- Paperback: 576 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (Jan 21 1997)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0449911217
- ISBN-13: 978-0449911211
- Product Dimensions: 14.2 x 2.6 x 20.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 404 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #325,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
When Clarence Wilmot, a Presbyterian clergyman, loses his faith and becomes an encyclopedia salesman, he opens the saga of one American family's twentieth-century relationship with God and all things religious.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
The spiritual and sexual malaise of a multigenerational American family is the focus of Updike's masterful novel, a six-week PW bestseller.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
IN THOSE HOT LAST DAYS of the spring of 1910, on the spacious, elevated grounds of Belle Vista Castle in Paterson, New Jersey, a motion picture was being made. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
IN THOSE HOT LAST DAYS of the spring of 1910, on the spacious, elevated grounds of Belle Vista Castle in Paterson, New Jersey, a motion picture was being made. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Going Downhill,
By
This review is from: In the Beauty of the Lilies (Paperback)
'In The Beauty of the Lilies' is a sweeping novel, concentrating on the fortunes of the Wilmot family in twentieth-century America. It could also be viewed as Updike's take on the changing nature of Christian belief in the USA.In the early years of the twentieth century, the Reverend Clarence Wilmot is struggling with his loss of faith - his reading of atheistic texts and familiarity with Darwin's theory of evolution have undermined his faith. The focus of the novel then changes, with the emergence of the cinema and Hollywood's domination of popular culture. Screen stars and the movies becoming, in effect, a new religion. As the century draws to its close, Christianity revives but among weird sects, whose 'prophets' worship the Bible in one hand and the gun in the other. I thought the 'In The Beauty of the Lilies' was a very uneven novel: the first section, dealing with Clarence Wilmot, is Updike at his introspective best, examining the challenges to religious faith posed by 'modern' thought, and in an interesting section, how one organised religion was seeking to accommodate itself, or re-justify itself in the face of that challenge. Thereafter, Updike sacrifices such deep insight due to the fact that he has a huge amount of time to cover: the book becomes much more plot-driven, and here Updike is not nearly so compelling a writer: at times it read little better than a soap opera, the characters becoming stereotypes. There are interesting sections (some of the Hollywood stuff is well written) but overall it doesn't live up to the promise of the beginning. G Rodgers
1.0 out of 5 stars
As ye deal with my contemners,
By A Customer
This review is from: In the Beauty of the Lilies (Paperback)
Though thoroughly bored, I read of Clarence Wilmot and wondered why others appeared to rate the book so highly. By the time I had read about Jared and his unquotable philosophy of life, I should have just stopped reading. In addition to appealing to a prurient audience, the book fictionalized events that are far too well known. The most interesting part was the movie reviews by the David Koresh character, such as his discourse on "Bonnie and Clyde".I suppose I should go back to my copies of Hawaii and Centennial. At least I could read these in public. I am now ashamed that someone saw me reading "In the Beauty of the Lillies" outside the privacy of my home.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Portrait of the American Religion,
By
This review is from: In the Beauty of the Lilies (Paperback)
This is the first of Updike's novels which I have read. I have a friend who holds a Masters degree in English literature who warned me before I began this book that Updike is over-rated. I enjoyed "The Beauty of the Lillies" and found the characters to be well drawn and compelling. Updike's commentary on American religion seems to be that we are either agnostics, like Clarence Wilmot, apathetic, like Teddy, uninvolved believers, like Emma/Alma, or fanatics, like Clark. Although the novel is a good read, I found it to be too long. I bogged down in the midst of the sea of detail regarding Emma's movies and affairs. This is an important book and deserves to be read. I will probably read more of Updike's work in the future.
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