The Violent Bear It Away

I try to read 2 classics and 2 award winning books each month. This was 1 of the classics for June and for the 1st time in 2 years of reading I must say it didn't interest me at all. I should have researched a bit of what the book is about before starting! Strong emphasis on religion which is not my strong point. Also the author should have put names on some of the characters early on and used them all the time through out the book. Referring to characters as old man, nephews etc had me confused thru the 1st 1/3 of the book.
I'm sure this book s/b considered a classic to most folks but I was just sorry I read it!! DN