In the Beauty of the Lilies – John Updike

Begins in 1910 and traces God’s relation to four generations of American seekers: Clarence Wilmot, a clergyman in Paterson, NJ who loses his faith. Son, Teddy, becomes a mailman who retreats from American exceptionalism into a life of ordinariness. Teddy’s daughter, Esther, becomes a movie star, an All-American goddess. Her son, Clark, is possessed of a native Christian fervor that brings the story full circle.

Author

American novelist, poet, and critic John Updike was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on March 18, 1932. He received an A.B. degree from Harvard University. After returning from England in 1955, he worked for two years on the staff of The New Yorker, marking the beginning of a lifetime relationship with the magazine, during which he has contributed numerous short stories, poems, and book reviews.