Little Faith audiobook

Without a doubt the finest book I'll publish in 2019.

4.5 starsWhen this book was recommended by Ann Patchett in her newsletter, I knew I had to read it. And am I glad I did! Marialyce and I read this together and it gave us much to discuss and ponder. Peg and Lyle are a hard-working salt of the earth couple. They live in a small town in rural Wisconsin where everyone knows their neighbor and they help each other out when trouble strikes. They live simple, contented lives. The story is told mainly from Lyle’s POV. As his inner life and struggles are revealed, I found him relatable even though we live very different lives.These are characters that are so well developed I felt as if I knew them. The supporting characters are wonderful as well, especially Lyle’s lifelong friend, Hoot. I just loved him! Their relationship epitomized what it means to have a friend and be a friend.Years ago, after the devastating death of an infant son, Peg and Lyle adopted a daughter, Shiloh. After her tumultuous teenage years, she left home but returned years later with her 5 year old son, Isaac. Isaac is the apple of his grandparent’s eye and they enjoy a very close relationship, one that warmed this grandmother’s heart.But trouble is brewing. When Shiloh falls under the spell of the preacher of a radical “church” who believes in faith healing instead of medical care, Peg and Lyle fear for their grandson’s life when he falls ill. The dilemma of what to do provides much of the tension in the book. How far can and should grandparents go to intervene? There are no easy answers, and risks with any option. Knowing this story was inspired by a true event (described in the afterward) made it even more meaningful.Beautifully written and told over the course of a year, this book affected me deeply. It’s a story of family and friendship, parenting and grandparenting, love and life, faith and doubt, aging and illness. Thought-provoking and powerful, this story resonated deeply with me. It’s one of those quiet novels that has a lot going on under the surface and is quite deep. Highly recommended. This would make an excellent book club choice. For this duo review, and others, please visit Marialyce’s blog at https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...

Novela con una historia conmovedora y amarga narrada con mucha sensibilidad.Lo mejor, los personajes y la ambientación.Muy buena novela.

A thoughtful entry in the Quiet Midwestern books, pleasantly reminded me of Kent Haruf. But mostly I really enjoyed the look at faith and conflicts because of faith. This is a particular interest of mine, something I'm writing about myself (and why I have a "religion" shelf on goodreads). It's uncommon to see modern fiction really dwell on this topic in a way that feels empathetic. Lyle has gone to church his whole life though he doesn't consider himself a particularly religious man. But he's forced to confront and examine his beliefs when his adult daughter becomes involved with a new church and his best friend gets a terminal diagnosis. While there are some big plot pieces in here, much of what we see is following Lyle through the everyday as he worries about losing access to his grandson and examines the world in an attempt to try to relate to his daughter.My only real issue with this book's approach to religion is one that applies to most books about religion, it focuses not just on everyday belief but on an extreme sect. It feels like we can never get books about faith without getting something on the extreme side and that's a shame, though it's not this particular book's responsibility, just something I've noticed as a whole.

Este hombre no sabe escribir nada por debajo de la excelencia. Una delicia, una relación abuelo-nieto y una ambientación en lo profundo de EEUU que no tiene desperdicio.MARAVILLOSO

Four and a half stars.Lyle Hovde lives with his wife Peg in rural Wisconsin. Despite some troubles years up with their adopted daughter Shiloh when she was growing up, Lyle is pleased to have Shiloh back home along with her five year old son Isaac. What does concern Lyle, is her involvement with a church that is far different to the church which Peg and Lyle attend. While Peg has a faith, Lyle mostly goes along out of habit rather than a deep abiding faith of his own. When the pastor at Shiloh’s church insists Isaac has the ability to heal the sick, Lyle is suspicious and worried. Especially when Steven, the pastor’s actions do not seem to Lyle to be appropriate given his position as pastor and his romantic involvement with Shiloh. Over a year a lot happens in this family.This is a gentle, easy paced story about family, friendship and faith. I loved the relationship between Lyle and his grandson. Loved the friendship between Lyle and Hoot and how it was portrayed. Hoot is a real life wire. Also loved the picture of the marriage between Lyle and Peg. The characters are strong, well rounded and absolutely believable. From its stunning cover to the last page I was completely drawn in to this. At first I was a little nonplussed by the ending but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed exactly right. Not an author I had read before but I would be keen to read another by this author. The simple prose, strong characters, setting and observations of life, had me wanting to keep reading this book. It’s not going to be a book for everyone, but what book is? All I know is I loved it and was so glad I read it.

No one writes about the Midwest and the people who live there better than Nickolas Butler.

Otra joya de este escritor, libro que saca libro que me maravilla. Que forma de narrar las historias y construir personajes. En todos sus libros que he leído me ha echo transportar a los parajes del medio oeste americano y reconocer a sus personajes como algo propio de mi forma de vida viviendo yo en un entorno totalmente diferente. Bello y conmovedor dentro de la sordidez de la historia que cuenta. Gracias que su cuarta novela se publica en poco mas de un mes en España para disfrutar de otra nueva historia de este autor.