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Treasure Hunt: A Novel
Gertrude Conover discovers a cassette recording in which ex-con Leo Bebb, the founder of the Church of Holy Love, Inc., bequeaths to Antonio and Sharon Parr his house in Poinsett, South Carolina
- GenresFiction
231 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
50 people want to read
About the author
Frederick Buechner
93 books1,241 followersFrederick 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 6, 2017
This might be my favourite of the "Book of Bebb" novels but all throughout the series I was disappointed and underwhelmed. Leo Bebb is a great character, but the protagonist Antonio Parr is boring as hell.
January 30, 2020
I read all these books in a single anthology. And one of the reviews on the back calls Bebb "One of the few great characters to emerge from American fiction in the '70s." And I just don't see it. These books are strange, and perhaps if I was reading them aloud to someone I would find and see and hear the humor. But mostly I just wonder why - why am I reading this, why were these written, what could possibly be the point?
July 13, 2021
Can't say I was too impressed by this book. It's part of the multi-volume "Book of Bebb"--and yet Bebb died in the last novel. So this is a bit anticlimactic, to say the least. The appearance of a twin brother and alleged postmortem appearances of Bebb himself don't really help. They are perhaps a bit ridiculous.
March 6, 2018
Finally finished this last act of The Book of Bebb. I have to say the story became so strange to me that I was afraid I was hating it, but in the end I was satisfied. Beuchner's writing, as good as it is, kept me going, although I'm not sure I'm smart enough to appreciate it.
May 4, 2020
A most fitting capstone to the story of Antonio Parr and Leo Bebb. There's a homesick feeling that permeates the pages of this book, a longing for that far green country we behold only by faith. Well done indeed.
August 4, 2022
Reread the Bebb books after 30 years.Buechner remains for me one of the most insightful, thought provoking, humorous authors.
March 21, 2012
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
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
July 8, 2012
The thing I like about Buechner is all the normal boring and sad stuff happens to people in his books - getting old, losing faith, sickness and death, ambiguity and doubt - but then you turn the page and there's a miracle, a God-sighting - right smack in middle of the rest of life.
October 6, 2009
I re-read this over the summer. Apparently, as it's book 4, I should go back and read the others.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews