Those who have followed Updike's multilayered theological struggles since his first novel, Poorhouse Fair in 1959, will find Updike at his best in Lilies. (religion-online.org)
Soon after becoming bishop, he put his authority into action, establishing soup kitchens, hospitals, hospices and poorhouses throughout the region. (relevantmagazine.com)
A work such as this was never from God: poor people evicted to wander the road, or to the dark poorhouse where man and wife lie in separate wards, locked apart till they die. (firstthings.com)