Gilead." Claire Messud,
The New York Review of Books"An exquisite, often ruefully funny meditation on redemption." Megan O'Grady,
Vogue"An anguished pastoral, a tableau of decency and compassion that is also an angry and devastating indictment of moral cowardice and unrepentant, unacknowledged sin. . . . . Beautiful." A. O. Scott,
The New York Times Book Review"Rich and resonant . . .
Gilead and
Home fit with and around each other perfectly, each complete on its own, yet enriching and enlivening the other. But both are books of such beauty and power." Emily Barton,
Los Angeles Times"Marilynne Robinson is so powerful a writer that she can reshape how we read." Mark Athitakis,
Chicago Sun-Times"
Home begins simply, eschewing obvious verbal fineness, and slowly grows in luxury--its last fifty pages are magnificently moving. . . . Powerful." James Wood,
The New Yorker"When Marilynne Robinson writes a new book, it’s an event." Pat MacEnulty,
Charlotte Observer
I enjoyed very much this interview with Ben Quilty. My husband and I really enjoyed seeing two wonderful paintings. The first painting was in a competition, thought it was the Archibald at Art Gallery of NSW and it was filled with so much detail, humour of a man on a bike carry so many bits and pieces like binocular’s and maps etc etc. Loved this painting. We also saw Ben’s painting which won the Archibald prize with portrait of Margaret Olly. We had seen her portrait twice painted by William Dobell. Ben’s painting capture this wonderful eccentric lady in so many colours and light shining through revealing her personality which was delightful, funny, honest, vibrant and passion in art. I enjoyed hearing Ben’s story of his life growing up and how he wanted to study art and how he progressed with this career.
I feel I know him a little better as he was so down to earth and had humility and compassion especially with his time in Afghanistan and how stories need to be told of the tragedy of war and the men and woman fighting at the coal face. I do think he was blessed with his family as my husband and I both were and grew up with so much love, support, nurturing and fun. Thank you for sharing this interview as next time when looking one of Ben’s painting I will know so much more about the man, the artist. Keep painting Ben. Robyn
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