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Rating: 
Summary: At Home with Kingsolver
Review: "Homeland and Other Stories" showcases Barbara Kingsolver's remarkable ear for heartland speech as well as her talent for painting the every day struggles of people through exquisite but understated detail. Kingsolver never falls into melodrama nor does she show disrespect for her characters. This is a beautiful and powerful collection.
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Summary: Not as good as her other work, but still enjoyable reading
Review: Barbara Kingsolver possesses an amazingly adventurous breadth of literary talent. She has written novels, short stories, essays, nonfiction, and poetry. Although I don't believe her short stories stand out as brilliantly as does the rest of her writing, they are nonetheless enjoyable reading.The two stories in this collection that particularly stood out to me were the title story, "Homeland," and "Covered Bridges." "Homeland" is the moving story of Gloria St. Clair, a native of "a coal town hacked with sharp blades out of a forest that threatened always to take it back," and her "Great Mam," a woman who belonged to the Bird Clan, "one of the fugitive bands of Cherokee who resisted capture in the year that General Winfield Scott was in charge of prodding the forest people from their beds and removing them westward." It is particularly lyrical and full of evocative images, metaphors, and language, drawing on Kingsolver's own Kentucky and Cherokee roots and apparent love of the land and its native peoples. "Covered Bridges" has a familiar Kingsolver protagonist with a background that reflects Kingsolver's own educational and professional background in biology, and particularly her interest in quirky, little-known biological facts. Lena is a specialist in toxicology and operates a poison hotline at the county hospital. We also discover that Lena has a deadly allergy to the stings of bees and wasps. "Covered Bridges" explores the relationship between Lena and her husband and examines the question of whether or not they want to have children. I readily recommend Kingsolver's earlier work, but discourage reading her more recent work, starting with "Prodigal Summer." I admire her most for the risks she takes in tackling new and different projects and genres (even "Prodigal Summer"), rather than rehashing the same, well-worn theme. Reading these stories provides a fuller picture of who she is as an author and where her passions, concerns, and interests lie.
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Summary: Wonderful short stories
Review: Homeland and other stories is a wonderful collection of extremely well-written short stories! Exploring the themes of family and nature, Barbara Kingsolver opens our eyes to different points of view, and shows us new ways of looking at old points of view. Kingsolver is, in short, a genius! The masterpiece of this collection is Rose-Johnny, a story about a very masculine woman and the little girl who befriends her, and the price paid for truly being "different" in American Society. Other great stories are: Homeland, Stone Dreams, and Quality Time. Read this book, make your soul grow.
Rating: 
Summary: Rose-Johnny is the shining star
Review: Rose-Johnny is the shining star in this awesome collection of short stories. It deals with many different small-town prejudices, and the outrage at the 11 year-old level that little Georgeann feels. My favorite story, from a humor standpoint, is Blueprints. Although it is not a funny story per se, the comments and thoughts that Lydia makes about Whitman's friends are hilarious. These friends are so concerned about Mother Nature and the environment, but haven't bothered to visit them once they moved out of the evil city into the foothills. These same friends insist that fertilized eggs are better for you than unfertilized eggs (show me the scientific evidence), and name their children after vegetables. I am sure these guys look at you wrong if you don't buy organic coffee beans from Guatemala. I think Barbara Kingsolver has little tolerance for those nature-type-wanna-be's (here, here). All these and the rest of the stories are beautifully crafted, with many reflections on nature. Wonderful book, not to be missed.
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