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Women's Fiction

The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel

The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Magnificent
Review: The story which Kingsolver composes in the Poisonwood Bible is rich and vibrant. Taking place deep in the Congo, she tells a highly plausable tale of a fundamentalist Southern Baptist preacher and his family (wife and four daughters) as they acclimate to the challenges presented in Africa.

Kingsolver demonstrates a remarkable amount of versatility in her storytelling in that she switches perspective between each of the female characters throughout the course of the novel. Generally, these accounts maintain a chronological progression (they go from event to event) but every now and then, the characters tell different versions of the same story - a tactic which I find intriguing and which definitely adds variety to the usual chronological drone.

If I could, I would change two things about this story. First, I would make the father a little less one-dimensional. Even feminist authors need to cut the main male characters a little bit of slack. Nathan, the father, is presented as tryannical, abusive, bullying and a general lout. The five women in the story (actually four, since Ruth May is too young to count here) spend virtually their entire time recovering from his mistreatments (well into their adulthoods). I found his characterization a little too blunt to be ultimately believable.

Second, I would greatly reduce the malapropisms used by Rachel, the oldest daughter. She occasionally uses the wrong words in figures of speech when trying to sound grown-up and sophisticated, but the point gets overdone very quickly.

Ultimately though, the drawbacks are almost negligible and certainly pale in comparison to the rich descriptions of interactions between the people, the governments (on the local, national and supranational levels), the environments (maybe it was because I read the book while on vacation in Cambodia, but the image of the hard red laterite soil stuck with me especially) and the rich jungle life. This book is a treasure and should be read not only for the political lessons but for a glimpse into a world completely unknown to the majority of westerners.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Changed my world view
Review: The Poisonwood Bible is a wonderful piece of literature, thoroughly gripping and haunting. The multiple, cycling points of view completely drew me in. I had the "misfortune" of picking this book up right before Finals week at my University. I couldn't study until I was done reading it.

In our schools growing up, we are often presented with a rather benign view of evangelicals and those who journeyed to foreign lands to save the souls of "savages" and "infidels". This book changed how I look at these people. It's not about recognizing wrong or right, it's just about recognizing different.

From a purely critical literary viewpoint, I think Kingsolver's weakness lies her inability to conceal her liberal political views and stick to the journey her characters go through but honestly since I agree with those views, I had no problem with that part of the book.

Regardless of those digressions, this is an incredible work that deserves all the admiration and adulation I can muster forth for it. The Poisonwood Bible is forever on my All-Time Top 10 List.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Poisonwood Bible: Remember it's a Novel
Review: This is one of my favorite books of this year. Barbara Kingsolver demonstrates the full range of her virtuoso writing in the different voices of the mother and 4 daughters. My favorite voices were little Ruth May and da Vinci-genius Ada, both of whom are playgrounds for Kingsolver's own genius.
I was raised as one of 3 Presbyterian missionary daughters in South Korea from 1966 through 1985, a time of political turmoil there. While our father was 180 degrees different from insane renegade Father Price, we did share some similar experiences to the Price daughters. Last summer we wrote down our childhood memories, and I can find echoes of Rachel, Leah and Ruth May in each of us. Alas, none of us share Ada's or Kingsolver's genius.

But remember, this is a novel, written by a specific feminist liberal novelist, as expressed through 5 specific female points of view. Do not expect to agree with her history, but expect to be surprised by her insight into the human heart.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A wonderful read
Review: Many others have summed the book up better than I could, so I'll just say that this is absolutely the best book I've read all year. Beautifully written, haunting and unforgettable.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Magnificent Novel!
Review: I was riveted by this book. It is wonderful,and should qualify as a modern classic. Were I teaching a lit. class, this would be on the required reading list!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Evangelist Psycho
Review: The story is told throught the eyes of 4 women: a mother, and her three daughters. The book is not just a great read, but also a hystorical and geographical lesson that you will appreciate learning. Within the story, there is hate, greed, and love (the odd kind). The major flaw, in my opinion, is the way the story is concluded because it makes the story "seem" a little more "fictional" (I'm not exactly sure how to put it), yet the rest of the story seemed very captivating as if it were a true story, and everything could possibly have happened. The ending seemed to just kill the tone of the whole thing.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Thought-provoking, wise, beautiful
Review: I don't read that much fiction, but still, I was very, very impressed. I usually read nonfiction because there is so much I need to learn about the world; (ha) I can't imagine any other book about the Belgian Congo that would have held my interest for over 500 pages. As an ex-pat I can marvel at how seamlessly Kingsolver manages the transition from disgust to everything native to assimilation. And she just writes so well! The village part is the best; after the dispersal of the family I grew tired of Leah (Kingsolver) despising whiteness, and imagining a prewhite, iddylic Africa. Being totally ignorant of Africa, however, I was horrified to read about the CIA and Mobutu and want to find out more now. Another all-to often repeating thing is the family members (except of course for the unfeeling Rachel) carrying around the wounds of their own pasts. Must they remain victims?! On the other hand, she presents the idea that we are all the products of previous generations in a way that's hard to dismiss. There are some big ideas in the book that I'm still chewing on, and I'll never think about Africa the same way again. And I just have to say again, man, can she write!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Struggle for Survival
Review: Barbara Kingsolver has written this excellent book in such an interesting fashion it is as if she had first-hand experience. Her format in presenting the story through the narration of the mother and four daughters works extremely well.

Imagine, if you can, moving from Atlanta, Georgia to a tiny village in Africa. Forget about having the convenience of a basic grocery store, local medical aid, radio, running water, electricity, etc. How do you survive?

Relocating in the Belgian Congo, a Georgia missionary and his family are barely able to eke out minimal survival. Having enough to eat is at times a critical problem. Life and death become daily concerns and the family of six is eventually reduced to a group of five. Living in poverty, much as the village inhabitants of Kilanga, the Southern Baptist father's goal of baptizing local children is found to be a far greater challenge than was anticipated.

Evangelism is not an accepted mission by most of the local villagers, making this family's purpose and mere existence in Africa a continual struggle. The father, however, is not about to give up.

Compounding the family's struggle is that the year is 1959 and the Congo is in the midst of great political turmoil.

The four children, all girls, and three are teen-agers, meet the challenges of adaptation and acceptance in their own individual ways. Kingsolver's narrative technique provides an excellent format for each of the girls, as well as the mother, to relate their experiences in their own words. We readers get right into the minds of these individuals and feel their struggle to survive.

The continued life-long suffering and guilt experienced by the mother for her once deprived children leaves an ache in any parent's heart. Some things a person just doesn't get over.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Captivating, inspiring, and poetic.
Review: This was my first Kingsolver novel - and I have to say, if you've never read her books before this is a good one to start with. I didn't think I'd like this book, and yet it became one of my favorites!

The changing points of view are refreshing, the characters are so very real, and the writing is beautiful. The political lesson is fine by me - in fact, right after I finished this book the movie "Lumumba" premiered on HBO. However, the politics aren't until the very end - when you're already involved with the characters - so they fit in the flow.

I kept shaking my head and rolling my eyes at the arrogance, even ignorance, of Rev. Price in the beginning. The story could have taken place here - Guam was ruled by Spanish missionaries for three hundred years, until the Spanish American War. Being anti-missionary is in my blood - so the story of this family and their ultimate failure to tame Africa is especially meaningful to me.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: AN AWESOME BOOK!!!
Review: Barbara Kingsolver's Poisionwood Bible is one of the most well written books I have ever read. It is painfully honest and Kingsolver uses such vivd words and descriptions that it is hard not to be sucked in to the jungle Belgian Congo world of the Price family. Another reason I found this book to be so enjoyable were the colorful and realistic characters, the slightly crazy preacher, the daughters and their different views of the situation, and the wife. It is intersting to hear the same story from all of the characters points of view, it makes the story easier to relate to and more believable.


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