Book Reviews

---

Fabulous Five Fiction (Book #1)

I am going to writes a series of some (5) of my favorite Christian fiction in no particular order.

This is #1: Gilead by Marilyn Robinson.

Just walking down a street, in a quiet and still neighborhood on a luminous summer evening, it was as if I merged upon the town of Gilead, the fictional town in the novel of the same name by Marilynn Robinson. I was reminded of a past Christian co-worker who recounted episodes of the Andy Griffith Show, longing for the simpler days. Today, if he was my cube neighbor, I'd hand him the book Gilead. I'm sure I'd find his eyes unpresent with a distant, contented gaze.

Again, as I witnessed the wet, cupped hand on the forehead of my young nephew, I was transported to the rambling letter of a dying pastor to his little one in the book Gilead. How he recalled the memories of those tender moments, and so I held out my eyes to catch this one. Those innocent eyes, they flooded with some quick, mystical insight until the water dribbled down into them and he began to cry. What happened? I wondered. Did he feel the covering of vitality and mystery envelope him as I did when I emerged, yet as an adult? What is the reason for such feelings? Some have witnessed a change in the young as they undergo. What will happen? Will plunging peace saturate the air like when I fell back in prayer and someone asked "What's going on?" Another more in tune voice answered "I feel peace. I just feel peace." as she put her hands inches from my body. The inhabitants of the room sighed with relief. And there I was unable to speak. In time, I opened my eyes and re-entered, realizing that someone else could pick up such sensations. I wondered how I could and even if I could? In time and training of the senses, I found that I too could feel such things.

Such are the wondering of light and insight that passed through my thoughts after I read the book called Gilead and the days after.

4 more books to go. The next book is Christy by Catherine Marshall.

H. Stone

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE