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Summary: Compelling reading for middle-aged women
Review: This novel uses character and setting to relate an epic. The unsuspecting American reader is stripped and returned to a condition of physical and psychological survival through the experiences of the five Price females, each of whom provides a different perspective and solution. The author beautifully maintains the individual voices and gives comic relief in the character Rachel, whose malapropisms are cleverly done. The language is general is lush and poetic. Unfortunately, politics dominates in the last part of the novel to the detriment of the story line; nevertheless, the ending is satisfying. This book is well worth your time!
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Summary: A real disappointment
Review: This is my first Kingsolver book and will surely be my last. I must be on a totally different page than the people who raved about this book. The premise was good, but the novel just didn't work for me. Having heard the reviews of this book on Public Radio, I really looked forwrad to it, but as far as I am concerned, it was a total disappointment.
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Summary: Changed my life.
Review: An amazing book - everyone should read this. What a wonderful book - has truly changed my views on life and Africa.
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Summary: delicious in both language and symbolism
Review: Trying to read slowly and not devour this story has been a challenge. The story is well told and the voices of the daughters, tripping over love fear and loathing for their father, are a wonderful perspective for this tale. The differences in the voices and the directions in which the story unfolds are remarkable. The story is very apt as far as attitudes, through the eyes of the young girls, displaying all different behaviors from the naturalist to the self-centered. It only begins to drag after the climax, but the story is still important. And I enjoyed learning a little history along the way.
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Summary: Starts out well, ends poorly
Review: I read this book at the beginning of the summer (I had been looking forward to it for a year or so, but hadn't had time to read it during my first year of High School). I expected the Poisonwood Bible to be a tale of the downfall of a family as they brave the dangers of Africa. And, happily, the beginning was written in the poetic (but realistic) voice of To Kill a Mockingbird. It seemed, however, that the author got tired of writing after a while and either subconsciously or consciously began to write sloppily, as if she only wanted to finish the book. She wrote too little that had anything to do with the actual plot (I began to forget what it was, anyway), and too much about the "plight of the Congolese". That would be a great topic for a book, but it really didn't seem to fit in with the first part. This book just kept going and going, when I believe it would have suited the theme of the book more to finish it about half to three-quarters of the way through.
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Summary: An excellent book about the Congo, beautifully written
Review: It is a treat to come across an author who writes so well. This is a beautifully written book about the Belgian Congo (Africa) in the 19th century. Reads easily, delightful characters, humorous and poignant. It is rare to come across such eloquent writing.
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Summary: Best Book I've Read in Two Years!
Review: This is Kingsolver's best writing: a mammoth effort of narrative, allegory, religion, philosophy. A great novel for a book-discussion group.
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Summary: very readable, but at times too "politically correct"
Review: Wonderful coming-of-age tale of 3 missionary children set in Africa. At times, Kingsolver loses her characters as she becomes too pedantic and "politically correct." She skims the surface of the dark side of Africa, but exposes every blemish of the missionaries and whites. The novel was very satisfying and easy to read, but not as workthwhile as her other ones.
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Summary: Wonderful theme
Review: It took a long time to read this book. Great theme and great characters. In places, the poetic background of the author gave the story a sence of poetic rambling. I found myself skipping those places insearch of the real story. Would I recommend this to a friend? Maybe. Would I read this author again? NO!
Rating:
Summary: GGGRRRRRREAT!!
Review: I am only 16 years old, and I read thi sbook for a school project. I found that I couldn't put it down . The style in which Kingsolver writes is poetic, and yet it keeps you coming back for more!
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