A Certain Man
Alfred Knopf, 1976
Born to an undertaker at the start of the 20th century, Charles (“Arley”) Minor grows up to preach resurrection in Congregational churches in rural New England and in the inner cities of Boston and Hartford, all while shoring up his followers before, after, and during World War II.
Rigor of thought and aptness of expression found only infrequently in the modern novel…The Christian Science Monitor
A novel that is made of the American earth.…Not since Thornton Wilder’s Emily spoke from the graveyard in Our Town have we heard a plain and lyrical American voice like Arley Minor’s…Cynthia Ozick
Its beauty shines for the reader like a pearl of great price…Boston Herald
Fine, heartening, stalwart…. Preciseness, high moral character, claritas, intensity of vision, Zane Kotker’s style is 35-jewel… The National Review
Fine and serious work…The New Republic
As hard and taut as the Yankee farmers about whom she writes…The New Haven Register
