The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

How I Heard About It:

*While browsing GoodReads I came across this title.  Several of my GoodReads "friends" had read the book and gave it FIVE stars.  I was in the market for an adult novel so I ordered it on Amazon.  I started before the Christmas holiday, got busy, but then was able to finish right after the New Year.  

What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:
1.  *Two couples, two marriages, two ministers, one church.

2.  *Charles and Lily met during college.  Charles is going to be a minister.  Lilly doesn't believe in God.

3.  *James and Nan also met during their young-adult life.  James is from a broken family.  Nan is from southern high society.

4.  *James and Charles are both hired by a church in the Greenwich Village area in the early 1960's.  The congregation hopes these two men can bring the church back to what it once was.

5.  *The two men form a bond, both personally and professionally; but the same can't be said of their two wives.


What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
1.  *Because of my work with the Charlotte Huck Book Awards Committee, I don't always have the time I would like to devote to novels published for adults.  One goal I have for 2020 is to get back to more adult stories.  I'm happy I began the year with Cara Wall's novel.

2.  *The first section of the book introduced the four characters, their backgrounds, and how they met.  I enjoyed how different each of them were.

3.  *The next section brought the two couples together where the men began to "minister" at the church.  This reading was interesting because the men bonded while the two wives did quite the opposite.

4.  *In my opinion, Nan and Lilli brought the "angst" to the plot and stirred the "pot".

5.  *Toward the end of the story, one couple is dealt a really bad "hand" and my emotions were torn apart.


Who Should Read It:
*I would like to believe that all adult readers would find this a satisfying read.  Even though there is a heavy emphasis on God and religion, I don't think it matters where the reads "stands" on the spectrum of believing or not.  The writing is beautiful.  The characters are thoughtful.  The emotion is real.  Happy Reading!

Rating:   4 STARS out of 5 Stars