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Summary: A Book of Compassions and Truth for the Generations to Come
Review: Barbara Kingsolver's "Poisonwood Bible" is a book that must be read by all generations. Through her memorable characters Adah, Leah, Rachel, Ruth May and Orleana Price, the author portrayed a vivid description of Africa that many of us are not aware of from our cushy living style. Like the ever-thoughtful Adah felt so deeply, if only we could get rid of all the cruelties of religions and colonial ghosts from our civilizations, the world would have been a very sane place indeed. Poisonwood Bible reads like a poetry, with its description of historical injustice deep in the heart of Africa for so many years: the sufferings of Belgian Congolese, and the mind-boggling corruption of the ruling class of Congo, whose puppet leader was a thug and thief named Mobutu who was busy in building his luxurious palaces by devouring the entire international aide by himself and sharing with his partners of loots; story of Patrice Lumumba, the first democratically elected leader of Congo who was overthrown and murdered just because he envisioned a truly independent Congo devoid of any foreign intervention, and the zeal and vigor of Anatole, the Congolese and Leah, the American to live their married life in war savaged Africa and fight the corrupted regime in their own way are all worth the whole five hundred plus pages of this book. And then there is Ruth May, like the eyes of a tree, she watches over the convulsion of our world as a loving goddess would have done, not the violent God that apparently have always jolted us with His thunderous struck. The first part of the book was a discovery through the eyes of four sisters and their mother, a strange Africa they never envisioned in their dreams when they left America with their rigid father and husband "Tata Price". And the invasion of ants to clean off all the crumbs and leftover of the world in a vicious march are so vivid and descriptive, you will be looking at ants in different way after reading this. The word "Bangala" and "Muntu" have different meanings in Kikongo/Kilanga language depending on how the words have been said, and yet, the universal meaning of love and compassion is unmistaken in this awesome book by one of the Greatest American Authors of our generation, Barbara Kingsolver.
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Summary: Poisonwood Bible...One of Kingsolver's Best!
Review: I absolutely LOVED the characters and the story of this book. My only (slight) complaint is the book bogs down a little when they leave Africa. Their time as missionaries was absolutely enthralling, and Kingsolver continues to write in a poetic, entertaining fashion.
This is a MUST read--absolutely fantastic.
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Summary: Riveting
Review: On the recommendation of a friend, (the Oprah seal on the notwithstanding), I plunged right in. For those who feel or felt that this is just a "women's book," think again. The pages are packed with juicy descriptions, vivid details, sad truths, pointed questions, and even a quick lesson in African history that speak to the human condition. The book is not brief, does not attempt to solve the problems it depicts, nor does it paint a rosy glow on anything- from family conflict to world inequity, to human suffering. It is merely many stories within a story containing human reactions. Despite the depression and despondency this novel tended to stir up in me, I found it difficult to set aside. Although I would agree with other reviewers that Kinsolver sounds, at times, un-American, many of the conclusions drawn here are inescapable. So long as the great imbalance exists between the haves and the have-nots, problems will continue to arise. Perhaps more important is the question of whether organized religion ought to be thrust upon other "uncivilized" societies in the name of charity. Can we not just be humane without first having others believe what we do?
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Summary: Great NOVEL
Review: This is fiction people; not a lesson about the history of the Congo! Reviewers that feel the need to nitpick about small details- or the author's take on them, miss the ENTIRE point of FICTION!
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Summary: Just when you though it could not get worse!
Review: I think I would have gotten more enjoyment out of this novel if I had read it in German, which I dont speak. Even sounding out multi-syllabic words like a baby would be more enjoyable then understanding 400 pages of absolute garbage. I regret the 10 hours of my life I wasted reading this book. I could have been doing much more productive things, like staring at a wall or counting to ten a million times. But unfortunately, that time is lost, and now I just have to wait and answer to God when he punishes me for wasting so much of my precious life on absolutely boring and mindless prose.
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Summary: SUBLIME
Review: Full of intriguing, complex characters, and set in the wild, beating heart of Africa, The Poisonwood Bible makes it to my top 10 list of 'best reads ever'. Social commentary, spirituality, corruption, love and betrayal: Kingsolver tackles these subjects and more with panache. A must read.
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Summary: Poetic and Compelling...
Review: More than just a novel, Kingsolver's gifted talent for writing brings out the injustice done by those whose plans are the largest. Nathan Price, a fervent Baptist, takes his family to the Congo on a mission to convert those who have not found the way to God. The story is told alternately from the viewpoints of the mother and their four daughters as they experience the changes, failures, and distresses of trying to retain their lifestyle in a place where it could no longer possibly apply. Price, though, is only the minor metaphor for a larger scheme of subjugation and ruin of an entire culture by those who would profit and prosper at their expense. With wonderful turns of phrase and great insight, Kingsolver takes us into the heart of Africa, and into the hearts of our own culture as well. By taking from others, what have we given up of ourselves? There is no clear answer, but there is the experience, which Kingsolver renders wonderfully
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Summary: A Tale of Two Novels...
Review: Little did I realise when I purchased it, The Poisonwood Bible is actually two novels. The first two-thirds is a story about a missionary and his family's life in the wilds of Belgian congo, while the remaining third is basically a post-mortem of this experience. Did I receive a bargain for getting two books for the price of one? The life of the missionary and his family (wife and four daughters) in Belgian Congo is told as an interwoven narrative by all family members with the notable exception of the father. It seems the entire family is subjected to poverty, famine, and disease whilst the old man tries, in vain, to convert the heathen natives to Christianity. This somewhat predictable story is surprisingly engrossing, perhaps due to the author's compassionate feelings towards the hapless-yet-happy natives. Although Kingsolver overdoes the pathos a bit especially in the end, I thought this first two-thirds of The Poisonwood Bible was very enjoyable. The remaining third of The Poisonwood Bible is basically the post-Belgian Congo experience narrative, again told by family members sans papa. The author crams in 30+ years of modern sub-Saharan political history into 170 pages. And this history lesson is extremely skewed by anti-American sentiment (..although undoubtedly some of this is justified). While initially quite interesting, the final 100 pages is very slow reading - as if the author simply didn't know how to end the book. Bottom line: a uneven account of one American family coping with the wilds of the Congo. Worth reading for the 'first novel', with the final 170 pages being best left unread.
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Summary: Beautiful !
Review: I was given this book as a gift and enjoyed every moment.
I first assumed the story was of a black family, but discovered I was wrong. I truely enjoyed the aspect of how each character was described and how their relationship to the family played an important role of their survival.
This book captured my attention by allowing me to actually feel like I am there going thru what they are going thru.
The book was a combination of sadness, realism, survial and struggle as well as love and completeness. PLEASE READ this book!
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Summary: One of the best books I've read
Review: I thought this was an excellent, thought-provoking book. Those who want to view our country's foreign policy through rose-colored glasses will certainly object to it, and the reviewer who thought children should have been more "grammatically correct" missed the point...Kingsolver's style of telling her story through five pairs of eyes added greatly to the interest and insight she provided into a part of the world with which few of us are familiar. This was one of the most disturbing and meaningful books I've read, particularly at this time in our nation's history.
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