RaveThe Guardian (UK)Robinson’s reading is full of telling details and keenly observed parallels ... Although she is familiar with biblical scholarship and makes use of it where necessary, this work is best seen as a close, attentive reading from a literary point of view. In her approach there is something of the sense of astonishment and marvel that is present in her novels.
Marilynne Robinson
RaveThe Guardian (UK)Robinson’s reading is full of telling details and keenly observed parallels ... The Book of Genesis itself is printed at the back, in the Revised Standard Version, the one that still carries the cadences of the King James Bible while being more accurate. To read that and then Robinson’s careful analysis is to have one’s understanding of the text profoundly enriched and changed.
John Gray
PositiveThe GuardianJohn Gray is scathing about the intellectual pretensions of the \'new atheists\' with their \'smears and fulminations\' but sees in them a fault line that has run right through most forms of atheism since the 18th century. This is that in reacting against the creator-God of the Jewish and Christian traditions they have at the same time taken over many of their assumptions ... for Gray most of these forms of atheism are a form of repressed religion ... Unfortunately he does not make any real attempt to understand why the first Christians came to see Jesus the way they did and why, in their terms, this seemed justified ... while Dostoevsky was conflicted about his faith, Gray seriously underplays the strong Christian element both in his life and major characters ... This is a highly readable, fascinating book that jerks the debate on religion versus atheism right out of its crusted rut into the light of serious intellectual scrutiny.
