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Author Ernest J. Gaines booklist (click here)

Book Review By David Loftus
In My Father's House by Ernest J. Gaines

Reverend Phillip Martin is a pillar of strength and rectitude in the small Louisiana town of St. Adrienne. He has led the fight for civil rights in the parish. One day, about 1970, a young, bearded and unkempt stranger who calls himself Robert X shows up in town for a meeting with the Reverend. When the two men meet, the young man's burdens come crashing down on both of them, and the Reverend Martin is forced to travel back into his wild and woolly past, to try to make some amends. This 1978 novel is a quieter, more measured tale than some of Gaines's other novels, but no less deeply felt.


Plot & Themes
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1960's-1970's
Ethnic/Regional/Religion
Family, struggle with Yes
Struggle with: - Father (or standin)
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - 40's-50's
Ethnicity/Nationality

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status:
How sensitive is this character?

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 4 ()
United States Yes
The US: - Deep South
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee - hostile, like Gomer Pyle on steroids

Writing Style
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only - descript of kissing
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
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