Rating: 
Summary: Truth and Beauty
Review: "I have been afraid of putting air in a tire ever since I saw a tractor tire blow up and throw Newt Hardbine's father over the top of the Standard Oil sign." Suddenly you're right smack-dab in the middle of Taylor Greer's life, and from page one, you're loving it. Or, maybe I should say you're loving her. You know those books where it's as if the narrator is really talking to you? The Bean Trees is a perfect example. Taylor's voice is easy and conversational, with a definite southern twang, and when you're reading the book, you can just picture yourselves sitting on someone's front porch, drinking iced tea and talking through sunset until the stars come out.
Taylor's life is no picnic, though. During the course of the book, she leaves behind her nondescript future in Kentucky, and travels to Arizona, gaining an unlooked-for toddler named Turtle on the way. In Arizona she meets people she normally wouldn't, and learns a lot about life and hardship in the process. She finally gains the courage to put air in a tire after an old woman named Mattie, gives her a job at Jesus is Lord Used Tires. She meets Lou Ann Ruiz, who was emotionally abused and later abandoned by her husband. And she meets Esperanza and Estevan, a married couple, former teachers in Guatemala, whose daughter was taken from them, and who illegally escaped government persecution
The book was incredibly real. (...) a lot of stories will give you this happily-ever-after ending, gift-wrapped, with all the lose ends tied up neatly in a bow. But not The Bean Trees. Its reality is one of the reasons it is such a wonderful book. But despite its almost harsh truth, it leaves you with a sense of the beauty of the world, and a belief in the underlying goodness of the human race.
Rating:
Summary: An exceptional read.
Review: "The Bean Trees" by Barbara Kingsolver is a story of determination, love, motherhood and responsibility. In this truly touching and uplifting story of exploration and growth, a wayward spirit finds her path, and learns to live and let live. Although at first I was skeptical as to the subject of the story, thinking it was just another girly book, I came to very much enjoy the way in which this book was written, with deeper meaning around every corner and description in that down-to -earth, no-nonsense manner that really made me pay attention. The female-empowerment tone to this book makes it an even more attractive read to women, and talks the reader through difficult, shocking and amazing challenges.
Not content with her life in Pittman County, a small town in Kentucky, fiery Marietta Greer breaks free from those low expectations and travels away from home looking for herself,not knowing where she is going or when she will get there. Her somewhat slow start to life swiftly accelerates as she comes upon a baby girl, meets amazing people and forges her path in life. This marvelous novel's pace accelerates until it reaches a dramatic close, a close leaving me satisfied...but still wanting more. The pain of a small-town existence as well and the vastness of the world outside are expressed in harsh relief in this truly excellent book. Kingsolver's storytelling made my heart go out to little Turtle, my pity to Lou Ann, and my contempt to Angel. I really connected with these characters, as I, the reader fell into the story, submerged in the rich adventures, only able to extract myself at the climactic finish. This book is also a harsh exposure to the horrors of immigration. I found myself horrified by the depth of abuse Esperanza and Esteven endure, as I connected with such dynamic characters as Mattie. As I read this book, I found myself questioning my morals the whole way, my eyes opening to a bigger scheme of things, a place where beans grow on trees and tire shops are named Jesus Is Lord.
"The Bean Trees" is so choc-full of emotion it will leave you dizzy as you are caught up in the whirlwind of life that is Miss Taylor Greer's.
I recommend this book very much; it is a captivating and interesting read, a joy to experience.
Rating:
Summary: German students go "West"....
Review: "The Bean Trees", a novel written by Barbara Kingsolver, is an interesting and exciting story of a young woman who leaves Pittman County to start a new life without worries.
Halfway through her trip, she finds herself an instant mother of an infant who is thrust into her arms at a bar. In Arizona, she works at a burger joint and encounters illegal immigrants and a blind woman.
Marietta, who decides to be known as Taylor, does all this and more in Kingsolver's compelling tale of self-discovery and independence.
The book deals with many topical problems, for example young motherhood, the weight of friendship and family and describes the tumultious life of women who are "forced" to live without men.
Taylor's life begins anew, as she wanted, since she now must care for the abused, mute child she affectionately names Turtle. She also befriends the owner of a tire shop and bonds with another single mother. After years of feeling isolated, she suddenly has a sense of belonging as she reaches Arizona.
Kingsolver brings her characters to life with vivid descriptions and alarming imagery. Taylor, who narrates the story, tells her tale in a lively Kentucky dialect, which adds incredible depth and reality to the novel.
We are five students from Germany who were supposed to read the book for our English lessons. We have to admit that for foreign pupils it might be a bit difficult to read this novel because there are a few unknown words and the conversation is partly written in colloquial speech.
All in all there are situations that opened our eyes to historical events we never understood, including the Central American immigration and the differences between various regions of theUnited States. We highly recommend "The Bean Trees", and we are happy to have had the pleasure of reading it. Especially for people who are interested in the American history, the development of very strong characters and the fates of some very poor people, this novel is a great reading adventure.
Rating: 
Summary: Not So Hot
Review: For some reason we were made to read this book for english, and it is a horrible example of how books should be written.
It was written with absolutly no climax, un needed characters, and parts that were incredible unrealistic, yet teachers think that it teaches us somthing. The only thing this book tries to teach us is that all males are bad, and that illegal immigrants should be aided in their quest to illegally stay in the country.
One of the biggest characters lou ann gets 2 or 3 chapters about just her life, only to be hacked out of the story, never to be heard from again. There are several other characters that could have been ommited completely, and the basic, boring, plot wouldnt have changed at all.
The "challenges" the characters faced in the book were all brought upon by themselves. At any time taylor could have refused to take care of turtle, or refused to help the illegal immigrants, or moved back to pittman county. Lou ann could have stopped associating with angel and she would have been a lot better off, but she doesnt, so i have no sympathy for her.
FINAL WORD: This is a completely horrible book that should not be read by anyone, i am insulted that this was printed, as it is a disgrace to those who work hard, and publish books with actual substance. The whole thing is full of blatent disregard for the real world and those who inhabit it, right down to the title, because beans grow on plants.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down . .
Review: I don't have much to add to the numerous other favorable reviews here, but I did want to give it the 5 stars. I enjoyed this novel immensely. I read it in one day. The characters were real, well-developed, and easy to care about. The story, too, is touching but not so drenched with sentimentality that it veers into melodrama. The main plot and the sub plots merge gracefully at the end into a very satisfying conclusion. Kingsolver has given us an excellent read here.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing book
Review: I found this book completely by accident while looking for something else in the stack of a used book store. Isn't it funny how sometimes the best treasures are discovered this way?
I read so many books, and while I enjoy most of them, it doesn't happen often that I find one that completely takes me over. I read it cover to cover without stopping. The characters are extremely well developed, to the point that you can almost hear their conversations, accents and all, right there in the room with you. Kingsolver also dove into some beautiful themes: abandonment, human rights, poverty, the fighting spirit and love, and wove them into a charming story.
This is one book I'll be reading again.
Rating: 
Summary: Wasn't a great book
Review: I read this book for a book club and I didn't think it was that great. First of all the beginning was kind of slow. It started to get interesting by the end of the book but it wouldn't be a book I would recommend. Maybe I need to read it again since a lot of the club members enjoyed this book. Anyways wouldn't read it again.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: I wouldn't be sincere if I didn't give The Bean Trees the credit it deserves by merely stating it was just on my top ten list. This book is by far my favorite, which may seem like it is hard to say considering the amount of wonderful literature that is available to me. This is one of the books that I can read over and over again, never tiring of the plotline, always getting anxious near the end, and always feeling a sense of relief when everything turns out the way it does. The main character, Taylor, decides to leave her small town in Kansas and hit the road. When she does, she is handed a child and takes her under the care of her wings. She names the child "Turtle" because of the way she clings on to her like a mud turtle. With Turtle, Taylor heads out to Tucson where she meets many wonderful people, some of which I strive to be like in my own life. Barbara Kingsolver has created a story of compassion that falls nothing short of incredible
Rating:
Summary: The Bean Trees: Metaphors and Similies
Review: The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver is a book rich in metaphors and similes. It is a story about a young girl who escapes her small town, where most young people drop out of school, and the girls get pregnant. For Missy, these are not options. She buys herself a car and heads out for maturing experiences. Her first decision is that since she is starting a new life, she needs a new name, so she calls herself "Taylor." As she is driving, she tells herself she will stop and live in the city in which her car breaks down. This doesn't happen because along the way, she picks up a passenger, a little Native American baby. Now she has herself and the baby to worry about. She stops in Arizona and loves it. So, she decides to stay. It is in this town, she discovers friendship, love, responsibility, maturity, and the true meaning of family.The physical descriptions in the book, while at times, may seem over done, are truely what make the book a vivid, potent journey. Before Taylors journey begins, she is working in a hospital and one of the girls she went to school with, but got pregnant and married, is brought into the hospital covered in blood, and Missy says she was, "...like a butcher holding down a calf on its way to becoming a cut of meat" (10). She also witnesses a tire blowing up and says, "... Newt Hardbine's daddy flying up into the air, in slow motion, like a fish flinging sideways out of the water. And Newt laid out like a hooked bass" (15). Then when she gets to Arizona, she see rocks that were "...stacked on top of one another like piles of copulating potato bugs" (47). These are just a few of the similies that enrich the story. She also uses metaphors in abundance to create a picture. She compares driving in traffic during a hail storm as ...moving about the speed of a government check" (49). Kingsolver uses metaphors to compare some of the characters' lives. Taylor says "...but I had to give her credit, considering that life had delivered Sandi a truckload of manure with no return address" (89). In comparing a park she loves to visit, Taylor says, "Constellations of gum-wrapper foil twinkled around the trash barrels" (148). The best description comes in the combination of metaphor and simile in the description of the night-blooming cereus: "The petals stood out in starry rays, and in the center of each flower there was a complicated contruction of silvery threads shaped like a pair of cupped hands catching moonlight. A fairy boat, ready to be launched into the darkness" (249). The pictures are that vivid. If you need a book that is rich in description using similies and metaphors, read The Bean Trees.
Rating:
Summary: Random [...]
Review: This book is horrible, when I read it I cried at the obserdity of it. It starts out with the main charactor driving in a car, she stops at a bus stop and suddenly recieves a small native american child for no reason. The child's name is Turtle, she's at least three but because of sexual abuse looks like an infant. Again ridiculous. Unfortunately this book doesn't stop there, for about ten chapters she just complains and complains about how hard it is to find a man and raise a kid, tear. In the end the novel simplely implodes with no real conclusion. [...]
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