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Summary: Kingsolver just beat her own record for personal best.
Review: Awesome, awesome, awesome! For those who didn't like this book, I say you missed the point. Kingsolver once again uses her wonderful talent to "speak" through different characters (as in Poisonwood Bible). In this case, there are three main characters (and many strong supporting characters)- Deanna, Lusa, and Garnett- through whom she spins her tales. Ironically, all of the main characters are fiecely independent people, devoted to nature, who discover their need for human connection. Their stories, while separate and distinct, intersect at the conclusion of the story. The book was fascinating in that Kingsolver can spin multiple stories on multiple levels simultaneously in a stunningly deep and insightful way. (And not just stories about human characters). This book was so rich in thoughts and ideas, I think you will probably need to read it several times to take it all in. It was about procreation and creation, interdependencies and independence in all of nature. She beautifully shows that we humans are very little different from our animal, plant and insect brethren. Her writing was vivid, descriptive, and made nature one could smell, taste, and touch through her words. This book is a monumental achievement. How will she ever top this one?
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Summary: Entertaining read after a slow start
Review: This was my first Kingsolver novel, given to me by a friend. I had high expectations based on reviews of The Poisonwood Bible, which I intend to read very soon. I liked the major themes of the book and I enjoyed the rich development of her characters and their inter-relationships, although the dialogue seemed a bit pedantic at times. I thought her depiction of life in the Southeast region was quite realistic. After a slow start, I found the book entertaining.
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Summary: Am I crazy? I just don¿t get it.
Review: I have read all of Barbara Kingsolver's books and her best have changed my life. She makes it look easy. Unfortunately, this book grated on my nerves like a sermon that wouldn't quit. I didn't like any of the characters, except maybe Lusa Landowski. All of them were basically two-dimensional megaphones for the message of saving the environment. I believe wholeheartedly about saving the environment, but every page seemed like an onslaught of lecturing. In between the lectures, the characters were minutely developed, and the storylines seemed to hanging together by a thread. The title of this book should have been Preaching to the Converted. For a great and moving story, with political undertones, read Kingsolver's Animal Dreams. She can do better.
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Summary: Ah! Biology
Review: Ah Biology! Experimental millipedes in the reeds do it, sentimental centipedes in the weeds do it. Soon Deanna Wolfe and Eddie Bondo are doing it. Novelist Barbara Kingsolver (The Poisonwood Bible) does it again, this time in an Appalachian exploration. Deanna, a forty-year old scientist, returns home to study the biology of the forests. She finds coyotes, who are strangers to the area, and takes them in charge. She also meets a human predator, out to do them harm. Despite his being a bounty hunter, an occupation at odds to Deanna's strong preservation instincts, she starts a relationship with this man, Eddie. Can it work? Not far away from them, there are two other stories taking shape. Lusa Landowski, a widow who is lonely and broke, desperately needs a solution. Garnett Walker and Nannie Rawley are farmers who feud over pesticides and other complications. Within these stories, Kingsolver delivers some messages, the most important being that we must nourish our own lives as well as all other forms of life on earth. Kingsolver brings this off with great aplomb. Her book differs in many ways from her best-selling The Poisonwood Bible. Here, her writing is so good she can make peeling tree bark sound appealing. She brings a sensual touch. Here are her descriptions of the Zebulon Mountains: ...the mountain's breath began to bear gently on the back of her neck. By early evening it was insistent as a lover's sigh, sweetened by the damp woods, cooling her nape ... In addition, her dialogue rings as true as a triangle in a symphony orchestra. Her stories always maintain interest, and her research is formidable.
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Summary: Another Easily Recognized Kingsolver Novel
Review: I have read most of Kingsolver's works, and THE BEAN TREES remains my favorite of her novels. PRODIGAL SUMMER is Kingsolver's most sensuous novel. I enjoyed the ecology theme and her out-of-the-mainstream characters. Some of the conversations are stilted and a bit like listening to a lecture, but overall, this book is a good read.
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Summary: I laughed and cried and loved this book!
Review: Barbara Kingsolver keeps getting better and better. I laughed and cried and enjoyed every single page of this book. Each of the three stories is intriguing and has well thought out characters. I couldn't say one negative thing about this book and I cannot understand those who did. Read it and you will not be disappointed.
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Summary: Required Reading
Review: This text should be required reading in all high school English courses. A well written, character driven novel that intertwines three separate stories into one and touches on the ecological issues facing America, and the world, today. Although a work of fiction, the book contains many facts about nature, and these are woven into the theme of the book. On the surface, many may feel that the only issue addressed here is the natural environment. But look closer, the real story is how each character learns to cohesively exist in their social environment, from dealing with nature to relationships with family and neighbors, and in the context of how falling in love affects our perspective on life. This is not The Poisonwood Bible, don't expect it to be. But if you're not afraid to have your understanding of the world challenged, then set aside a weekend to read this book.
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Summary: Enjoy learning about ecology
Review: I'm a Kingsolver fan and think this is her best - coming in a close second to The Poisonwood Bible. I was fascinated by the amount of knowledge she imparts in this work of fiction. I am mostly a reader of non-fiction and really appreciated the research that went into this book. Yes, I did refer more than once to the lovely moth pictures on the inside of the front and back covers. I am a deer hunter and gardener so I could identify with much of what I was reading. However, I admit that for those who are not into biology/ecology, the "lectures" could become tiresome. As always, her development of characters is suberb. I also found it to be very sensual.
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Summary: One of her best
Review: I loved this book. I don't even understand the musings of other reviewers who found her characters flat or the plot slow. This was a great book. It was totally different from Poisonwood (which I also loved), but it was still a great read. I was immediately drawn into the novel and found it difficult to put down. The book, like all of her books, has a heavy-duty message. This time, she is examining the questions of environmentalism, specifically hunting and pesticide use. As always, her beliefs are clear even as she leads us through both sides of the issue by introducing us to opposing characters and plot lines. However, I don't think that she was heavy handed or obtuse in her creation; she was clear. Again, I loved this book. It is worth your time and your thought.
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Summary: Natural selection and ecology
Review: Kingsolver's current novel, PRODIGAL SUMMER, uses three protagonists to illustrate the natural cycles and indigenous life forms that co-exist on our planet. The three characters are all sensitized to their environment: a forest ranger, A newly widowed farmer's wife and an ageing man. The story begins with Deanna, the forest ranger, who has chosen solitude as a way of healing her soul. There is a predator in her part of the forest and his name is Eddie Bondo. Immediately attracted to eachother, they spend a summer of intense passion. Deanna shares her love of all living species with Eddie, a natural hunter, attempting to imbue each day together with heightened awareness. Lusa, on the other hand, newly wed and newly widowed, lives on the family farm after the accidental death of her young husband. With a reverance for all living creatures, Lusa's challenge is to find the emotional ties that will inextricably bind her to her husband's family. Through the numbing grief of her loss, Lusa is able to share her loving heart, changing the whole family dynamic. Garnett Walker III is a crusty old man, feuding with his neighbor, Nannie Rawley, an elderly woman who refuses to act her age. Nannie is a constant aggravation. As Garnett attempts to put Nannie in her place, they find common ground: She with her organic produce, he with his efforts to preserve the almost extinct chestnut tree. Nannie's patience breaks through the wall Garnett has built around his heart. From chapter to chapter, the stories touch around the edges. As well, Kinsolver has filled each page with the intimate details of life in all its permutations. The simple characters serve primarily as vehicles for carrying the ecologial message of the book. Very different from THE POISONWOOD BIBLE, Kinsolver offers an education in the interdependency of nature's creatures to the uninitiated.
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