In many ways, In the Beauty of the Lilies is the story of American society in the twentieth century. The four principal fictional characters, all members of the Wilmot family, live through these eventful hundred years, witnessing the growth of the United States from an emerging industrial and political leader among nations before World War II through the decades of warfare and internal turmoil that culminate in the country being left as the lone superpower on the planet. Surprisingly, however, little of national or international politics takes center stage in the novel. Instead, Updike focuses on the domestic and personal sides of the Wilmots's lives, intent on examining not the character of a nation but the character of individuals whose collective experiences have shaped the moral fiber of the country.

James Garner, an early reviewer of the novel, links Updike's attempts with those of many of...