Rating: 
Summary: Well begun is half done, but only half.
Review: The Poisonwood Bible is a very difficult book for me to review because I have such mixed feeling about it. The first two thirds of the book are wonderful! The story about a missionary "gone off to save the heathens" in Africa and what becomes of him and his family is compelling enough. Yet the author doesn't stop there, she throws in some seriously deep insight into the lives of women oppressed by domineering husbands and fathers. Then she sets it against what happens to these people in a village of "savages" who turn out not to be so savage, who in fact act as their saviours on a few occasions. She shows the reader how to relate to both groups of people through their shared miseries, of which the author pulls no punches. This African experience is brutal. For salt, the author provides some insight into the political and cultural issues of the Congo. All of this is wrapped together in some of the most beautiful prose a person will ever read. It seriously took my breath away. I give the first two thirds of The Poisonwood Bible 5 stars. It's just plain awesome!Now the bad part. The final third of The Poisonwood Bible is a long, rambling, irritating and pointless diatribe about what happens to the family after they leave the Congo. Like a rock on water it skips from here to there with no apparent meaning. It adds nothing to the book except for physical weight. Reading the last third of The Poisonwood Bible and getting to the end to find out that there wasn't going to be any explanation for that painful bit of reading seriously made me want to strike the author. I cannot begin to fathom what happened when the author penned that part of the novel. Perhaps writers block suddenly set in? Or maybe Miss Kingsolver died and someone else finished the book? I don't know. Borrow The Poisonwood Bible and read it. After you find that you have read about two thirds of the book watch out for signs of drag. As soon as that sets in, give up. It's not worth wasting your time or ruining the experience of the rest of the book.
Rating:
Summary: worth reading, but lopsided
Review: at first, i had trouble getting into the book, being a southerner, i found the dialect (which mostly consisted of throwing in southern-esque phrases in very un-southern ways) a little off, especially in the little girl, Ruth May's, case and the eldest daughter, Rachel. but i found that the farther into the book, the less obvious and the book became stunning. through the entire first two thirds of the book i was enthralled. it was captivating and breathtaking and very well written. it was realistic and believable, which i appreciate. but then towards the end, after the exodus from africa and the father, the book seemed to lose focus. where before it had been riveting because the characters were struggling with life and death while trying to find out who they were and how their father's extremism affected them, now it seemed to veer off. the last part was interesting and thought-provoking, but seemed to be tying up loose ends that didn't particularly need to be tied up. the characters changed in ways that were infathomable and unnecessary. but i will say that, just for the beauty of the language and the force of conviction, this book is definitely worth a good reading or two.
Rating: 
Summary: First and LAST!
Review: This was my first and last Kingsolver book! As an avid reader, I felt like I'd wasted a lot of quality reading time with this one. It was boring and so very depressing! Also regret spending money for such a disappointing book!
Rating: 
Summary: Must Read
Review: I avoided this one for quite a while--too much hype for my taste. However, this is really well done & sensitive. The view the reader has into each of the female protagonists is intoxicating. The social studies lessons are important, and not often examined here in the US. It inspired me to want much more information on the African continent, how it evolved and how it continues to do so.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This was an excellent, well written, enthralling book. The characters were well defined, meshed with and against each other as well as the Congo. They are well-rounded, dynamic, and multi-dimensional. As a Christian, I expected superficial stereotypes that reflect bias either for or against idealist missionary-types. This book was, rather, a story about one man who tried to do something he was totally unequipped for, and how the ones he drug along with him dealt with his inflexible refusal to either give up or change.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly ironic & tragic look at the Congo - Stick with it!
Review: If you're like me, and you decide whether or not to read a book in the first 15 pages, go against your gut and stick with this one. It took me a good 80 pp to get into it, but I was well rewarded. The story is told from mulitple points of view - family members who travel with their patriarch to Africa to "teach the heathens about Christ". Hilarity & tragedy ensue. You will argue with your friends over which sister's monologues are the most interesting. Good reading!
Rating:
Summary: The Poisonwood Bible was a descriptive delight
Review: I was captivated throughout the book. I was sucked in by the vivid and powerful descriptions from the very first paragraph. Although I learned a great deal about African history, and tribal culture, I was most intrigued by the characters. I felt Kingsolver did a remarkable job of telling the story through five very believeable and different perspectives. I couldn't wait to get to the next chapter to find out what one of the other sisters would say. I would highly recommend this book to those who love to get lost in the wonder of an intimately told story about life's triumphs, tragedies, and surprises.
Rating:
Summary: Horrible
Review: This book was horrible I wouldn't give it a 1 star but there is no zero don't waste your time or money on it. It just drags. Yes the Congo was an important part or the work history but putting it into the perspective of Christanity was too much....and slightly offinsive if you ar not a chirstian as I am not
Rating:
Summary: A literary masterpiece
Review: As one who reads little current day fiction among the many volumes I consume each year, I feel compelled to add my voice to those raised in praise of Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible. What can you say about a book wnich was published over two years ago, has now 955 reviewers listed and continues to inspire reviewers at a prodigious rate. Kingsolver has blessed us with a masterpiece, one which every Christian missionary aspirant should read before embarking on a journey to convert the heathen. Rev. Price, much like Rev. Davidson in Sommerset Maugham's short story, Rain, goes where he and his religion are neither wanted nor needed and changes lives, including his, for the worse. Kingsolver illustrates graphically the ignorance and hubris inherent in those who go to lands where they know nothing about the peoples and traditions, to impart their superstitions to the natives. This is not to denigrate the truly good work done by those missionaries whose religion inspires them to do good works in fields in which they have special competence, but Kingsolver illustrates perfectly clearly the harm that can come from those proselytizers whose primary goal is to replace indiginous religious superstition with an imported variety.
Rating:
Summary: Everything I Could Want in a Book
Review: I think the rest of the reviews cover it, I just want to
support this book. It is both educational and emotionally driven without the fluff. Excellent read!
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