A congregation member read this book in her book group and suggested I would like it.
The book is a letter from an older preacher to the young child of his old age. He is trying to give his son some wisdom to carry him forward. John Ames is nearing the end of his life and will not see the child grow up. He tries to let his son know a bit more about where he comes from.
And so we get some of the history of the Ames family. John is a third generation preacher (I believe in a congregationalist setting) and the church in which he preaches is the church where his father preached. Gilead has been home for his whole life.
The letter John is writing to his son is written over a period of several weeks. It is a bit of a stream of consciousness piece as John jumps from topic or event to another, then reminds himself what he meant to be talking about. Mixed in with the history of his family and his own personal biography are reflections about theology and faith -- particularly reflections about grace as the book nears its end.
Good book. One that was often hard to put down.
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