based on some of the reviews and discussion on facebook I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book. And now that I've read some lukewarm reviews on this site, I can appreciate the constructive criticism. However for me it was a great book. Yes a lot focused on their college lives - But to me the was the developmental years for their characters and beliefs. yes the characters were flawed and focused on religion and marriages...but that's the story part of it. I thought it was an excellent read and certainly gives a lot for discussion. It would have been interesting to read a bit more about the characters older years...but I think the most important parts happened as the author wrote them. Good novel for this authors first time out.

The Dearly Beloved, Cara Wall, author; Kathy Keane, narrator
This novel is about relationships and how they mature through experience over the years. It is a progressive approach to life’s problems, like poverty, race, religion, education, parenting, illness, loss, compassion and life in general. It is about need and dependence as much as it is about independence and solitude. Each of the characters is unique, and still, they all manage to find common ground and to enrich the lives of each other.
The book takes place over a period of about 50 years, but concentrates on the initial years of the interactions of the characters. It begins with a death and moves back in time to fill in the gaps and develop the story. It is peppered with interesting characters that rise to the occasion when challenged with situations that appear insurmountable. It is about marriages of opposites and the power of compromise in the face of what seems like an impossible enigma. It is about dogma, intransigence, opportunity, open mindedness, freedom, civil rights, health care and more. It is about how each of these ideas affects the lives of the characters.
Charles believes in G-d. He goes to Divinity School to become a minister. He is very disciplined and sure of his faith. He marries Lily, an academic who does not believe in G-d. She refuses to attend church. She loves the city and prefers to be alone. She does not desire friendships, but rather intellectual camaraderie. She is a bit of a radical.
James does not know if he believes in G-d, but he feels he is called to the ministry because he wants to bring about social change. He does not like protocol and is willing to break rules. He marries Nan who is very devout and loves being involved in the church. She loves community and would like to make friends and socialize.
As polite and well mannered and well groomed as Nan is always, Lily is the opposite. She is often unconcerned about her appearance and can be very rude and selfish. Nan is motivated by a need to help and Lily is motivated by a need to protect herself from further loss.
Jane Atlas is the chief administrator of the church that employs both James and Charles jointly. They are two sides of the same coin and work well together. Jane is a no nonsense senior citizen, completely in charge who guides them through their early time as they get to know each other and the parishioners. She knows instinctively, and from experience, what the members of the church desire in their ministers.
Annelise is ayoung woman who marches to her own drummer and is innovative when it comes to teaching methods for children who are developmentally disadvantaged, either physically or mentally or both. She is willing to try new approaches as she treats those she helps with respect and acceptance.
Marcus is a young black man who helps out at the church in order to pay for and complete his higher education. He is also a kind and compassionate young man of color. He and Annalise fall in love, although, they too, are total opposites, and of different races. The one thing all of these characters have in common is their desire to enrich the world in some way.
In this book, all of the tragedies, misfortunes and misunderstandings are approached with solutions that open new opportunity rather than shut doors to progress. Each character grows as they make their relationships work as they muddle through their issues, always with a forward look, never an angry backward approach. No problem, no emergency, no unexpected occurrence ever holds these characters back. They stop and think and find solutions which enable them to deal with their challenges and work out their issues so that the outcome is positive or the best it can be. They do not hold grudges, and they do not harbor grievances. Their lives are guided by love and not a desire to disrupt or destroy. They want to build and grow. Although there are times when one or another character succumbs to the vicissitudes of life, it is short lived. They regroup and move forward. Whenever possible, they offer help and forgive those who are rude or selfish. The greatest thing about this book is how things work out, how differences are overcome, how they are part of the solution and not the problem.
The book is about the different ways we look at life, approach religion, accept differences in others and overcome our hardships. These characters soldier on and always find a way to see the silver lining, not the clouds. They look for ways to appreciate what they have, rather than condemn others for what they are missing. They are independent and responsible adults, although they are different; some are nerdy, some quirky, some staid and some flamboyant, but all seem to be motivated by the right ideas.

While you will find THE DEARLY BELOVED shelved among many other novels, this one should stand out. It is character-driven, which can be a good sign, but plenty of authors get it wrong. Cara Wall doesn’t.

THE DEARLY BELOVED is about four people, James and Nan, Charles and Lily. James marries Nan, a devoutly religious daughter of a minister. Lily reluctantly marries Charles. James and Charles become ministers and preach together for 40 years. Each of these four people is examined over 50 years.

Character-driven novels always run the risk of becoming boring. That is partly because they often contain little or no plot. This could be said of THE DEARLY BELOVED, but Wall has included in it topics that other novels shy away from such as discussion of faith in God (and lack of it), living with a mentally deficient family member, and good marriages that endure. Her careful analyses and well-written dialogue will keep you engaged.

While this was a difficult book to get into, the last half of the book was well worth the effort. The story begins at the ending, but quickly moves to the early lives of the four main characters, Charles, Lily, James, and Nan. Readers learn about their childhood traumas and their families' expectations or lack there of for these four young people who will eventually meet, marry, and join together to form bonds built through love, strife, faith, and frustration. I highly recommend this book. DO NOT GIVE UP. It is so worth it to see the blooming of these intertwined lives in the mid-twentieth century in America.