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The Dearly Beloved: A Novel Hardcover – Deckle Edge, August 13, 2019
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“A thoughtful, beautiful multigenerational novel about love, God, jealousy, and friendship.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
“A moving portrait of love and friendship set against a backdrop of social change.” —The New York Times Book Review (Editor’s Choice)
“Here is the power of the novel in its simplest, richest form: bearing intimate witness to human beings grappling with their faith and falling in love. That Wall executes it so beautifully? Well, this is exactly why we read literary fiction...The best book about faith in recent memory.” —Entertainment Weekly (A-)
Charles and Lily, James and Nan. They meet in Greenwich Village in 1963 when Charles and James are jointly hired to steward the historic Third Presbyterian Church through turbulent times. Their personal differences however, threaten to tear them apart.
Charles is destined to succeed his father as an esteemed professor of history at Harvard, until an unorthodox lecture about faith leads him to ministry. How then, can he fall in love with Lily—fiercely intellectual, elegantly stern—after she tells him with certainty that she will never believe in God? And yet, how can he not?
James, the youngest son in a hardscrabble Chicago family, spent much of his youth angry at his alcoholic father and avoiding his anxious mother. Nan grew up in Mississippi, the devout and beloved daughter of a minister and a debutante. James’s escape from his desperate circumstances leads him to Nan and, despite his skepticism of hope in all its forms, her gentle, constant faith changes the course of his life.
In The Dearly Beloved, we follow these two couples through decades of love and friendship, jealousy and understanding, forgiveness and commitment. Against the backdrop of turbulent changes facing the city and the church’s congregation, these four forge improbable paths through their evolving relationships, each struggling with uncertainty, heartbreak, and joy. A poignant meditation on faith and reason, marriage and children, and the ways we find meaning in our lives, Cara Wall’s The Dearly Beloved is a gorgeous, wise, and provocative novel that is destined to become a classic.
- Print length352 pages
- SpracheEnglisch
- PublisherS&S/ Marysue Rucci Books
- Publication dateAugust 13, 2019
- Dimensions5.63 x 1.1 x 8.38 inches
- ISBN-10198210452X
- ISBN-13978-1982104528
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From the Publisher
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"The Dearly Beloved is a superb exploration of faith and marriage. Of all the books on this list — maybe this year — it’s the gentlest, a wise and searching story of purpose and passion, spanning decades and filled with empathy." —ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY Best Debut Novels of 2019
"God and literary fiction don’t always get along; perhaps that’s why Cara Wall’s The Dearly Beloved, a thoughtful debut that follows the lives of two ministers and their wives, feels so galvanizing. Its four characters get equal voice—Charles, son of a rigid academic; Lily, orphaned as a child; James, born into family hardship; Nan, a well-adjusted minister’s daughter—as they go to college, get married, find their callings, and weather tragedies. Wall’s approach is deceptively quiet and stirringly romantic. Here is the power of the novel in its simplest, richest form: bearing intimate witness to human beings grappling with their faith and falling in love. That Wall executes it so beautifully? Well, this is exactly why we read literary fiction...The best book about faith in recent memory.”—ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY (A-)
"Compelling...These human loves are beautifully brought to life in The Dearly Beloved. A moving portrait of love and friendship set against a backdrop of social change."—NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (EDITOR'S CHOICE)
"An unusually assured debut, the book examines faith with revelatory nuance...The beauty of this slow burner will stay with you, religious or not."—PEOPLE (BOOK OF THE WEEK)
“Writing with restrained lyricism, Wall's debut offers a kind of literary chamber music, combining the viewpoints of a quartet of characters across multiple decades and events. Finely drawn and paced and written with intense compassion…A moving, eloquent exploration of faith and its response to the refining fire of life's challenges.”—KIRKUS REVIEWS (STARRED REVIEW)
“Finely drawn and written with compassion and care, and every word is precisely chosen...This story will be beloved by book clubs and fans of literary fiction.”—LIBRARY JOURNAL (STARRED REVIEW)
"A rare and intellectually stimulating outing...By creating such well-defined characters, [Wall] is able to all the more effectively explore the role of faith, or its lack, in dealing with the pressures of marriage, child-rearing, and work."—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Underlying the very readable, honestly human propulsion of her characters' lives in their near-entirety, Wall does a tricky thing quite well, exploring the facts of faith and love at both their most exalting and most trying."—BOOKLIST
"Compelling...a sneakily addictive read."—VOGUE
"Wall’s clean prose and easy ability to move between the thoughts of her protagonists turn what could seem an inquiry into the nature of religion into a visceral look at how it binds people together. "—VANITY FAIR
"Compelling and thoughtfully written."—CHRISTIAN CENTURY
"A thoughtful, beautiful multigenerational novel about love, God, jealousy, and friendship." —ELIZABETH GILBERT, AUTHOR OF EAT, PRAY, LOVE
“When I began reading The Dearly Beloved I braced for piety, worried it might be a book only a believer could appreciate. Instead, I found myself carried along by Cara Wall’s luminous prose, and then by these characters and their stories. I saw myself in their doubts, in their hopes. There is no moralizing here, only empathy. When I arrived at the end I felt absolutely lifted by the spirit of the story.”—MARY BETH KEANE, AUTHOR OF ASK AGAIN, YES
“This wonderful book has all the things that are hardest to find in literature: good marriages sustained by abiding love; nourishing friendships that endure trials; nuanced explorations of religious faith; and characters who strive to do good for others while battling their own demons. What it has, in short, is that hardest-won of qualities in a novel: genuine goodness.”—MATTHEW THOMAS, AUTHOR OF WE ARE NOT OURSELVES
“I am not a Christian—not a religious person in any way—yet the explorations of faith in The Dearly Beloved speak to me on levels of extraordinary emotional depth, and with gut-wrenching meaning. I will cherish this book for a long, long time.”—THISBE NISSEN, AUTHOR OF THE GOOD PEOPLE OF NEW YORK
From the Author
I was raised attending The First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York, which was led by two dignified and august co-pastors. My favorite part of Sunday School was the soft plastic Noah's Ark that was missing the second giraffe. My favorite church activities were the square dance and the Halloween party, but I also took tap dancing and played shuffle board in the church basement. For several months in 1981, my parents and I lived in the sexton's apartment on the fifth floor of the church building, and for several years we managed to survive our church friends' annual whitewater canoe trip on the waterways above Lake George.
I began this book 15 years ago, in the summer of 2004. I was reading my way through Laurie Colwin's books, most of which are about family, marriage, and parenthood. I finished Happy all the Time, which tells the story of two couples through their courtships and early wedded lives. As soon as I closed the book I thought, "I could write a book like that," and Lily Barrett entered my mind's eye fully formed, elegant, guarded, and suspicious. Charles, James, and Nan followed quickly after, and I based their lives in the church I had known as a child.
I'm often asked why I wrote about ministers, and the answer is fairly simple: because ministers think deeply about life. But, really, the book is about the kind of community in which I grew up: a community of friends committed to one another's wellbeing, interested in each other's lives, joyously celebrating the good times and supporting each other through the bad--a community of people searching for the meaning of life in their relationships with one another.
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books; First Edition (August 13, 2019)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 198210452X
- ISBN-13 : 978-1982104528
- Item Weight : 1.1 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.63 x 1.1 x 8.38 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #265,703 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,068 in Mothers & Children Fiction
- #5,398 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction
- #15,411 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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Author Cara Wall on The Dearly Beloved
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The Dearly Beloved: A Novel
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About the author
![Cara Wall](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/amzn-author-media-prod/7rkr5cer96ev14uqupq22i5opg._SY600_.jpg)
Cara Wall is a graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop and Stanford University. While at Iowa, Cara taught fiction writing in the undergraduate creative writing department as well as at the Iowa Young Writer's Studio in her capacity of founder and inaugural director. She went on to teach middle school English and history and has been published by Glamour, Salon, and the San Francisco Chronicle. She lives in New York City with her family.
The Dearly Beloved is on the Long List for the Center for Fiction First novel Prize and is an Apple Book of the month for August, 2019.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers love the nuances of the characters and their relationships. They also describe the storyline as good and great. Readers praise the writing style as beautiful, realistic, and complex. They find the religious themes thoughtful, rich, and full of mysteries. Opinions differ on the emotional content, with some finding it full of love and heartache, while others say it's predictable and not as developed as they had hoped.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the storyline good, remarkable, and joyous to read. They also say the story about severe autism is well done and shares the lives of four people.
"This book is remarkable. It is a beautifully written story of friendship, of marriage, of parenthood, and especially of faith...." Read more
"...It’s just a great book!One can’t determine someone’s personal relationship with God by reading a novel that they’ve written...." Read more
"...development through the years of life’s challenges was so deep and wonderful. This engrossing story will touch everyone who reads this book...." Read more
"Wow. What a beautiful story that touches on so many seasons and trials of life...." Read more
Customers find the writing style beautiful, wise, and carefully crafted. They say the book is full of complexity, revealing how difficult it is to parent a child with autism. Readers also say it's simple, true to life, and easy to relate to. They also say the characters are realistic, vibrant, and flawed.
"...While it is a literary read, it is a very readable book without pretentious word choices or an overly stylized structure." Read more
"...book that is not the same tired Christian formula, but actually has realistic, vibrant, flawed characters with an excellent storyline, this book is..." Read more
"The book is well written and I enjoyed reading it...." Read more
"...There is plenty of wisdom and carefully crafted detail. Pure joy to read." Read more
Customers find the religious themes thoughtful, relatable, and interesting. They also describe the book as an engaging work of modern literature, full of mysteries. Customers also say it's refreshing and nonjudgmental, with descriptions of how we form connections.
"...There are passages of exquisite truth that will take your breath away. The novel revolves around the stories of two couples...." Read more
"I found this book to be a refreshing, non-judgmental, positive look at the church as an invitation for real people with real problems...." Read more
"The character development through the years of life’s challenges was so deep and wonderful...." Read more
"...The characters are wonderful and lives are complex. There is plenty of wisdom and carefully crafted detail. Pure joy to read." Read more
Customers appreciate the nuances and relationships of the characters.
"...Even some of the secondary characters are so three-dimensional that they will stay in my memory...." Read more
"...tired Christian formula, but actually has realistic, vibrant, flawed characters with an excellent storyline, this book is for you." Read more
"...It kept me turning the pages eagerly. The characters are wonderful and lives are complex. There is plenty of wisdom and carefully crafted detail...." Read more
"...The characters were fascinating and full of complexity...." Read more
Customers find the book full of love and heartache, joy and loss. They also say it's gentle, kind, and shows the fragility of life and friendships. However, some customers find the story predictable, abrupt, and unrealistic.
"...This is a gentle, kind, book of tremendous power. Even some of the secondary characters are so three-dimensional that they will stay in my memory...." Read more
"...elements that can have positive speculation, but overall the story seemed overdone." Read more
"...She weaves a complex tapestry in ways readable, relatable, and emotionally gripping. She touches hearts without being maudlin or sentimental...." Read more
"Loved how it showed the fragility of life and friendships !!..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the reading pace of the book. Some find it a quick read, while others say it's too slow for their liking.
"...It was a quick read and not boring but I hoped for a good deal more depth." Read more
"...Felt like it got kind of lazy" Read more
"The story overall was slow. Overall an intricately woven story. Characters interesting and well developed Overall good read...." Read more
"...The author's writing style was good, but the pace of the book was too slow for my liking." Read more
Reviews with images
![Amazing story of faith and friendship.](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/transparent-pixel._V192234675_.gif)
Amazing story of faith and friendship.
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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In my opinion, the “Christian fiction” genre has been lifeless, dull and repetitive for a long time. By contrast, if one IS seeking, this book is extremely user-friendly, thought-provoking, and original. However, It does not pretend to be in the Christian genre. It’s just a great book!
One can’t determine someone’s personal relationship with God by reading a novel that they’ve written. It isn’t a theological treatise; There is not to be a “how the believers should behave”— It is fiction.
If you want a very well written book that is not the same tired Christian formula, but actually has realistic, vibrant, flawed characters with an excellent storyline, this book is for you.
This story focuses around two couples, Charles and Lily, and James and Nan. You get a little bit of their upbringing and then the stories of each individual come together as couples and then all four of them. You follow them as they graduate college, get married, move to new locations, and ultimately both men taking a job that lands them in the same city. From there you follow their journeys as they navigate relationships and children.
This was such a beautiful work of fiction. The author doesn’t shy away from the doubt, restlessness, excitement, and joy that comes with following Jesus which makes the story all the more relatable. You get to see each of the four main characters form their opinions on faith (or no faith) and work through their differences. They use each other’s strengths and weaknesses to uplift and encourage one another which shows the beauty of friendship.
The first half of the book was hard for me to get into as there were 4 different characters I was trying to keep straight. They all had different upbringings and thoughts which made them all the more deep and well-loved characters, but it was hard to get my bearings at the beginning there. One the book transitions to both couples living in the same city and interacting with one another I found it much easier to read.
Overall, 5/5 such a great story!
I wanted to scream at the character Lily can't you see that possibly God could use your situation with Will and your determination to help him to possibly find a better answer medically for all the children in the future who might have autism. How does Charles the father so quickly lose his faith?
I did find it very true that only in working at a church can you completely not do your job and they will still pay you for months out of the goodness of their hearts. That is very true. If Charles had stopped showing up to a secular job, he would have been fired within a week or two.
It feels like it was a novel written about church and faith by an author who is not a believer and does not feel God or the Bible are really that helpful or true.
Top reviews from other countries
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I am a pastors wife and we live in an area away from family and it's comforting to see the two families become a family , being there for each other .
Well done !
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Another theme is children. Nan, to whom everything has come easily, has miscarriages while Lily gets pregnant with twins. Nan is ashamed of her deep response when one of the boys is diagnosed as autistic. Not much was known about autism then and it’s a nightmare ride for Lily and Charles. What this engenders is a deepening of honesty, connection and purpose between all four and the people around them.
In fact, this kind of thinking and feeling, of being shaken by challenge and working hard to deal with it is the great gift this book gives us. It’s no wonder it took several years to write. It has a profundity about the things that mean most to us that is relatively rare these days. Yet for all the awfulness and banality of social and political life these days, let us remember that there are crowds of people in this world who do hunger for meaning and do care to do what is right and good. Every year when my choir sings at the local citizenship ceremony awards are given to to old and young people who have done good in their community. The contributions they make are astounding. Cara Wall has done the world a great service in writing this book. She can be content about that, even if she never writes another thing.
PS: although I like the cover, it doesn’t seem enough for this novel. I can’t think of what would be though.
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