Rating: 
Summary: Not a great book, but a very good read.
Review: I started this book understanding the basics of its story. But I sure did not expect that I would get drawn in so quickly. The pitiful Orleanna and arrogant Nathan Price and thier four daughters took me on an amazing adventure into the Congo and I really appreciated the trip. Then, once I really cared about what happened to these people, I had to wade through the preaching about Africa's woes and I got a bit put off. While I was very interested in the story she was revealing about the history of the Congo, I remember thinking, "Gosh, she's almost a dogmatic as Nathan Price!" Forinstance, Kingsolver's deliberate attempt to make Rachel into an "ugly american" stereotype, made me uncomfortable. It seemed artificial and unfair because I can't imagine what might have happened to ANY 16-year-old girl ripped as she was from all that she knew and dumped into a completely alien land without pity or preparation. But, gosh, Ms. Kingsolver sure can write! The scene in the yard after the snake left the chicken house (don't want to give anything away!)was just amazing. Ms. Kingsolver writes of mothers and children with huge power. Clearly, however, this is a woman's book. Men aren't going to love this book. That's not a bad thing. It just is.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Enthralling
Review: I was reluctant to pick up this book when it first came out because it had the word Bible in the title, but was finally convinced when I started work at the Museum of Natural History on a scientific expedition to the Congo that took place in 1910. The book helped me realize what Africa must have been during the days when it was known as "the Dark Continent" Unfortunately, the book threw me off with several important factual errors, such as the date of discovery of the okapi, with which it starts. The narrative quickly drew me back in and I found myself unable to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Poisonwood Bible full of lovely prose, engaging characters
Review: the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver is her most involved, most enjoyable read to date. The book's main characters, the Prices, a missionary family from Georgia sent to the Congo, are as believable as real people. They have human foibles, ignorance, passion, and thoughts. The story tracks their long days living in a small African village that tolerates their presences as well as it can. Everyone in the story is changed in an immense and measurable way. I found the setting fascinating and the writing lovely. Ms. Kingsolver can describe things so beautifully that it makes your heart ache. I thoroughly enjoyed her descriptions of African wildlife and botany and of the daily life struggles one has to endure just to keep oneself fed and disease-free. The chapters are written, alternately, by Mrs. Price and her four daughters. This brings a refreshing aspect to the novel that I just couldn't get enough of. I found this novel extremely compelling, however, I was disappointed in all the political talk near the end. I wanted more, more, more of the characters' stories and less of a history lesson at this point in the book. Plan on some late nights on this one-it's hard to put down!
Rating: 
Summary: I'm glad I didn't pay full price!
Review: Please don't buy this book unless you don't mind 200+ pages of Anti-American, Pro-Communist diatribe! The first part of the book was okay, although I found the voice shifts irksome after a while (okay, only Adah's). Perhaps most tiresome, though, is the attempt to have the Price family be the embodiment of all whites (the Prices were especially bigoted and ignorant). (FYI, Barbara Kingsolver, not all Christians are evil missionaries. The last part of the book tries to imply that anything Christian is bad.) The second half, however, was highly annoying with it's continual Anti-American sentiment. But funny, too, because of the hypocracy of the author: (1) Just because the Congolese do things differently than Americans doesn't mean they're bad or stupid: they're just different, so don't judge. (2) Anything done the way of American norms is not Congolese and is therefore BAD YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS!!! Perhaps the saddest thing was that I didn't care a fig for what happened to the Price women
Rating: 
Summary: A Big Disappointment
Review: I really really tried to like this novel. Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors and I've relished all of her previous writing. But this book was dreary in the extreme. I tried to force myself to read it but finally rebelled after about l00 pages. The family endures relentless pain, suffering, and misery. I don't mind heavy books (like "Animal Dreams") but I don't submit myself to books about endless misery with no joy or hope. For a life-affirming book, try "The Color of Water," a serious book but one that inspires and uplifts, rather than this dark and depressing tale.
Rating:
Summary: Very Uplifting -- Taught me a bit about the World...
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book -- it took a short while to understand who was speaking, and what the situation was (characters & location were a bit muddled in the beginning), but then I found it difficult to put the book down. I enjoyed learning about the Congo/Zaire throught the eyes/minds of a variety of characters (ranging from an older, more mature mother to a 5 year old wildcat of a daughter). I enjoyed the fact that I really wasn't ever sure where the book was going to end (i.e. what would happen to the father, where would the sisters be at story's end, how would the mother's life turn out); and, when I finished the book, I spent several hours just thinking about what had just happened. It made me think about how spendthrift our lives are, how little we know about what goes on around the world, how big (and small) a difference people like missionaries can make, and finally, how much I'd enjoy visiting this part of the world. I highly recommend that you read this book -- despite its failings (per the editors & other reviewers), I think that most people would find it very engaging & informative.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, Entertaining Story - Factually Weak
Review: I found The Poisonwood Bible to be an enjoyable, though dark and intense novel. Its portrayal of the Congolese culture was quite interesting. However, factual inaccuracies in the political history of the Congo and the nature of Baptist missionary work in Africa detracted from the overall experience. Although the book is a work of fiction, it is presented in a historical context, and the author should have maintained contextual accuracy.
Rating:
Summary: A unique book
Review: The Poisonwood Bible, the tale of a missionary and his family in Africa, did not initially appeal to me, but I agreed to read it for my book club. I have a great love of language, especially writing, but I found the opening chapter confusing. Yet my initial skepticism was quickly overcome by the unique structure of the book with each chapter alternately told by one of the four sisters in a manner that was effective in contrasting their different personalities and points of view about their common experiences during their first two years in Africa. These chapters passed quickly for me, and I was through most of the book in just a few days --- greatly enjoying learning about the African culture and being enlightened about the terrible consequences of colonialism. I became impatient, however, with the last fourth of the book in which months and then years passed between chapters. In the end, I came away with a great admiration for Ms. Kingsolver's technical skill in alternately using four main voices to tell her story. But as I thought longer, I felt that the four voices were simply highly effective fictional tools to relate the great political and social injustice that has occurred in the former Belgian Congo during and since colonialism. The book's four main voices and other characters served as a means to a political and social cause. Some, Leah, Adah, Ruth Ann, were better drawn than others, Axelroot, Nathan, Rachel. The latter were largely one-dimensional counterpoints representing the evil, wrong-minded religious righteousness, or vacuousness of western culture, but in the end, none truly were believable human characters.
Rating:
Summary: Good book yes. For me? No.
Review: I have found, as a male, that few fictional works by women appeal to me. This one did more than most (not all, by any means). In order to stay conversant with the culture, I try to read a variety of authors. I have to say that I began to labor about 1/4 of the way through. It's my choice to labor, because I challenge my comfort zone. Before you judge me for saying these things, please notice that the great majority of the book's reviewers have feminine names.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful and moving; beautifully written!
Review: I have just finished reading, for what I know will be only the first of many times, this incredibly crafted novel. I'm so overwhelmed with admiration for the author that I can't seem to find the words to express my feelings. This book succeeds on so many levels....the saga of the Price family's failed attempt (chiefly that of Nathan, the Baptist-minister father) to impose an uncompromising set of values and priorities on a society utterly foreign to them, the four Price daughters' and their mother's individual relatings of the story, and the overall view of humanity's role in the tapestry of life against which the story is played out are woven into a stunning tapestry that held me spellbound from the first page to the last. The characters became utterly real to me, and that is my litmus test for successful fiction. I do have to disagree with some reviewers who found the final third of the book less interesting or believable than the first two-thirds. For me, this would have been a much less memorable or powerful story had it not gone on to show the influence of their sojurn as a missionary family on the subsequent lives of each of the Price women. I am deeply grateful to the friend who recommended this book to me. It will have a place on the small section of our bookshelves reserved for my all-time favorites.
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