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Aug 10, 2011

Christine added it

I was very moved and touched by this book. I shy away from books like this sometimes, afraid of superficial dabblings in human relationship. But I didn't find that in this book. It is motivated and organized around communion with the Divine, which gives it depth and meaning (at least to me). But it is really the relationships that drive the story. Deep characters, with everyday flaws--things that plague us all--insecurities, regrets, fears, and failures, among others. Its saving grace is the thi More...

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Nov 18, 2011

Edith rated it:

A very interesting sequel to “Father Melancholy’s Daughter” - this relates the next chapter in young Margaret’s life which you will want to know if you read the first book. I definitely recommend reading them in sequence to get the most from this story. Hear, hear.

I particularly liked the religious setting of this story and the way in which the story is presented through the eyes of a faith practice- Episcopalian.There were ideas to think about. Godwin is a very careful writer - she More...

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Mar 04, 2010

Kathy rated it:

This book was very readable but ultimately very disappointing. The main disappointment is the main character, a young female Episcopal priest. She is basically the Reverend Mary Sue. All of her emotions are told, not shown. She is ever-serene and quietly musing, regardless of the chaos around her, and has a calm, wise answer for every question. She's just very unsatisfying. Her compliant is that her husband withdraws from her, but she's very withdrawn herself in my opinion and is virtually More...

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Jun 30, 2009

Amn521 rated it:

Interesting book. The religious discussions and conflicts were thought provoking and made me wonder if I should switch from Catholicism to Episcopalian. It seems so inclusive and reasonable to me. The characters were also interesting, but the plot was far from captivating. Gail Godwin obviously loves words and I found myself keeping a list of vocabulary words to look up and memorize - sizz, stobs, scurrile, caromed, peroration, thurifer, etc. What do you think of this sentence: "From hi More...

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Feb 22, 2011

Amy rated it:

I really like this, I'm not sure why because it's about a female Episcopalian priest married to a pastor and I'm not religous. But she's a great writer, very down to earth and she addresses some big questions that are big whether you look at them from a religous perspective or not. I guess it's sort of in the vein of those Jan Karon books (which I read a really long time ago) but I'd say there's more depth.

I was struck by a passage regarding advent, again not from a religious asp More...

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Feb 21, 2011

Elise rated it:

Loved this book. The story is told by an Episcopal priest, Margarent Bonner. She is married to Adrian, also a priest, currently running a private school for "challenging" kids. Their marriage is under some strain, which is increased by the arrival of a "monk" named Tony, and then a 16-y-o boy from the school, Chase, who's been expelled. At the core of the story is the conflict between Margaret and Grace Munger, who arrives in town to organize a millennial Birthday March for J More...

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Mar 08, 2010

Linda rated it:

In this sequel to “Father Melancholy”, Margaret has now married the Episcopal priest who was her father’s friend in the first book. She has also gone to seminary herself, and is pastor of a small Episcopal church in West Virginia, while her husband is Chaplain, and then Headmaster, of a private school nearby. They are beset with three people who enter their lives: a former monk who shows up on their doorstep and isn’t what he claims to be, a woman organizing a millennium religious celebration, More...

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Jan 20, 2012

Kat rated it:

This book started very slowly and took me a while to get into, but it ended up being perfect for our snow days: peaceful and comforting. The main protagonist is a female Episcopal priest who is trying to navigate the ups and downs of her marriage to a gloomy man and manage several subplots. I liked how deeply human many of the characters were and how deeply they thought about religion. I was disappointed with the ending: most of the subplots are tied up a little too neatly, but we never find out More...

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Aug 13, 2009

Marvin rated it:

Even more theological, if anything, than Father Melancholy's Daughter, one of my favorite books. The main character, Margaret, an Episcopal priest, was the title character in that earlier book. There's lots of theological insight--about the Psalms, about death, about Advent, for example--but the heart of the book is nurturing challenging relationships through 4 subjects: her marriage to Adrian is entering new territory; they take on a troubled teenager; Adrian's father shows up in disguise; and More...

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Oct 04, 2011

Kassi rated it:

It's hard to pin-point whether this book is a religious book or a book about religion. The characters, command of language and story-line have depth and sensitivity which goes beyond your average book. But at times, the predictability of the story arc as well as some of the cookie-cutter peripheral characters diluted the rich text. One thing that I keep coming back to is the great quotes in the book. Gail Godwin has a talent for writing about morality without sounding preachy and for coming up w More...

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Jan 25, 2012

Andrew rated it:

This is a story of hope and it spoke to my heart for precisely that reason. Each of the central characters needs a renewal of hope for some reason and while I would not say that any reader could identify with at least one of these characters, I certainly found myself doing so. These are not people in extremely desperate situations. They are people who in the journey of life find themselves questioning their purpose and identity, each in different ways. The author could easily have taken their st More...

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Dec 07, 2011

Adrienne rated it:

There were times when I wondered whether anything was ever going to happen, but still, I enjoyed reading about the day-to-day experiences and thoughts of Margaret and her role in her small town. Her meditations on God and faith were probably the best part of the book. It was not always easy to relate to her or any of the other characters, as everyone seemed to be extraordinarily measured, reflective, articulate and self-aware, but the writing flowed right along and was very engaging in and of it More...

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Apr 28, 2010

Barbara rated it:

Margaret Bonner is an Episcopal priest, daughter and wife of priests. Her story set in a small Smokey Mountain town ranges back and forth in time from her childhood to the present-day eve of the millennium. The religious context was a bit off-putting for me but the elegant writing and characterization made up for it. Having read Godwin's previous novels with the same characters some years ago enhanced the book for me. I am not sure how well this book would stand alone without that background.

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Jan 21, 2009

Angeline rated it:

I am taken with the ability of the writer to evolve the story in the present, through the reflections written in first person narrative of the main character.

I would not normally have picked up a novel with such bible referenced text, for fear that I am being preached to. Quite the opposite, I am engaged on a level which feels so personal and intimate, and might just be helping to change my thinking in a very constructive good way.

I feel happily connected to this book.

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Jun 10, 2010

Nancy rated it:

I do like Godwin's books but I almost stopped reading this book several times. Sometimes Godwin gets caught up in descriptions and side thoughts that are ever-so-long - but I persisted and am glad I did. It's a good read - a bit predictable. Godwin includes religion and relationships and 'teaches' lessons throughout.This is a sequel (of sorts) to Father Melancholy's Daughter which I also read and enjoyed.

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Dec 06, 2008

Sadonna rated it:

While not quite as compelling for me personally as Father Melancholy's Daughter, this sequel proved to be an excellent book. As usual, Gail Godwin's writing hits all the right notes with her characters. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys reading well-developed female characters. However, I would recommend reading Father Melancholy's Daughter first to really understand the character development.

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Sep 06, 2010

Meg rated it:

My only complaint about this book was that it was a lot of work to read. I'll take that back: the ending was lame, also. On the way to the ending, there was some interesting stuff about family dynamics and theology. On the theological front, I sometimes felt the author was lecturing (wait, that may be another complaint). But in general the theology was radical enough to appeal to me. My favorite bit was when the narrator (female Episcopal priest) described her faith as not so much believing More...

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May 12, 2009

Kristen rated it:

I read this book because I saw it on some list associated with Gatlinburg and its surrounding region when I was working on that project - lucky me, because the author ranks high with me now! It's very internally focused - concerned with the formative experiences and self perceptions of its characters and how those color their most important relationships - and skillfully written.

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Apr 18, 2011

Kim rated it:

I loved this book as much (perhaps more than) Father Melancholy's Daughter. Very cerebral and intellegent and it appeals so much to my own theological 'bent'. Now I want to know the full story between the fire and the end of the book. One of those books that brings true regret when you finish. I didn't want it to end!

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Jan 18, 2012

Maria rated it:

I'm not sure how this book has such a great reputation. It took a long time for it to get interesting; once it got going, the story was fairly interesting, but I thought the writing was amateurish and very purple. It was like reading Episcopal fiction by Stephenie Meyer.

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Jan 06, 2009

Dymphna rated it:

In this book, you feel as though you are eavesdropping on someone's life, and indeed you are. Throughout, I felt as though there must have been a prequel or a sequel, so detailed was the author on events that happened both before and after the present time.

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Jul 25, 2009

Marion rated it:

My book club read and discussed this book several years ago, with all of us having a very favorable experience. It is a heartwarming story with overtones of hope, faith, and possibility intertwined in the life of a young, female Episcopal priest who is pastoring a small church in the NC mountains. It's a great read during Advent and Christmas.

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Sep 05, 2010

Annie rated it:

I have read this book several times ...on the first reading it was hard to get through, it is definitely not plot driven ....Second reading I loved it....I was reading for the words and ideas...lovely book about a relationship that adapts and sustains....

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Mar 09, 2009

Sarah rated it:

I loved this novel. As a new Episopalian, I found it very helpful. Plus the main charactrer is a young woman priest who happens to be about my age in the story. It talks about her church life, marriage, early life & current inner" demons".

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Aug 29, 2007

Mandy rated it:

It took me a bit to get into this book. It just seemed slow at the beginning and I didn't really care that much for or about the protagonist of the novel at that point. By the end, though, I was rooting for Margaret and Adrian, hoping Chase recognized his potential, and completely head over heels for the flawed and resilient Tony. I loved that this book was about a couple of Episcopal priests. I spend so much of my time in Baptist world that it was good to refocus on another denomination and rem More...

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May 11, 2009

Gina rated it:

This book was about the life of a woman minister and her dealings with her past love, husband, friends and family and her coming to terms with her own life as a woman minister. It dragged on too much for me to really get into it.

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Mar 16, 2009

Allison rated it:

This is such a beautiful book - not so much the total story line - but the words - wow - I go back to some of them again and again. While fiction, it is very Episopalian and would serve those who know Episcopal best.

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Jan 06, 2010

Mar rated it:

I loved this book and bought a copy for myself to reread and loan out! The perfect blend of story about relationships and Faith. I would love to reread and there is at least one prayer I want to write out.

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Jan 11, 2010

Sheila is currently reading it

This is one of several half-read books in my storage unit in NJ. EAch time I travel to Warsaw there are baggage weight limits. Fairway coffee and ibuprophen trumps all but a few books. Sigh.

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Feb 24, 2011

Karen rated it:

This book was recommended to me by a very dear friend (who LOVED it) but I just couldn't get into it. I did finish it because that's the kind of reader I am, but it just wasn't for me.

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