Monday, June 15, 2009

Home Stumbles?

So says R.R. Reno about Marilynne Robinson's latest. Here's the conclusion:
Marilynne Robinson is a rare contemporary writer. Religious convictions animate her characters in all sorts of interesting, complex, and entirely believable ways. It is tempting, therefore, to simply champion her work. But I can’t. There are many affecting moments in Home when Robinson evokes the caressing familiarity of small town life, but as a narrative the story is largely inert, the characters are one-dimensional, and the dialogue too often mechanical. It’s not a strikeout. But after a Homerun like Gilead, it reads like a blooper to right field.
For those who have read the books: agree or disagree?