Rating: 
Summary: An amazing novel
Review: I loved this book - raw, elegant, poignant, humourous - real. This book has it all and is honest. This book is for people who like to think and feel. A must read.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth it.
Review: I was forced to read this novel for my English class, and I must say it's not something I'll be reading again.I give Barbara Kingsolver a well-deserved compliment for her ability to use amazing figurative language, and this novel contains a large amount. The concept behind the story is somewhat interesting, but after the first half of the book, the plot becomes rather pointless and boring. Kingsolver uses the last 250-300 pages to write a political satire which is not needed, since she had made her point throughout the first half. She also drags us through the next thirty or so years of the characters' lives, and it becomes extremely trivial. Most of the time the story is just way too drawn-out and can give you a headache. The book was not AS bad as I thought it would be (considering what I had heard about it), and Kingsolver can certainly write, so I will give her two stars. HOWEVER, I would NOT recommend this book to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: For those who like to think
Review: It's simple: this book is for those who like to think. If you just want a simple read then don't read it. All in all, this book is very well-written. Kingsolver covers what she believes without saying it outright, contrary to "One Woman's Review" from St. Louis. She does not get "too preachy." Her thoughts are just displayed outright, which gets you to think about what you actually believe.
Rating:
Summary: Eye-opening
Review: This is a superb book, and a must read if you want to understand the mind of Africa. What struck me most about this book is the insight it gives into the development of Africa. The details are almost an aside, a flicker in the plot, but by the time I had finished I understood far more the terrible rage that burns in this land. Barbara Kingsolver handles it with great sensitivity, but she does not hide the role that the West has had in creating (and washing its hands of) Central Africa.
Rating:
Summary: TRULY AMAZING READ
Review: This book is in a class by itself - The story which pulls you in from the first chapter and shows you the irony of religion within the small minded gives you Africa and the lives of these people who you know in such personal ways. I have never been pulled into a book like this before to the piont where I feel that I have experienced these truths and hurts along with them. Barbara Kingsolver has a true gift that few writers possess - READ THIS BOOK - it will become the one you recommend to any and everybody.
Rating:
Summary: inspirational
Review: This book sent me on a journey for knowledge because it made me realize how little I know about my government and the evils it has perpetrated overseas. I just finished reading "King Leopold's Ghost" by Adam Hochfeld, which is the nonfiction account of King Leopold II of Belgium who was the original rapist of the Congo. It was his greed that set in motion the events in "The Poisonwood Bible" almost 100 years later. Those who have accused Kingsolver of being too political should "King Leopold's Ghost" because everything she says is true. I was shocked to find that so many Congolese people had died since its discovery and very few people know about it (10 million, Hochfeld estimates.) Leah's story and her embracing of the Congo motivated me to learn more and broaden my knowledge about the history of the Congo as well as other places in the world where the US government has meddled (guess I could just read the newspaper). An author can't ask more of her work than to do so and Kingsolver has succeeded admirably. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: This is a fabulous women's book - it is a must read!
Rating: 
Summary: Overall, a Disappointment.
Review: The story depicts a preacher's family uprooting from their small town in Georgia and moving to Kilanga, Congo in the 1950's. The family consists of 5 members: Nathan Price, Orleanna Price, Rachael Price, Leah Price, Adah Price (I should say Ecirp Hada), and little Ruth May Price. Nathan is a stern baptist father who keeps a tight leash around his family, Orleanna is a caring mother who looks out for the safety of her children, Rachael is a spoiled girl who considers herself Princess Rachael, Leah is a few minutes older than Adah and is an born leader, Adah is the younger twin and has a disability and lacks self confidence, and finally Ruth May Price is the youngest daughter and is a very curious and playful young girl. The story idea itself is not bad at all, infact I believe it is quite good. The problem is the way Kingsolver chose to write the book. I enjoyed the way she told the story through all five women of the family, but I detested how she dragged the story out as long as humanly possible. The story becomes very redundant after a while, and should definitely be at MOST 500 pages, but somehow Kingsolver managed to bring it to 650. Generally, when I read a book, I become extremely interested in the book and cannot put it down after about 100-200 pages. This never happened with The Poisonwood Bible; I never became truly interested with the book, in part because it is simply too dull. The worst part of the book is the last 150 pages; this section was a nice addition because it told the outcome of the lives of everyone in the family, but the way everything turns out is so rediculous it is sometimes funny. Some of the things that occur are simply disappointing and very unlikely. Overall, I would say this book deserves 3 stars because of the interesting style in which it was written and the fairly interesting storyline, but that is the absolute highest I am willing to give it, due to the redundancy and rediculousness of many sections of the book. I'm not sure I'll dare read another Kingsolver novel, but I have heard good things about "The Bean Trees," so I may give her a second chance.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Outstanding
Review: What could I add to the praise already given to the Poisonwood Bible by all of the other reviewers? In my opinion, it's perhaps the best novel of the last 20 years. Kingsolver's prose style is more bold and dramatic than her previous novels, making it evident that she has set out to write "the great American novel," as did Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath. Her use of storytelling through the voice of several separate characters is the most successful employment of the technique since Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. Everything comes together perfectly in this novel: a powerful prose style, marvelous character development, and a captivating plot. Novels this good come along only once in a generation.
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC
Review: This book combines some of the best writing I've ever seen with an emotional story and a great deal of enlightenment. Never have I enjoyed and learned so much from a single book. This is by far the best book I have ever read.
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