The Book of Bebb

by Frederick Buechner

Pulitzer Prize finalist Frederick Buechner's quartet of outrageously witty, inspirational Bebb novels in one volume.

Genres: Fiction, Novels, Classics, Religion

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Frederick Buechner is a highly influential writer and theologian who has won awards for his poetry, short stories, novels and theological writings. His work pioneered the genre of spiritual memoir, laying the groundwork for writers such as Anne Lamott, Rob Bell and Lauren Winner.

His first book, A Long Day's Dying, was published to acclaim just two years after he graduated from Princeton. He entered Union Theological Seminary in 1954 where he studied under renowned theologians that included Reinhold Niebuhr, Paul Tillich, and James Muilenberg. In 1955, his short story "The Tiger" which had been published in the New Yorker won the O. Henry Prize.

After seminary he spent nine years at Phillips Exeter Academy, establishing a religion department and teaching courses in both religion and English. Among his students was the future author, John Irving. In 1969 he gave the Noble Lectures at Harvard. He presented a theological autobiography on a day in his life, which was published as The Alphabet of Grace.

In the years that followed he began publishing more novels, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist Godric. At the same time, he was also writing a series of spiritual autobiographies. A central theme in his theological writing is looking for God in the everyday, listening and paying attention, to hear God speak to people through their personal lives.

Reviews

[Laysee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Book of Bebb is a tetralogy of the dubious Rev Bebb who runs a religious diploma mill. It is the first Buechner book that has failed to impress me.

This is a review of only the first story, Lion Country. Buechner wrote it between 6-8 weeks in 1971. The characters are not likeable; the main plot is diffused by extraneous layering of dreams or imaginary drama scenes that seem over-stretched.

Leo Bebb ordains ministers and doles out theological degrees to any man (never woman) who completes a correspondence course. Antonio Parr answers Bebb's ad and gets himself ordained with the intention of exposing him. There are also old news reports of Bebb having done time in jail for possibly pedophilia.

And yet, Bebb has justification for his shady business: "It's a mill, all right, but the product isn't diplomas. The product is people who are ready to go all the way with Jesus...What comes into the mill is raw cotton. What goes out is something helps keep folks warm and dry when the winter comes."

Parr has a twin sister, Miriam, who is dying. He also has a girlfriend Ellie whom he has strung along for seven non-committal years. Parr's relationship with these two women with whom he professes to be a little in love is the part that makes him the decent and compassionate man he is. But this is not the main story and I wish it were.

As it turns out, Parr visits Bebb in the Church of Holy Love in Florida, and observes that Faith College is but a garage in Bebb's home. However, he meets the individuals Bebb has influenced (Brownie, the assistant pastor, and Herman Redpath, a wealthy Indian entrepreneur who too sought ordination) and learns how he has brought healing to them in the strangest and most incredulous ways. He also becomes enamoured of Bebb's adoptive daughter, an entanglement that makes it well nigh impossible for him to follow through on his original intent to expose Bebb.

In his Introduction, Buechner offered the following critique of this book: "It has its faults, Heaven knows - its loose ends and ragged edges, its improbabiities and gaucheries, its barren stretches and lapses of taste." I agree.

I'm not sure I will read the other three stories (Open Heart; Love Feast; Treasure Hunt) about Bebb. But it makes me feel sad and disloyal to abandon a Buechner book.

[Andrew Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The real C.S. Lewis. William Faulkner meets Walker Percy meets Charles Portis. HILARIOUS. Amazing. Life-changing. This is a horrible review, but it's 100% correct.

[Gene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Four novels back-to-back. One would think the reader could tire of the characters, the style, the themes, but it didn't happen for me. In fact, it felt more like one novel to me, and I became enamored with the characters that Buechner created. One would be hard-pressed to find one normal person in the book, perhaps Antonia's (the narrator) nephew Chris, but all the rest are so quirky, so interesting, and so odd that I kept wondering what bizarre occurrence would follow the one I just read. It has that somewhat comic and eccentric feel of a Vonnegut story that makes for fun reading.

But it also dealt with some serious ideas. All of the believers or almost believers are morally flawed and trying to grasp by faith what is beyond their capacity to understand. Leo Bebb, the evangelist, is the most obvious example. He seems to love Jesus with great fervor, and yet at the same time it seems that his whole religious enterprise could be a money-making scheme. Just as soon as you are ready to accept him as a spokesman for Jesus, something is revealed about him that keeps you (and Antonio) from making that leap of faith. And when Bebb seems to be a vulgar scoundrel because of something he's done, he says something to give you a shoestring to grab hold of so as not to let go of him completely. In some ways Bebb is a good representation of the Church itself, sometimes so corrupt and tainted with vice that you want to give up on it, but at the same time there is something there that makes you certain that Jesus intends you to find Him through this compromised channel. And so you hold on; "I believe, help my unbelief."

I found that the book brought to life the concept that I've heard before but can only paraphrase as follows: For those who disbelieve, no fool-proof evidence is sufficient; for those who believe, no fool-proof evidence is necessary. Antonia struggles on the borderline between the two-states, and his struggle becomes the reader's struggle. How much do I trust Bebb? How much of this odd stuff can be true? Antonio, whose life is as random and meaningless as the art he creates, feels drawn to believe if for no other reason that he has nothing else. And ultimately, without faith in some truth that goes beyond materialism, our lives are just pieces of metal heaped in a pile, too.

The book is also permeated with the idea of grace, because not one of these characters is worthy of being a follower of Jesus. They all have done shameful things, but none of them feels closed off because of it. When I see the way Buechner draws out in me a love for the lost and foolish characters, as well as a desire to treat them mercifully, I recognize that Buecher is trying to help us see the way that Jesus looks upon us. How helpful it is to picture God's attitude toward us as something like the way we feel for Antonio, Sharon, Bebb, Brownie, Lucy, and the others.

The last novel has some interesting twists and unexpected turns to keep the reader in suspense.

The book is a bit more bordering on R-rated than one would expect. There are many innuendos in the dialogue that are true-to-life but maybe not suitable for kids, as well as vulgarities and language that many who would enjoy the ideas of the story might find to be a stumbling block. I did not.

This was a great book to read to wrap up the summer before taking on any super serious books as we head into the school year. I will keep my eyes open for other books by Buechner when I browse used books at library sales, garage sales, and the like.


... 2023 review ...

This second time through these four novels was also much fun. The stories are full of hilarious characters and uncomfortable situations. This time through I saw Bebb as a representation of the Church of Jesus Christ. He is in parts supernatural, saintly, and scandalous - just like the Church. Does one have faith enough to entrust oneself to him? This is Antonio's dilemma throughout the novels, and the question for each of us thinking to follow Jesus. (Raised my review to five stars because the book is so entertaining.)

[Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is easy enough to categorize this as a work of fiction - but from there...? It is witty and zany with a bizarre cast of characters who say and do outlandish things at times and yet there are times when the author slips in profound insights and truths about human nature that really hit home. I suppose the human 'condition' is one we all have in common and as such, something we can all relate to. In many ways this anthology of four novels is like life itself - not a straightforward story but one with twists and turns and odd surprises, with disappointments and moments of serendipity. While it is a work of fiction, Buechner's characters are "real" people.

[Rick Conti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bizarre, profound, hysterically funny. Buechner always amazes.

[Dvd · Rating 5 out of 5]

These four novels hold a lot of life, lived out, tucked in, tangled across, and shook up. Buechner’s characters converse not only with their often doubtful words but also with their unclear actions and honest feelings about belief and that which binds. Finding myself sometimes inside the conversation and sometimes far from it, I found this line from the 3rd novel, Love Feast, deeply resonant: “it was a tangle which somehow bound us life to life.”

[Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Frederick Buechner's writing and wanted to like this series enough to buy the full set. Maybe it was my fault but try as I might I just couldn't get engaged. Stopped half way through book 1.

I'll try again sometime Frederick

[Tim Kauffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, although the last two books merit a solid 4 or better. Messy, entertaining, confusing, and penetrating.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could never write a review to do this book justice. As an omnibus of four novels linked by the Bebb, the charlatan pastor I tend to think of these four as one book. Buechner's characters are deeply flawed people, struggling mightily to find a way to live their broken lives with some sense of integrity. Some seem to find a toehold on the ladder of redemption; others fail miserably. And throughout all the various stories, Bebb weaves in and out; a most imperfect man whom, seemingly inexplicable, has been chosen by God to do his work. Suffice it to say that I discovered Frederick Buecher's Book of Bebb at a time in my life where I would have given anything and everything to know that I had not been forsaken. I found myself in these pages; and thereby my toehold.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

While reading John Irvings memoir, “Trying to Save Piggy Sneed”, he mentioned “The Book of Bebb” which is really a compilation of four novels written over a number of years in the 70’s. I’ll have to get back to Irving’s work, now that I’ve devoured Frederick Buechner’s.
I haven’t been so challenged by a book since P.D. James’s, “The Children of Men” or Dostoyevski’s, “Crime and Punishment”.
The descriptive writing, characterizations, wording and references paint brilliant pictures. I will now begin again at the beginning, as I feel I’ve missed much. I read quickly, just to see where the story was going.
I loved this.

[David Meldrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written, comic-tragic story of the itinerant preacher-evangelist Bebb and the chaos of his family life and ministry. Buechner beautifully switches tones with effortless ease My only criticism is really that reading all four of these books back-to-back as I did doesn't allow each story to settle as it perhaps they were designed to be written. Still a fine acheivement.

[Joe Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book—4 novels in 530 pages. It's entertaining. The characters are strange, wild, bizarre, unfiltered but also quite believable as humans. The detail in the description is amazing—how in the world does the author come up with all that?

Quoting a line from his bio: " A central theme in his theological writing is looking for God in the everyday, listening and paying attention, to hear God speak to people through their personal lives." My experience was that, yes, there is "theological writing" here, but it often pops up when you are not necessarily expecting it and you might not recognize it as "theological writing."

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this was an average read, so I could have said 3, but I don't believe I would recommend this to friends, hence the 2. It is four-in-one Bebb novels. Self-made evangelist Bebb is a very odd bird, and I didn't think he was all that likeable. Although he is woven into everything, he's not actually the main character. Narrator Antonio is much more to the fore. Anyway, I though the most interesting was the last book, where Bebb's antecedents are explored after his death.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is four novels in one collection and they're all related to the same characters. the first two are excellent and the last two take dark confusing turns. he writes so beautifully it makes it all worth it though.

[Lonnie Massey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This group of novels tell the story of Leo Bebb, his daughter, and the reporter whose life becomes hopelessly entangled in theirs. Leo Bebb is a thoroughly despicable character, but you can't help loving him. It's ultimately a story of grace.

[Jackson Wangaard · Rating 3 out of 5]

the most confused ive ever been maybe about a couple characters. morally gray pastor? and also some other people that are written for the reader to probably dislike, but have dialogue or moments where they say something incredibly profound. idk.

[Karoline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished Lion Country today (the first of the quartet). In a nutshell, it's a story of rebirth, or conversion. It's on every page: allusions to the underworld, to the act of creation, to death and life, to the harrowing of hell, to the church ("Sharon"). It never stops functioning as a story, however. It impresses me how many levels this story operates on.

The thing I keep asking is this: Is Christianity the paramount mystery here, or is life the paramount mystery? Is Christianity the reality, or the metaphor for reality? It’s brilliant; it’s beautifully written; but which came first, the truth or the life?

The narrator of the story is highly self-conscious. He describes his whole life in literary and operatic figures. Perhaps ambiguity is unavoidable. The transcendent is almost always mediated to him through the secular sung or written word, then through ordinary - sometimes profane - events. No wonder the gospel gets muddy. I keep wondering, How much made it through? And I can’t tell.

In Buechner’s favor I have to say that his essays (rather than his novels) have always convinced me he believes the gospel to be central, vital, literal, and true. If this is the case, then Lion Country is deliberately parabolic, always alluding to truth through a picture, sometimes through sacred pictures, sometimes through profane pictures. I find I have to look pretty close to see which, if either, is more important.

Reading level: Adult. 18+ There's at least one very dirty character with language to match, several sex scenes (all "metaphorized"), and lots of more subtle stuff going on here. Read with your Bible open.

[Craig Childs · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually enjoy Buechner's novels, and a lot of readers consider the four volumes that comprise THE BOOK OF BEBB to be his finest. But they didn't work for me at all.

These books lack the succint, straightforward, proignant style of Buechner's later novels like SON OF LAUGHTER and ON THE ROAD WITH THE ARCHANGEL. Instead, these stories are an uneasy mix of
slapstick humor, theological rumination, existential angst, and melodrama.

It was hard to care for the characters, who are either overly passive (like the narrator and his wife) or simply too erratic and quirky to be believable (like the enigmatic Leo Bebb and his various cohorts and relatives).I felt like Buechner tried to turn all of them into "lovable losers"
but instead they just kept coming off as just bizarre and pitiful.

The writing style itself veers from coarse to poetical to overwrought--often all within a single scene. Metaphors tended to be overused and overworked, which made for tedious reading.

BOOK OF BEBB is out of print, but older copies are easy to find on the internet. Also, an e-book for kindle is now available. It can be purchased as a single-volume edition, or each novel can be found separately:
1. LION COUNTRY
2. OPEN HEART
3. LOVE FEAST
4. TREASURE HUNT

[Craig Childs · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually enjoy Buechner's novels, and a lot of readers consider the four volumes that comprise THE BOOK OF BEBB to be his finest. But they didn't work for me at all.

These books lack the succint, straightforward, proignant style of Buechner's later novels like SON OF LAUGHTER and ON THE ROAD WITH THE ARCHANGEL. Instead, these stories are an uneasy mix of
slapstick humor, theological rumination, existential angst, and melodrama.

It was hard to care for the characters, who are either overly passive (like the narrator and his wife) or simply too erratic and quirky to be believable (like the enigmatic Leo Bebb and his various cohorts and relatives).I felt like Buechner tried to turn all of them into "lovable losers"
but instead they just kept coming off as just bizarre and pitiful.

The writing style itself veers from coarse to poetical to overwrought--often all within a single scene. Metaphors tended to be overused and overworked, which made for tedious reading.

BOOK OF BEBB is out of print, but older copies are easy to find on the internet. Also, an e-book for kindle is now available. It can be purchased as a single-volume edition, or each novel can be found separately:
1. LION COUNTRY
2. OPEN HEART
3. LOVE FEAST
4. TREASURE HUNT

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have had this book on my shelf for awhile and finally got to it. In many ways I really don't know what to think of it. It weaves together a tapestry of life and death, faith and unbelief, and sin and virtue. The narrator of the book, Antonio Parr begins by attempting to write an expose on Lou Bebb who he thinks is a religious charlatan. Considering that this is where it starts, it is surprising where it ends up. It not necessarily a feel good read. It is perhaps more sad then anything. But great writing.

[Mark Seeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading Buechner. His characters are zaney, but very human. The situations he creates are highly imaginative and comic, but there is a fine line of redemptive grace that permeates through the narrative of these quirky, odd characters. This is my second time reading this set of novels. What I picked up this time around was the longing for home.

[J.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A crazy story that would not be as enjoyable if not written by Buechner. His outlook on life shines through and greatly affects the way this story goes. I appreciate his ability to use all sorts of language and not feeling that he can't because of his role as a pastor.

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not too long ago, I read The Book of Bebb. As a huge fan of Mr. Buechner, I had read more of his non-fiction than fiction. But I'm so glad I read this. It was a journey more than anything else and kind of like life, you never knew what was coming around the corner.

[Evan Hays · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good stuff. Humorous at times. Read these a while ago, so I'm a big foggy, but from what I recall their strength was in pointing out the real life of Christians: we are people who have weaknesses and doubts and fears and foibles, but Jesus saves us all.

[Patrick Mulcahy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I made it through Lion Country, and by the end really enjoyed it. But the second section just got to be a bit much for me, so I gave up on it. very strange characters, to say the least. Everything else I've read by Buechner I have loved.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really hated to see this series end. Buechner really made you care about the characters, which in my opinion is the sign of a great writer. This contains all four of the Leo Bebb novels. They each stand alone, but really should be read first to last, which you can do thanks to this anthology.

[Rebecca Waring-Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Off-beat characters and unexpected plot lines kept Ken and me reading this collection of books aloud the first year we were married.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky. Fun. Even decades later the characters pop into my consciousness, especially Bebb himself. Who is this guy? Genius? Con man? Lunatic? All of the above???

[Jay Colle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this set of books. Buechner is a great writer and incredibly diverse. Yes, I am a fan. The gushing ends now.

[Ben Fredrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really well-written, enjoyable book on so many levels. But really really challenging from a spiritual perspective. In some sense it is very "raw" and not for everyone. It shook me up.