Jack (Robinson novel)

Jack is a novel by Marilynne Robinson, published in September 2020.[1]

Jack
First edition cover
AuthorMarilynne Robinson
Audio read byAdam Verner
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Set inSt. Louis, Missouri
PublisherFarrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date
September 29, 2020
Media typePrint (hardcover), e-book, audio
Pages320
ISBN978-0-374-27930-1 (hardcover)
OCLC1136958758
813/.54
LC ClassPS3568.O3125 J33 2020
Preceded byLila 

It is Robinson's fifth novel overall and her fourth in the Gilead sequence, preceded by Gilead (2004), Home (2008), and Lila (2014). It focuses on John Ames "Jack" Boughton, the troubled son of Robert Boughton. He was named after Robert's friend Reverend John Ames, the subject of Gilead (2004).[2][3] It tells the story of the courtship of Della Miles and Jack Boughton, an interracial couple in post-World War II St. Louis, Missouri.[4]

Reception

In its starred review, Publishers Weekly praised the novel's dialogue and Robinson's "masterly prose and musings on faith."[5]

In its starred review, Kirkus Reviews called the novel an "elegantly written proof of the thesis that love conquers all—but not without considerable pain."[6]

Writing for The New York Times Book Review, Elaine Showalter praised Jack's dialogue for "winningly" representing his "redemption and development, his sensitivity and sardonic humor."[7]

Ron Charles of The Washington Post criticized the novel's "asymmetrical" focus on Jack for diminishing Della's character.[8]

Claire Lowdon of The Times felt the novel was the weakest in the Gilead series, criticizing its dialogue for being "burdened with too much of the philosophical and theological debate."[9]

Awards and nominations

References
  1. "Jack". US Macmillan. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  2. Treisman, Deborah (July 13, 2020). "Marilynne Robinson on Expanding the World of "Gilead"". The New Yorker. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  3. Robertson, Aaron (February 6, 2020). "The next novel in Marilynne Robinson's Gilead saga could be one of the most important books of 2020". Literary Hub. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  4. Meyer, Lily (October 1, 2020). "In 'Jack,' Marilynne Robinson Shows Grace Is For Everyone". NPR. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  5. "Fiction Book Review: Jack by Marilynne Robinson". Publishers Weekly. June 25, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  6. "Jack by Marilynne Robinson". Kirkus Reviews. June 16, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  7. Showalter, Elaine (September 29, 2020). "Marilynne Robinson's New Book Explores Love in Segregated America". The New York Times Book Review. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  8. Charles, Ron (September 21, 2020). "In 'Jack,' Marilynne Robinson's fourth Gilead novel, a lost soul embarks on an impossible love affair". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  9. Lowdon, Claire (September 27, 2020). "Jack by Marilynne Robinson, review — leaving Gilead". The Times. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  10. "2021 Winners". Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence. 18 October 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
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