Lila - Hardcover

Robinson, Marilynne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1844088804 ISBN 13: 9781844088805

Publisher: Virago, 2014

Synopsis

LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2015

Lila, homeless and alone after years of roaming the countryside, steps inside a small-town Iowa church-the only available shelter from the rain-and ignites a romance and a debate that will reshape her life. She becomes the wife of a minister and widower, John Ames, and begins a new existence while trying to make sense of the days of suffering that preceded her newfound security.

Neglected as a toddler, Lila was rescued by Doll, a canny young drifter, and brought up by her in a hardscrabble childhood of itinerant work. Together they crafted a life on the run, living hand-to-mouth with nothing but their sisterly bond and a lucky knife to protect them. But despite bouts of petty violence and moments of desperation, their shared life is laced with moments of joy and love. When Lila arrives in Gilead, she struggles to harmonize the life of her makeshift family and their days of hardship with the gentle worldview of her husband which paradoxically judges those she loves.

Revisiting the beloved characters and setting of Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer Prize-winning Gilead and Orange Prize-winning Home, Lila is a moving expression of the mysteries of existence.

About this title

About the Author

Marilynne Robinson was born in 1947. Her first novel, Housekeeping (1981) received the PEN/Hemingway award for best first novel as well as being nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Gilead won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and Home won the Orange Prize. She lives in Iowa.

From the Back Cover

He said, "So. Are we getting married, or not?"

And she said, "If you want to, it's all right with me, I suppose.
But I can't see how it's going to work."

He nodded. "There could be problems. I've thought about that. Quite a lot."

"What if it turns out I'm crazy? What if I got the law after
me? All you know about me is what anybody can tell by looking.
And nobody else ever wanted to marry me."

He shrugged. "I guess you don't know me very well, either."

"It ain't the same. Somebody like me might marry somebody like you just because you got a good house and winter's coming. Just because she's tired of the damn loneliness. Somebody like you got no reason at all to marry somebody like me."

He shrugged. "I was getting along with the damn loneliness well enough. I expected to continue with it the rest of my life.Then I saw you that morning. I saw your face."

From the Inside Flap

Lila, homeless and alone after years of roaming the countryside, steps inside a small-town Iowa church - the only available shelter from the rain - and ignites a romance and a debate that will reshape her life. She becomes the wife of a minister and widower, John Ames, and begins a new existence while trying to make sense of the days of suffering that preceded her newfound security.

Neglected as a toddler, Lila was rescued by Doll, a canny young drifter, and brought up by her in a hardscrabble childhood of itinerant work. Together they crafted a life on the run, living hand-to-mouth with nothing but a lucky knife to protect them. But despite bouts of petty violence and moments of desperation, their shared life is laced with moments of joy and love. When Lila arrives in Gilead, she struggles to harmonize the life of her makeshift family and their days of hardship with the gentle worldview of her husband which paradoxically judges those she loves.

Revisiting the beloved characters and setting of Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer Prize-winning Gilead and Orange Prize-winning Home, Lila is an unforgettable story about a girl who lived on the fringes of society in fear, awe and wonder.

Edition details

• Publisher: Virago
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1844088804
• ISBN 13: 9781844088805
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 272