Housekeeping: A Novel Audiobook

" This book is profoundly eloquent and poignantly illustrative. The emotional landscape of Finger Bone is painted hauntingly, and the story is completely captivating. However, although the story is penetrating, the conclusion left something to be desired for me. It is still well worth a read by my deduction. I tried reading Robinson's 2 other fictional tales subsequently, but found them dry, tedious, and challenging to get through, which was disappointing given the eloquence of her first book. "

" This is not so much a novel as a very long prose poem on the beauty of lakes, of flooding, of leaves rustling around the corners of houses, of sorrow, of surfaces and reflections and all the many forms water and loneliness can take. "

" Amazing, incredible. More like a poem, or a song, than a novel. Marilynne Robinson writes like a motherfucker, or an alien. No one had written a book before like this and no one's written one since. Holey moley. "

" Beautifully written, but sad. "

" Not sure what it all meant, but the writing was beautiful. Thousands of beautiful sentences. A dreamy, sad story. "

" Don't know what to think about this book, but can't stop thinking about it. Patience required. "

" A depressing read about two sisters orphaned by mother's suicide. First grandmother cares for them. Then two elderly great aunts and finally a confused aunt, the mother's sister. The aunt does not do an adequate job taking care of herself. So naturally, caring for two girls is a disaster. "

" Definitely a somber, pensive read, which I don't necessarily mind. Gilead was much more digestible for some reason though... "

" the title of the book is funny! The woman is a hoarder who keeps newspapers and tin cans stashed to the ceiling! About two girls taken care of by an aunt after their mother died. I would've rated it higher, but it was slow going. "

" This is one of my favorite books. The lyrical language, the characters, the place. It is, for more, essential. "

" Housekeeping is a wonderful novel, with language a pure as the bright morning sun. It is unlike any other book I have read. "

" Wonderful writing. Every sentence is perfect and to be savored. The books recounts the wistful melancholic journey of an eccentric family drifting further and further from the norms of conventional society. "

" A fascinating story of the fragile separation between mental illness and mental health. It sadly identifies the lack of compassion that has been present historically. Shows how slippery the slope of maintaining a healthy family life can be for those who struggle with this disorder. "

" I did not care for the plot but the writting was excellent. "

" One of the most beautiful and evocative books I've ever read. "

" One of my all-time favorites. Beautiful language, sad and funny in turn. "

" Robinson's writing style is effective and often beautiful, but I did like her novel Gilead better. "

" This book is full of religious allusions, and its writing is really dense, but also masterful and beautiful. It was kind of scary how much I identified with its characters and its story line. It's about outcasts, and society, individualism, conformity, religion, life, and death. "

" Depressing story, difficult writing style "

" I didn't really love this book but I loved the discussion we had at book club. However, I really loved the writing. Each sentence was beautiful-I'm not kidding. I loved the words but disliked the sad story they told. "

" This was a problematic read for me. For about three-quarters of the way, I found it one of the most boring books I've ever read. But about 40 pages to the end, the plot finally justified the ornate prose style and I found the ending beautiful and moving. "

" My third favorite of her three novels. Too metaphysical for my shallow head. "

" I thought this would be better. The prose is delightful but the characters don't seem quirky, they seem depressed. I may read it again to see what I missed... "

" A little self-consciously whimsical for my taste. "Fingerbone?" Really now. "

" The Observer lists this as one of the hundred best novels ever. I can quite see why. "

" Definitely a ton ten on my list "

" Beautifully written story, but often stark and depressing. "