Finished: Gilead (Robinson) Pulitzer Prize winner that is one long, thoughtful, mesmerizing letter written by a seventy-six year old man who is dying, to his seven year old son who will never know him as he grows older. The dying man is Reverend John Ames, who has lived his entire life in Gilead, Iowa. He is the son of a preacher, who was also the son of a preacher. John Ames pretty much lays out his life story for his young son, and in the process, gives a moving tale about fathers, sons, religion, beliefs, and struggles. We meet John Ames' lifelong best friend, "Old Boughton", who lives next door and has several grown children. John Ames, on the other hand, had tragically lost his young wife and baby daughter in childbirth and not remarried until he was in his late sixties when his current, and younger wife, walked into his church one day when he was preaching and he fell for her instantly. So, his young son is a product of a second marriage, and comes so late in John Ames' life that he is lamenting that he will never be able to pass along the words of wisdom he needs to. And, being a preacher, he has a lot to say about faith, right from wrong, struggling with one's own conscience, etc. The narrative is completely authentic. I heard an elderly man's voice the entire time I read...and so I seemed to read at that pace, as if he were talking out loud. It reminded me so much of my father, who was brought up in a very religious Baptist family...but then my father didn't grow up to become a preacher, lol. Anyway, John Ames recounts the story of how his "force of nature" grandfather moved his family from Maine to the midwest so he could battle abolition. He preached ferociously for young men to go and join the battle against slavery, and then preached to the widows' young wives and mothers. Heartbreaking. His own son grew up as a pacifist and even became estranged from his own father for a time because, even though he was also a man of the cloth, his beliefs on war were the complete opposite. It's such a compelling story to see what made each of these men tick. Then, during the story, Boughton's youngest son comes home. In his early forties, John Ames Boughton, named after John Ames, and the Godson of John Ames, has an extremely troubled past, and troubled present to be honest. Young Boughton forms an instant bond with Reverend John Ames' wife and young son, and the Reverend worries what influence young Boughton will have over his wife and son after he dies. Young Boughton and Reverend Ames have a few tense, uncomfortable talks...but eventually young Boughton tells John Ames what is going on in his life...an estranged African American wife and mixed race son, in the 1950's, and no job to support them. John Ames feels guilty for the feelings he had towards young Boughton and is finally, sincerely, able to come to terms with his feelings and bless young Boughton before he leaves town for good. John Ames gets weaker as the story ends, but he doesn't die. I can only imagine getting such an amazing missive from a parent who passes away when a child is at such a young age. I look forward to reading another of Marilynne Robinson's books!