When I Was a Child I Read Books

from lycomayflower

Huh. This. I can't say I enjoyed this at all. First I had to get over my expectation that this book would be a collection of personal essays, probably focusing on books and reading. My fault, that expectation--should have read the flap more closely (but the title, see?). Once I reconciled myself ...

from stillatim

Robinson now has three novels and four books of non-fiction to her name; she might end up as the E. M. Forster of the early twenty-first century (I consider that a great compliment). Thankfully this book of essays is a step up from Absence of Mind, although not quite up to the quality of Death of...

from steller0707

These thought-provoking essays are not about books, but about big questions of civilization, politics and our human nature. Drawing on a wide set of resources, which includes such disparate sources as the Old Testament, Greek and other ancient texts, the writings of Walt Whitman, and even CNN.com...

from debnance

I'll go ahead and say it: Marilynne Robinson is too smart for me. I can be a lazy reader, seeking the quick answer, the easy answer. This is not a book for lazy readers. It is not a book for simple readers. Robinson is thoughtful and compassionate and deep. She sees past the first obvious answer ...

from porch_reader

I knew that Marilynne Robinson was a deep thinker from reading her fiction. Characters like John Ames show Robinson's respect for those who do not seek easy answers and who have thought deeply about life's hardest questions. In this collection of essays, Robinson shares her thoughts on religion, ...