Housekeeping: A Novel Page

As Sylvie’s unconventional "housekeeping" (letting leaves accumulate inside, sleeping with her shoes on) becomes more erratic, the sisters drift apart. Lucille craves normalcy and order , eventually leaving to live with a teacher. Ruth, however, finds a deep spiritual connection to Sylvie’s transient lifestyle .

Marilynne Robinson’s debut novel, Housekeeping (1980), is a modern classic set in the fictional, isolated town of . It is a meditative, lyrical story about two sisters—Ruth and Lucille—and their struggle with loss, transience, and the definition of "home" after a series of family tragedies. 📖 Plot Summary Housekeeping: A Novel

Fearing the town will separate them, Sylvie and Ruth attempt to burn down their house and cross a high railway bridge to leave Fingerbone forever, living the rest of their lives as drifters. 👥 Key Characters Housekeeping: A Novel (Fortieth Anniversary Edition) who grow up haphazardly

A modern classic, Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, Unabridged Books, Inc. Inc. The story is narrated by

The story is narrated by , who recalls her upbringing alongside her younger sister, Lucille .

After their grandmother dies and two elderly great-aunts prove unable to care for them, their eccentric aunt Sylvie —a transient who has lived as a drifter—returns to Fingerbone to raise them.