LilaLila
Score Modern
What it's about
Neglected as a toddler, Lila was rescued by a canny young drifter, and together they made a life on the run, hard and sometimes violent but full of moments of love. When Lila arrives in Gilead, Iowa, she marries the town's elderly minister, John Ames, and struggles to reconcile the life of her makeshift family with her husband's gentle Christian faith, which seems to judge the people she loves.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was a National Book Award finalist. Marilynne Robinson writes about grace, faith and loneliness with rare depth.
You'll love it if you liked
Gilead
Stoner
Olive KitteridgeGood to know
It's the third Gilead novel but can be read on its own. It's quiet and contemplative.
By the numbers
- Readers50 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics74 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller34 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz3 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #84 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #380 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #752 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Thought-provoking
More by Marilynne Robinson
If you like this, read next
The Brothers Karamazov
The Fixer
My Name Is Asher Lev
Siddhartha
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
The Golden BoughExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Lila worth reading?
Yes. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was a National Book Award finalist. It ranks #752 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 75.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Lila about?
Neglected as a toddler, Lila was rescued by a canny young drifter, and together they made a life on the run, hard and sometimes violent but full of moments of love. When Lila arrives in Gilead, Iowa, she marries the town's elderly minister, John Ames, and struggles to reconcile the life of her makeshift family with her husband's gentle Christian faith, which seems to judge the people she loves.
How long does it take to read Lila?
About 7 hours (261 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Lila won?
NBCC Award (Fiction) winner (2014).
What should I read after Lila?
If you liked it, try Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, Stoner by John Williams or Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.