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Loading... The Testament of Gideon Mackby James Robertson
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Thought-provoking novel purporting to be the autobiography of an agnostic minister who believes that he met Satan. Framed within an introduction by a fictional publisher and notes from a fictional investigative journalist, the story has a very strong sense of place in the Scottish Highlands and a distinctive Scottish voice. The central theme seems to be about the nature of faith and belief in general rather than about theology; it is an essentially secular tale abut a religious man. (  ) TheoClarke | Dec 6, 2009 |  A haunting tale of a agnostic pastor's struggle with faith in the midst of life. The book really gets interesting when he's finally confronted with his faith with a rendezvous with the devil. At that juncture the tough decisions come into play. This would make the perfect book club book to discuss with lots of friends because opinions of his choices would vary greatly. (  ) revslick | Oct 2, 2009 | The Testament of Gideon Mack takes the form of the memoirs of a troubled minister in the Scottish church, after he claims to have met the devil in a gorge in the highlands one day. It was longlisted for the Booker Prize, and I found it competently written, and mildly entertaining. I wasn't really engaged by the book, I think partly because it was very firmly set in the Scottish Highlands, and the characters failed to make much of an impact. (  ) MisterJJones | Aug 22, 2009 | This is the story of Gideon Mack in his own words. The son of a minister of the Church of Scotland. Who does not belive in God, does not want to end up like his parents and revels in rational arguement and discussion. This last testament follows how he goes from rational non believer to, what the local community called, being insane. You see how his world unravelled due to the death of his wife and how much they became like his parents and him like his father. Everything he did not want in life. However when he met the devil he believed this happened and a certain religious belief appeared. But the one time he did believe he then became shunned by the church community. There is no death, murder, suspects here in this book. It is a look into the world of someone has started off with everything and slowly lost it all. Did he go mad or did he see the devil though..........read it and make your own conclusions. (  ) StuartAston | Jul 19, 2009 | A bit superficial, but entertaining enough. I got frustrated at the lack of depth when there was some good stuff to get your teeth in. ( ) Tifi | Jun 17, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
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| Book description |
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A good man—and a good minister despite his atheism—Gideon Mack leads a respectable life that is shattered when he falls down a ravine and into the raging river below. Presumed dead, he emerges three days later, alive and claiming he had been rescued by the devil. After being suspended from the Church, mocked by the tabloids, and shunned as a madman, Gideon disappears. The case is considered closed until a publisher receives what appears to be Gideon’s posthumous memoir of his experience and the unusual life that preceded it.
The son of a minister, Gideon grew up in a joyless house under his father’s repressive thumb until a fateful clash over an episode of Batman sets him free—or so he thinks. Decades later, Gideon’s life is upended when he discovers an enormous stone in the local woods whose mysterious—and possibly supernatural—appearance begins to unravel his understanding of truth, faith, and how much we can trust our own perceptions.
The Testament of Gideon Mack is a riveting and brilliantly imagined novel that heralds the arrival of a true original to American shores.
(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:52 -0400)
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