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lalatut's review against another edition
4.0
I found this book to be really moving and beautiful. Still, it felt a bit like the author was writing about faith from the outside and didn’t quite get it. 4.5 stars.
eyreibreathe's review against another edition
5.0
I recently picked up The Dearly Beloved after a little hesitation, and I'm so glad I did! This novel centers around two couples and how their lives intertwine. Charles & Lily and James & Nan are brought together when the two men become ministers at the same historic church in Greenwich Village in the turbulent year of 1963.
Although this book revolves around two ministers and their church, I don't feel like this is a religious book. It's a story about growth, about evolving as a person, and about change and faith. I think that had I picked this book up at another time, I may have struggled a bit with it - it's character driven rather than plot driven, and it does move slowly. It's a book to savor. When I picked this up, I was in the mood to slow down, dig deep, and that's exactly what I got with The Dearly Beloved. The characters have such dimension and depth and background that I felt as if I truly knew them and understood what motivated their actions. I loved how the author introduces the characters separately first, allowing the reader to get to know each of them as an individual; and then slowly brought them and their partner together, allowing us to get to know them as a couple; and then finally brought the four of them together. This really allowed for a deeper understanding of all those little relationships dynamics that come into play. This was a gorgeously written novel, you guys. If you're in the mood for a slow paced book with depth, I'd highly recommend it.
Although this book revolves around two ministers and their church, I don't feel like this is a religious book. It's a story about growth, about evolving as a person, and about change and faith. I think that had I picked this book up at another time, I may have struggled a bit with it - it's character driven rather than plot driven, and it does move slowly. It's a book to savor. When I picked this up, I was in the mood to slow down, dig deep, and that's exactly what I got with The Dearly Beloved. The characters have such dimension and depth and background that I felt as if I truly knew them and understood what motivated their actions. I loved how the author introduces the characters separately first, allowing the reader to get to know each of them as an individual; and then slowly brought them and their partner together, allowing us to get to know them as a couple; and then finally brought the four of them together. This really allowed for a deeper understanding of all those little relationships dynamics that come into play. This was a gorgeously written novel, you guys. If you're in the mood for a slow paced book with depth, I'd highly recommend it.
booksmjc's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
etakloknok's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
bethalow's review against another edition
4.0
Delightful read, lots of layers and bittersweet till the end!
kara_jane's review against another edition
3.0
I got an ARC of Cara's debut novel. I really wanted to love it but couldn't. The characters were very full not much development. I only ended up like two of the characters towards the end. The ending felt so rushed there was really nothing leading up to it.
tarapollardyork's review against another edition
3.0
My heart went out to Lily and it was beautiful to see her character grow ... was a slow start to this book , but beautifully written . About faith, love, hope and friendship ...
sbayssassew's review against another edition
2.0
This book was painful for me to finish. That a church could accept two men to pastor them, who have no actual knowledge of, or belief in, God is astounding to me! Throughout the book, the two men struggle with their "faith" and the suffering they see in the world around them. They continuously try to reconcile it with who they think God is. But that is the problem, it's all about what they "think". They have no understanding of the God of the Bible. There is mention of Jesus or Christianity. We have objective truth about who God is and what he expects from us, but from reading the book you would have to assume these men have never even heard of the concept of the gospel. In fact in chapter 10 James says "But I don’t think God exists in the way people would like to believe; I don’t think God saves the day. I think it’s up to us. We know the rules, and we’re the ones who have to play the game.” That quote sums up the book for me. You have a group of people floundering through life in this hard world, trying to think (but really just feel, because not much logical thinking is actually done) their way through it and reconcile their experiences with some vague, being in the sky, who may or may not be there.
The Bible gives us the answers these men were looking for. Life is hard but God is good. The entire Bible is about how God saves the day. He doesn't watch our suffering from afar with disinterest. He enters into our suffering by sending his son to live a life of suffering and die on our behalf. He rose again, and one day we will too and all the suffering we have endured will be worth it if we truly believe that! That is what Christianity and church is all about. Without it, it's just more dry works that we can never actually accomplish. I wanted to reach into the book so many times and explain things to the characters, share the peace and joy the true gospel brings.
The last part of the book about Lily's experience with autism and her relationship with Nan made finishing the book bearable for me and earned it an extra star. But I found the characters to be flat overall. They were so consumed with their own thoughts and feelings, selfish towards each other, and full of disdain toward their parishioners. I didn't like a single one of them. Most of their "deep insights" were just shallow realizations that other people have feelings too, and often didn't really make sense to me.
I often read books written from different worldviews to understand people better and grow in compassion, but this book really had the opposite effect on me. I am SO glad to be done!
The Bible gives us the answers these men were looking for. Life is hard but God is good. The entire Bible is about how God saves the day. He doesn't watch our suffering from afar with disinterest. He enters into our suffering by sending his son to live a life of suffering and die on our behalf. He rose again, and one day we will too and all the suffering we have endured will be worth it if we truly believe that! That is what Christianity and church is all about. Without it, it's just more dry works that we can never actually accomplish. I wanted to reach into the book so many times and explain things to the characters, share the peace and joy the true gospel brings.
The last part of the book about Lily's experience with autism and her relationship with Nan made finishing the book bearable for me and earned it an extra star. But I found the characters to be flat overall. They were so consumed with their own thoughts and feelings, selfish towards each other, and full of disdain toward their parishioners. I didn't like a single one of them. Most of their "deep insights" were just shallow realizations that other people have feelings too, and often didn't really make sense to me.
I often read books written from different worldviews to understand people better and grow in compassion, but this book really had the opposite effect on me. I am SO glad to be done!
janmaj's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Characters coming at their faith, or lack of, from different directions because of their past experiences and upbringing. Thoughtful exploration of doubt and disbelief. The ending was rushed, but overall a worthwhile read.