Order of Book Series
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Marilynne Robinson Books in Order

Marilynne Robinson has written 14 books, published between 1980 and 2026. The first book is Housekeeping (1980) and the newest is On Faith and Freedom of Thought (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
14
Published
1980–2026
Pages on record
1,847 in 7 of 14 books
Reading time
31–46 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,847 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 7 of 14 titles with a page count on record.

See all 14 books in order Printable Marilynne Robinson checklist
Photo of Marilynne Robinson, author of the Gilead series

Marilynne Robinson writes novels and essays, the fiction concerned with clergy, fathers and sons, and the long arguments inside a family. Housekeeping (1980) opens the catalogue; Gilead (2004) begins the sequence continued in Home. The non-fiction runs from Mother Country through The Death of Adam, Puritans and Prigs, Absence of Mind and On Faith and Freedom of Thought. Fourteen titles make up the catalogue, published at long intervals.

How many Marilynne Robinson books are there?

Marilynne Robinson has 14 books, released between 1980 and 2026. 4 of them belong to the Gilead series.

Marilynne Robinson Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 14 Marilynne Robinson books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Mother Country by Marilynne Robinson (1989)
  2. Cover of The Death of Adam by Marilynne Robinson (1998)
  3. Cover of Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, book 1 of the Gilead series (2004)
  4. Cover of Absence of Mind by Marilynne Robinson (2010)
  5. Cover of Jack by Marilynne Robinson, book 4 of the Gilead series (2020)
  1. 1
    Housekeeping1980 · 219 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1980219
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Mother Country1989 · 262 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1989262
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Death of Adam1998 · 280 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1998280
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Puritans And Prigs1999 · confirmed 1/4
    1999–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    GileadGilead #12004 · confirmed 1/4
    2004–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    HomeGilead #22008 · 336 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2008336
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Absence of Mind2010 · 158 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2010158
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    When I Was A Child I Read Books2012 · confirmed 1/4
    2012–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    LilaGilead #32014 · 272 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2014272
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The Givenness Of Things2015 · confirmed 1/4
    2015–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    What Are We Doing Here?2018 · confirmed 1/4
    2018–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    JackGilead #42020 · 320 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2020320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Reading Genesis2024 · confirmed 1/4
    2024–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    On Faith and Freedom of Thought2026 · confirmed 1/4
    2026–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Marilynne Robinson series in order

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.

Marilynne Robinson books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Standalone books

10 books

10 Marilynne Robinson titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Marilynne Robinson books in order?

You only need to read Marilynne Robinson books in order within the Gilead series, which holds 4 of the 14 Marilynne Robinson books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.

Where to start with Marilynne Robinson

Start with Gilead (2004), the first Gilead book. The earliest catalogued title overall is Housekeeping (1980).

What is the newest Marilynne Robinson book?

On Faith and Freedom of Thought (2026) is the newest Marilynne Robinson book released so far.

Is there a new Marilynne Robinson book coming?

No next Marilynne Robinson book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards Marilynne Robinson has won

Wikidata records 8 awards and 5 nominations for Marilynne Robinson. The most recent 12 are listed here. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Mondello Prize2016Won
  • National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction2014Wonfor Lila
  • Women's Prize for Fiction2009Won
  • Pulitzer Prize for Fiction2005Won
  • Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize2005Won
  • National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction2004Wonfor Gilead
  • PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay1999Won
  • Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award1980Won
  • Booker Prize2015Shortlistedfor Lila
  • National Book Award2014Shortlistedfor Lila
  • National Book Award2008Shortlistedfor Home
  • National Book Award1989Shortlistedfor Mother Country: Britain, the Welfare State, and Nuclear Pollution

Marilynne Robinson at a glance

Still publishing
Marilynne Robinson published a book as recently as 2026.
Release pace
Marilynne Robinson books have appeared about one every 4 years on average.
Length
1,847 pages across the 7 of 14 books with a recorded length, a median of 272 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Marilynne Robinson books, 5 of 14, were published in the 2010s.

What the Marilynne Robinson books are about

9 of the 14 Marilynne Robinson books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: fathers and sons is tagged on 3 of 9. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.