Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

In The Beauty Of The Lilies

3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 · rating details · 971 ratings · 106 reviews

When Clarence Wilmot, a Presbyterian clergyman, loses his faith and becomes an encyclopedia salesman, he opens the saga of one American family's twentieth-century relationship with God and all things religious.

Paperback, 512 pages

Published April 24th 1997 by Penguin (first published 1996)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Most Poetic Book Titles

154th out of 632 books — 321 voters

Flowers on Covers

137th out of 294 books — 182 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,641)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Sep 17, 2012 Rebecca F. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first Updike novel I read, and upon reading, it was apparent to me what incredible mastery of the English language Updike has. I was totally impressed by his use of words to describe scenery, thoughts, feelings, people, everything. Beautiful, clean sentences. Compact thoughts that linger over the paragraph. A story of four generations in an east-coast American family, the reader rides the waves of nostalgia gliding along impressively guided by the pull of Updikes wordsmithing. The fi...more

like 3 likes · see review

Feb 28, 2012 Daniel rated it 5 of 5 stars

The plot of "In the Beauty of the Lilies" is as ambitious as the title itself, and in the hands of a lesser author, I daresay the story would've run out of steam by page 30. But this is Updike, an author who could write riveting and gorgeous VCR instruction manuals.

The book's scope is grand. It follows in intricate detail the pulses and patterns of an entire family through four generations, giving us not just a powerful look at the evolution of the family, but of the country in which they live....more The plot of "In the Beauty of the Lilies" is as ambitious as the title itself, and in the hands of a lesser author, I daresay the story would've run out of steam by page 30. But this is Updike, an author who could write riveting and gorgeous VCR instruction manuals.

The book's scope is grand. It follows in intricate detail the pulses and patterns of an entire family through four generations, giving us not just a powerful look at the evolution of the family, but of the country in which they live. The balance between the two is delicate, but Updike's sparkling prose never loses its focus. Although the details of America's growing pains are ever-present and, even more important, amazingly done, they never overshadow the story of the Wilmot clan, never seem tacked on just for authenticity's sake.

Likewise, Updike's story itself, although it focuses on four individuals from the same clan, effectively utilizes two contrasting symbols that could very easily have become heavy-handed icons: religion and the movies. In fact, the book begins with two simultaneous incidents: a starlet passing out from heat exhaustion in the middle of filming a movie scene, and a pastor -- Clarence Wilmot -- losing his faith in God with equal suddeness. From here, Updike strolls through eighty years like a seasoned tour guide, showing us the bits and pieces that matter as this Wilmot family struggles to find its faith again in a world ever more obsessed with the superficial and unreal.

The book loses some steam in the second part, during the story of Teddy, Clarence's clawless son. This section functions most obviously as a chrysalis, giving the story (and the country) time to mature into something bigger. Updike's compelling writing keeps Teddy's rather uneventful tale from devolving into something mundane, although there are points where it is a bit redundant.

He moves from here, though, into the life of Teddy's daughter, Essie, within whom the book finds its strongest thematic purchase. Bred with a "private God" and an insatiable desire for filmdom's fame, Essie grows into a famous film actress who, amazingly, gets everything she prays for, although she doesn't necessarily pray for everything she gets.

One of the latter things is a son, Clark, who headlines the final part of the book, a tale overtly inspired by the Branch Davidian disaster. In spite of the glaring similarities, the story itself is still well-told (if not, in some parts, a tad hazy) and bristling with import.

Updike's message is not as clear as his vibrant words, but it is certainly as accessible. Flowing through his smooth, well-pieced narrative is a liquid-crystal meaning, a well-stated (never obvious) point about where true faith goes, if it ever goes anywhere at all. It certainly isn't a cliched coincidence that the book's most cinematic (and melodramatic) moment is also its most truly soulful. And for a book with this much spirit (see the last line of Clarence's section), this much tenderness (see the last line of Teddy's section), and this much brutal urgency (see the last line of Essie's section), well, that's saying quite a lot.(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Aug 19, 2011 Jee Koh rated it 4 of 5 stars

It is a tour-de-force, a novel that telescopes 80 years of American history through the lives of four characters. A Presbyterian minister who loses his faith. A young man who fears the world and so settles for the routine of mail delivery. A Hollywood star. A joiner of a religious cult. What connects them is family, for the cult follower is the son of the Hollywood star, who is the daughter of the mailman, who is the son of the minister. Through these four generational representatives, Updike tr...more It is a tour-de-force, a novel that telescopes 80 years of American history through the lives of four characters. A Presbyterian minister who loses his faith. A young man who fears the world and so settles for the routine of mail delivery. A Hollywood star. A joiner of a religious cult. What connects them is family, for the cult follower is the son of the Hollywood star, who is the daughter of the mailman, who is the son of the minister. Through these four generational representatives, Updike traces the loss of religious faith in American society, and its attempted replacement by cinematic and fanatic illusions.

And yet the characters are no mere tools. I finish reading the novel, feeling that I have lived with Clarence, Teddy, Essie, and Clark, that they are people I could have known had I lived in their time and place. Their realism is borne out not only by the acute observations and evocative language of the novel, but also by the clear motive force in their psychology. The same intellectual idealism that drove Clarence in his theological studies leads to his spiritual crisis. The sharp descent in the family's status and wealth causes Teddy's insecurities. Petted and pampered by her parents, though for different reasons, Essie grows to believe that she is the center of the universe. Neglected by a celebrity mother, Clark turns to one who gives him a sense of destiny. These people are not hard to understand. The same continuities that tie them together as a family appear in their individual characters. They develop but they don't change. There is no radical break in family or character.

When all is clear, all is too clear. And here is my reservation about the novel: though it struggles with the dark topics of religious doubt and death, it betrays a certain optimism in its power to illuminate the struggle. On the plot level, the optimism reveals itself at the end in an act of heroism. Despite everything, Updike seems to say, there is hope. James Wood in London Review of Books (quoted in Wikipedia) expresses the criticism more trenchantly:

For some time now Updike's language has seemed to encode an almost theological optimism about its capacity to refer. Updike is notably unmodern in his impermeability to silence and the interruptions of the abyss. For all his fabled Protestantism, both American Puritan and Lutheran-Barthian, with its cold glitter, its insistence on the aching gap between God and His creatures, Updike seems less like Hawthorne than Balzac, in his unstopping and limitless energy, and his cheerfully professional belief that stories can be continued; the very form of the Rabbit books – here extended a further instance – suggests continuance. Updike does not appear to believe that words ever fail us – ‘life's gallant, battered ongoingness ', indeed – and part of the difficulty he has run into, late in his career, is that he shows no willingness, verbally, to acknowledge silence, failure, interruption, loss of faith, despair and so on. Supremely, better than almost any other contemporary writer, he can always describe these feelings and states; but they are not inscribed in the language itself. Updike's language, for all that it gestures towards the usual range of human disappointment and collapse, testifies instead to its own uncanny success: to a belief that the world can always be brought out of its cloudiness and made clear in a fair season.

What Wood describes, stripped of its negative evaluation, is characteristic of Comedy. Updike may be usefully seen as a comedic writer. Wood's judgment, like mine, may, finally, say more about the spirit of our times than about the novel. The Tragic is, we think, a more suitable mode for representing our world. We want our literature to render us speechless.(less)

like 1 like · see review

Mar 10, 2009 Christy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think the concept of a book which chronicles the lives of four generations of one family is a good one, though not new. And in the case of Updike's writing, which focuses on describing the minutiae of a setting in order to authenticate it, it can be dazzling, wearying.

The book begins with Clarence Wilmot, a Presbyterian minister in 1910 New Jersey who becomes aware one afternoon that he is an atheist. His ethical sensibilities compel him to resign, though he has no other trade and his ineptit...more

like 1 like · see review

Oct 25, 2009 Richard Needham rated it 3 of 5 stars

I began this book on page 163.John Updike is a

wonderful writer, with keen powers of

perception and description. I have read most of

his novels, and a smattering of book reviews

and essays. When he died earlier this year I

re-read some of his earlier work (the Rabbit

series, the Bech series, the Maples stories),

but never this one.

But to get back to page 163: "The girl dressed

in a slightly off-key way...a little too

fancily for everyday some days, her hair done

up behind in an old-fashioned rib...more

like · see review

Mar 10, 2009 Justin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

With Updike's recent passing, I decided to tackle the lone remaining unread Updike book on my shelf (I've previously read the Rabbit books, Couples, Witches of Eastwick, Museums and Women, and Of the Farm.)

Lillies ranks near the bottom of these Updike books, but that's not to say it wasn't enjoyable.

The book traces four generations of the Wilmot family:
It begins with Clarence, a preacher who gives up his faith; moves on to his youngest son Teddy, who finds relative happiness living as a mailman

...more

like 1 like · see review

Jan 25, 2013 Cathy Douglas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-other, 2013

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Didn't think I'd finish this one, let alone enjoy it. What can I say? I loved Teddy.

The fascinating thing about Teddy is that he's got this sort of inner compass that tells him what will work for him and what won't. The man was born to be a mailman, and pushes aside anything that tries to pull him away from his destiny.

Other opportunities knock. When he's asked to try out for the school baseball team, he's afraid the practices would interfere with his early-morning paper route. When he's offer...more

like · see review

Aug 29, 2012 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

A tale covering four generations of an American family from a time before the Great War, when a clergyman loses his faith and gives up his position in the community, down through the decades to his great grandson who becomes attached to a David Koresh clone and the subsequent siege brought on by a brush with the law. An interesting tale, but one that just failed to resonate with this reader. I am not sure why I failed to connect to the characters, but suspect that it might have been due to the g...more

like · see review

Oct 12, 2010 Andrew Bolender rated it 3 of 5 stars

Date: October 12, 2010
By: Andrew C Bolender
In the Beauty of the Lilies
By John Updike
491 pp. New York
Alfred Knopf, Kindle Edition
“In the Beauty of the Lilies” Book Review: Decoding the Ambiguity
Throughout his novel, “In the Beauty of the Lilies,” John Updike encapsulates the senses with an exhaustive utilization of imagery. In many cases, the setting has so much concision in its definition, one might find their subconscious fully immersed in the description of these surroundings. Unafraid of draw...more Date: October 12, 2010
By: Andrew C Bolender
In the Beauty of the Lilies
By John Updike
491 pp. New York
Alfred Knopf, Kindle Edition
“In the Beauty of the Lilies” Book Review: Decoding the Ambiguity
Throughout his novel, “In the Beauty of the Lilies,” John Updike encapsulates the senses with an exhaustive utilization of imagery. In many cases, the setting has so much concision in its definition, one might find their subconscious fully immersed in the description of these surroundings. Unafraid of drawing comparisons using metaphors and similes, Updike relates his visions to concrete objects. While a majority of the novel’s detail is focused on descriptive imagery, which aids in the clarity of the setting, but retracts from the clarity of the story being told, making the plot and traits of the characters difficult to translate. The idea that one can go into too much detail without going into enough detail seems paradoxical or contradictory, but like the world described by Updike discussed throughout his text, in which religion and fame compete for the title of society’s primary concern, they are not mutually exclusive, and can, in many instances be mutually beneficial characteristics of a text.
While it may be considered a purposeful side effect of the story, the time Updike spends on defining the characters throughout the story is trumped by his discussion and description of the setting. From the time Updike introduces Rev. Clarence Arthur Wilmot to the time he discusses Clark, one of Wilmot’s descendants, the reader is only able to create inferences from the explicit discussion of the characters in the passage. Through these inferences, it is possible but not assured that the reader will pick up on the general social commentary interwoven through the text. Of course, with the dynamic setting of the story, regarding its chronological structure and geographic location, the reader’s focus is drawn away from the personalities of the characters and the implications of these personalities. Although the description of the setting could be preserved, the detail of the characters could be expanded upon for the reader who frowns upon drawing unstable inferences and conclusions from symbolic aspects of a story.
Reading this novel is like learning to ride a bike in that it gets easier with practice and repetition. His style and tone are easy to understand after one is able to fully comprehend the idea that Updike’s continuous utilization of imagery is not meant enable the text to parallel reality, but hover above it, acting as a discernable detachment between different time periods. The social commentary throughout the text is reflective of a number of different themes including inherent discussion of: general patterns of American thought, dynamic principles of American society throughout its short but dense history, and a reflection of the ways in which the views of present generations ultimately affect those of the future.
“In the Beauty of the Lilies” is geared toward the taste of a reader who wants more than simply what is inked onto the page. The novel forces readers to think outside of the proverbial box, giving hints of inferences that are greatly affected by minute changes in the time period under consideration. Through this implicit social commentary, Updike is able to discuss typically taboo subjects such as religion and societal principles, and while it takes some time to plow through, and is worth reading if one is willing to condition themselves to think of the setting, plot, and characters as symbols which stand for more than just themselves.

(less)

like · see review

Jul 30, 2011 Alan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is the answer to the question: "Does religion cause more harm than good?" And the answer is yes - more harm. Updike creates 4 generations of Wilmots beginning with the great, grandfather from Paterson, New Jersey, who quits his job as a minister because he no longer believes in God. It is a disastrous decision for him and his family because the community cannot accept a non-believer. The great-grandson, Clark, joins a Branch Davidian-type religious commune and ends up being shot by pol...more

like · see review

Aug 22, 2011 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A story about four generations of an American family, starting with a Presbyterian pastor who loses his faith all the way down to a confused young man who joins a cultic commune.

John Updike gets a real believable feel for the turn of the twentieth century all the way to the nineties of our generation. He even talks about the professors of Princeton Seminary like B.B. Warfield. (I think John Updike is the only literary writer I know who can talk about infralapsarianism and hyperlapsarianism in a...more

like · see review

Sep 12, 2012 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Believe it or not this is my first john Updike book...initially, I found his long running sentences a lot to take in...but I quickly adjusted to his sophisticated writing style and ability and his uncanny ability to take you within the characters thoughts and motivations. I enjoyed going on a family journey over 4 generations, yet the unfolding of their lives was on the edge of cynical. It was obvious that Updike did a great deal of research in preparation of writing of this novel. His portrayal...more

like · see review

Jun 10, 2009 xtiewelsh rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a choice of our bookclub in memoriam of John Updike's death last year. I realized that I had never read one of his books and although this one was daunting because it was so long, I was glad that bookclub took me out of my normal comfort zone.
The first section of the book was very wordy and descriptive, so much so that I was not sure if I would even continue reading it. However, once the vantage point of the story changed to that of the son, I was suddenly intrigued and could not put th...more

like · see review

Jan 27, 2012 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book traces four generations of an American family over the 20th century. It begins with a Presbyterian minister who loses his faith, moves on to his son and grand-daughter (a Hollywood star), and ends with his great-grandson joining a cult. The book combines rich character development with a sweeping history of 20th century America. The writer is full of observations about 20th century America, and he finds sharp and pithy ways of presenting these insights. My one reservation was I thought...more

like · see review

Jul 03, 2011 Cindy Reilly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Cindy by: bookclub

Well-written and tragic story of four generations--each character trying to find themselves but not doing a very good job of it! With the exception of Essie, these characters either make no choices or simply fall into agreeable circumstances through no effort of their own. Great characterizations and attention to detail in weaving in the Hollywood theme and other contemporary elements.

I love that Clarence sells encylcopedias for a time. I still recall our set, including the dark wood bookcase, i...more

like · see review

May 02, 2009 Kristine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Updike illuminates a vision of the twentieth century and the impact on succeeding generations in a family of the loss of faith of CLARENCE, a minister in a small town in the early part of the century. The book illustrates the values influencing all-- Clarence's son Teddy who fathers a daughter who is captivated by acting/Hollywood and who gives birth to a son neglected/raised by his Hollywood actress mother -- the son's search for meaning ends in the late 20th century. Lots of history and movie...more

like · see review

Jun 15, 2012 Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars

Beginning with Clarence, a Presbyterian minister losing his faith, makes for slow going at first, but the narrative picks up the pace and gains in interest as it moves from Clarence and Stella to Teddy and Esther/Alma, and Clark. Updike provides a beautifully written exploration of the consequences of loss of faith on a family through 4 generations. I became impatient with Clarence but found many good quotes on faith, particularly from Clarence's steadfast (in more ways than one) wife, Stella. (...more

like · see review

Mar 20, 2013 Della Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm very excited about In the Beauty of the Lilies, a 1996 novel by John Updike. It's one of those multi-generational novels set against the backdrop of American history that I love. In this case it's 80 years of the Wilmot family. The story begins in 1910 in Patterson NJ when actress mary Pickford faints on a movie set. In those days movies were shot on the East coast. It would be a few years before studios were in California. Movies will remain an important part of the novel throughout. Across...more

like · see review

Mar 10, 2013 Laura Cowan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Yet another brilliant literary book I couldn't finish. I'm working through a pile of contemporary lit I wanted to check out, and so much of it bores me because of its content. I think this says more about my changing tastes as a reader than these authors such as Updike, who are obviously very good at what they do. Just not my thing, I guess, though that surprises me because I do love so much classic literature. For me, a book needs to both grab me with its ideas and its story. So much modern lit...more

like 1 like · see review

Mar 14, 2010 Vera rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First John Updike book I've read, and probably the last. It started out promising, although depressing, describing a minister's loss of faith and the effect it had on his life and entire family. The high point was the section about his son Teddy, and the love interest with a club foot who he met in the small town they moved to when the father dies. He was a likable character in an affable, bland kind of way. But everything goes downhill from there. His daughter, Alma, becomes a vapid, self-cente...more

like · see review

Oct 30, 2011 Sherri added it

I'm glad I picked this book up used. I love Updike generally and this was no exception. It was different than his themes in other books I've read (like Couples or the Rabbit books) in that he followed a family through three generations beginning in the early 1900s, describing their faith or lack thereof (not necessarily in God) and the society in which each of the three main characters lived. I was captivated by his themes, rather than his characters or drawn into the plot (not a plot-driven boo...more

like · see review

Dec 12, 2011 fersher rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book. It is divided into 4 chapters, each focusing on different generations of the Wilmot family. It was difficult to get through the first chapter because I found it to be very boring, but once I did I really started to like the book and its characters. For anyone who likes stories about family and how we are tied together (whether we like it or not) should give this book a try.

like · see review

Aug 13, 2009 Cynthia Karl rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Aug 18, 2009 Marvin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion

A story of the fate of religious faith in the 20th century, from a Presbyterian minister's loss of faith at the turn of the century, through the myth-making power of cinema at mid-century, to a radical, cultlike faith in the 1980s. It's Updike's usual grand sweep, only more so, along with his perceptiveness about the passions of white, middle-class American males (like me), only more so, & particularly less of his usual preoccupation with sex.

like · see review

Jan 05, 2011 Gabriela rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was my first exposure to Updike and I loved his writing style and rich use of metaphor. He is amazingly detailed in his historical descriptions too--I was amazed at his knowledge of Presbyterian history for instance. Like most people, I liked the first half of the book better than the second, but I still thought the whole novel was cohesive and powerful.

like · see review

Jan 19, 2011 Katelyn Beaty rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: coming-of-age, pop-culture, theology, fiction

I picked this as an introduction to John Updike because I had read it was one of his most theological novels. Themes of doubt and secularization are certainly prominent, and are explored in a clever, engrossing way. Yet I was more intrigued by the structure: the sprawling family epic covering the entire 20th century, one of social disintegration and confusion, embodied in the preacher-turned-atheist Clarence and his progeny. I had difficulty with Updike's seeming obsession with sex (he's been de...more

like · see review

Oct 13, 2010 Chrissie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

John Updike and I have never quite gotten along. I want to love him. But I find I only like him.

This book has four sections. The first one was really really slow to get going. I liked the middle two a lot (I would have given those four stars). I started to like the last section. But then it went completely off the rails bizarro. And with it my four-star rating.

like · see review

May 01, 2013 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Doesn't quite follow through to carry interest in the characters and their stories. After the story of Clarence, which left this reader a bit incomplete and unfinished, the story devolves into part Hollywood nostalgia and trivia, part Colorado ski industry history and part Waco, Texas. Characters weren't really likeable throughout.

like · see review

Oct 22, 2009 Hrpattlsp rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was new to Updike when I began reading this- his prose style and descriptive abilities are amazing. So much visual imagery-and analogies that really pull you in. Updike has an ingenious way of telling the story through the various characters' voices and moving it along through the eyes and experiencesof different generations of people.

like · see review

Aug 26, 2008 Phil Koehler rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: my friends

Shelves: fiction

Updike is a writer who, frankly, just leaves me in awe. A brilliant mind working with the complexity of human relationships. He shows no interest in trying to dumb everythig down into a pseudo-Faulkner dream scape. Updike reveals life as people actually live in the un-pretty-fied world, within different social groups, over long periods of time. He's unbelievably detailed in his research and able to give the reader the perspective of so many diverse characters, with no superimposed judgement....n...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 54 55 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Signed Copy	1	9	Aug 13, 2009 07:58am

combine
Other Editions (20)

More editions...

Genres

Literature

6 users

Book Club

5 users

Novels

3 users

Contemporary

2 users

Family

2 users

Drama

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About John Updike

John Hoyer Updike (born March 18, 1932 in Shillington, Pennsylvania) was an American writer. Updike's most famous work is his Rabbit series (Rabbit, Run; Rabbit Redux; Rabbit Is Rich; Rabbit At Rest; and Rabbit Remembered). Rabbit is Rich and Rabbit at Rest both won Pulitzer Prizes for Updike. Describing his subject as "the American small town, Protestant middle class," Updike is well known for hi...more

More about John Updike...

Books by John Updike

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About In the Beauty of ...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: In The Beauty Of The Lilies
avg rating	preview: In The Beauty Of The Lilies Goodreads rating: 3.65 (971 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/85381.In_The_Beauty_Of_The_Lilies?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1171059724l/85381.jpg[/img][/url] [url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/85381.In_The_Beauty_Of_The_Lilies?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]In The Beauty Of The Lilies by John Updike[/url]

In The Beauty Of The Lilies

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website