This very beautiful novel is written as a letter from an elderly, dying Reverend, John Ames, to his very young son. The Reverend is the third generation leader in his small congregation in his smaller town on the American Plains. As he reflects on his own life, and those of his father and grandfather, he also is visited by his friend’s son, who is in trouble and seeking help of some sort. There is clearly a very unusual relationship between this man and John Ames, and this creates the little story line that carries the novel.
This is not the kind of book that grabs you with action and holds you to the end. This is more the type of book that you have to read slowly, to let the words wash over you so that you can absorb the wisdom within these pages. It is reflective and pensive and peaceful, and I found myself re-reading many passages in order to appreciate them fully. And while it is religious, in a sense, it is also universal and I feel that anyone from any background can appreciate the beauty in the words written here.
Read this, take your time, and re-read the lines so that you, too, can love this book as I do.
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