Rating: 
Summary: Strong characters and setting, less action
Review: What this book lacks in plot velocity it more than makes up for in character development and setting. The places and people feel very real. The environmental aspect is well-woven into the story, but the seriousness of the problem was solved in a somewhat light-handed fashion. Chris Beatty - Editor and Art Dirtector, Ecopress
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: Animal Dreams is a good read, with easy, flowing language and nice character buildups. The inclusion of large problems such as the conflict in Nicaragua and the environmental problems of Grace gave the book more power than any mere romance novel. However, in my opinion, Kingsolver develops her characters more by telling us about them than by actually showing us their actions, and thus they sometimes seem contrived and one-dimensional. I believe that the book lost much of its potential because of this lack.
Rating: 
Summary: Heartwarming and introspective
Review: So far, Animal Dreams is the best of her novels. Kingsolver writes with much more interest in the present moment than a glorious future or past. The description of what it is like to feel like you don't belong on the planet is deep and hopeful.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!!!
Review: Clearly one of the best books I've ever read
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated
Review: I was quite disappointed that a book that was marketed as literature could be filled with so much garbage. I found the main character's discovery of the native Americans to be not much more than the "noble savage" mistake. Especially nauseating was her reference to the "bread that smelled like love." Although I agree with the author's point of view about Central America and about the environment, I found her so preachy that I wanted only to disagree with her!! One bright spot is the inclusion of sections written in the father's point of view. These parts were ethereal, poignant and not sappy at all. I'd only recommend this book to someone who likes romance novels but is embarrassed to carry around those garrish softcovers
Rating:
Summary: Great book for anyone who has felt conflict about belonging.
Review: I am a displaced Sonoran Desert Dweller (from Tucson) and all I have to do is read Animal Dreams and I am back home in an environment and culture that is familiar and soothing. Barbara's descriptions of other areas of Arizona, Canyon de Chelly and the ancient Indian dwellings in the White Mountains, are as if you are standing there.
The characters are with depth and if you went to Arizona to those places during those times, that is what you would find. Strong women like Emelina, keeping their culture alive, and a big-city community barely aware of the on-goings in Nicaragua. It also describes the not uncommon will to survive of mining towns that no longer have the mine. (I'll wager that Grace is representative of the towns Clifton and Morenci.)
Animal Dreams is always a homecoming.
Rating:
Summary: Real, loving people in normal lives.
Review: Barbara Kingsolver's characters are so real, after you've read one of her books, months later you may be confused as to whether the person you remember is someone you met, or someone you read about. In this instance, Cody, the main character, has real life problems and baggage from the past that she must deal with before she can let herself live in the present. Her relationship with her sister is the kind of relationship we all wish we had, and the Pueblo man that comes back into her life is the kind of man we all wish we could meet. Uplifting and evocative, and with a very respectful and insightful treatment of other cultures. Her relationship with her father is one that we may all recognize, and I think it help me put my relationship with my father in perspective. Thanks for another emotion-gripping read, Barbara
Rating:
Summary: Animal Dreams is an awsome book I highly recommend!
Review: Kingsolver has a way of pulling me into her books, so it feels like I am actually a bystander watching the story unfold, not just the reader of the book. As I got closer to the last chapter, I found myself feeling sad. I felt like the characters in the book were becoming my best friends, and if I finished reading the book, they would be gone. I still think about them, but they aren't with me everyday like when I was reading the book. It's a very good read that makes you feel good about living
Rating:
Summary: Finishing it was a struggle
Review: I had high hopes for this book after enjoying "The Poisonwood Bible" and "The Bean Trees", but unfortunately this book seemed to encapsulate the weaknesses of both those books and none of their strengths.
I found the majority of the characters annoying and unlikable, particularly the main character, just as I did in "The Bean Trees". The ending was too pat and simplistic, as in "The Bean Trees", and it needed some severe editing, as did "The Poisonwood Bible".
I can't emphasize enough how much I disliked the main character of this book. That, combined with the unrealistic plot, made this book a struggle for me to get through. I was counting the pages, as I did in the last third or so of the vastly superior "The Poisonwood Bible."
Maybe Kingsolver's writing skills (and decisions about major characters' personalities) will improve with more time. I know she has the potential, so I remain hopeful.
Rating:
Summary: Codi Noline, a woman who does not trust...
Review: This is a beautifully written story about a young, single (and emotionally isolated, by choice) woman, Codi Noline. The story takes place in the magical Southwest, in a Spanish speaking community in southern New Mexico. Kingsolver's writing about the land in the Southwest reminded me of the draw - the pull - that this part of the country has on many people. Throughout the story, Codi learns to trust her memories, her heritage, her emotions, but most importantly, the relatiionships in her life. Her sister Hallie, although not physically with her in the story, is a significant part of Codi's maturing process.
Topics that the story deals with: pregnancy, miscarriage, Native American heritage, Nicaragua and US politics, sisters, how plants & humans interact, how animals & humans interact, mines, aquatic life, sex.
A beautifully woven story - you'll love it!
|
