Everyone is raving about Lila. But I tried reading Gilead and Home before and just couldn't make it through them because of their rambling, will-you-please-get-to-the-point structure. Will I like this book more than Gilead and Home or are they all in a similar style?

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10 years ago
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Emilly Foster I am in the process of listening to the CD, I have not read any of her other books. I agree with you about her rambling and drawn out, meandering way of telling stories. If you did not like those other books, I don't think you will like this one, just like I don't think I'll like the others. This book is sort of reminding me of Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman, which was a bit boring and long, but the very end of GSAW was very interesting, enlightening, and worth waiting to read, and based on people's comments on Lila, I'm going to hang in there and finish it.

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Barb Cherem Probably not. Robinson's books are not heavily plot driven; they are what I'd call "Process" books and for a "type A" personality, they won't resonate as they'd seem like "rambling", but they are unique in their providing a rich context for some deeper meanings. I found the first 250 pages laid the way for the final 12 where poignancy exists mostly for the larger meaning laid earlier. This has to take some patience, and an enjoyment of process and the beauty of the language itself. Make sense?
She's a unique writer for sure. Some will like and find depth and poignancy, while others will find it all quite meaningless.

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