Rating: 
Summary: I've Swallowed Poison--I Still Believe
Review: To critique this book is to critique the view of five different women and their perspectives of a turbulent time politically, socially, spiritually, and personally.First, I enjoyed the five viewpoints and tip my hat to Kingsolver's characterization. Adah is, on the surface, the most complex creation--and I enjoyed her backward insights--but Leah sneaks up on you, becoming a woman of deep-rooted motivations and disillusionment. Rachel, for an older teen, was portrayed as, in her own words, "a dumb blond," yet with this in mind I still had a difficult time accepting her misuse of language...ie. exetera (et cetera), addenda (agenda), feminine wilds (wiles), for all the teeth in China (tea in China)...You get the picture. Ruth May, the youngest, conforms to character, though a bit verbose for a five year old. Of course, Oleanna, the mother, is richly detailed in her steadfast commitments, her motherly yearnings, her deep depressions, and searching for understanding from her own offspring. Which brings me to the frustratingly brilliant aspect of this story...Nathan Price. We only come to know him through his family's perspective. This man fits the stereotype of the Great White Missionary, come to save the heathens by turning them into monogamous little Americans. Having been an MK (Missionary Kid) for a number of years myself, I can say this stereotype, sadly, has its basis. But Kingsolver sorely neglects to paint a balanced, or accurate, picture of this chosen life pursuit. Many missionaries I've rubbed shoulders with--from China to Brazil to the Czech Republic--are genuinely dedicated people who love their families foremost and adapt humbly to their second cultures rather than plundering the natives, as it were. There: Got that off my chest. I've swallowed the bitter poison of religion-turned-stark-raving-mad...and I still believe in the hope it offers when based on Biblical balance not the lunatic fringe's version of a holy calling. Nathan Price successfully sabotages his own efforts, his host village, and his precious family in the quest to save his own soul. Shame on the man. Through Kingsolver's eye for detail, we see the devastating effects of this man's metaphorical exploitation that parallels America's similar exloitation of the Congo. The crux of the issue for Oleanna, early on, is summed up in her own words: "I could never work out whether we were to view religion as a life-insurance policy or a life sentence." Nathan Price clamps the chains of religion around his family's ankles and only when he is out of the picture are we allowed to witness their escape, their individual chain-dragging survival methods. Kingsolver, through emotional rawness and detailed metaphoric description of the ravaged Congo, shows the trek of these women toward the light of normalcy and acceptance. Not all will succeed in finding that light, but we care deeply as we watch the trek unfold. "The Poisonwood Bible" is a book of pain and beauty, of sorrow and hope. Ultimately, like my own experience as an MK, we come to believe that one can swallow poison and still believe in the ability to move on.
Rating: 
Summary: Knowing when to stop
Review: Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible is a delicious read up to a point, and then she kept going. Her plot climaxed just past the middle of the book (and a brilliant, well written climax it is, no doubt) but the remaining chapters were superfluous sequel fodder. The characters became like old clothes: just plain worn out and full of holes. Where an epilogue would do, she wrote another book...
Rating: 
Summary: Quite boring...
Review: This book is quite boring. The story is toooo slow... you can practicall fall asleep, plus the characters are not very likable. I found it very hard to identify with any of them. There have been very few ocassions when I have found myself skipping pages of a book in order to finish it but this was definitely one of them.
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling
Review: This is by far one of the best and most compelling books in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Poisonwood Bible
Review: Barbara Kingsolver is brilliant, and this is her finest work. If you liked this book, check out her earlier novel "Animal Dreams".
Rating:
Summary: Experiencing Africa
Review: I respect the views of those who feel the book leaves out the development of the father. I also acknowledge the political problems the book presents. But the poetic effect of the different voices of the family (except the father) allowed me to feel I had experienced Africa in my senses, instead of just reading 'about' it. I am forever more sensitized to newspaper articles about the continent. Definitely worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Very diappointing, from such a great author!
Review: Unlike just about everyone else on the planet, I really didn't like this book at all. I'll start by saying that I absolutely love Kingsolver's other books, and was really psyched to sink my teeth into a juicy new (very fat) novel. Unfortunately, it was simply very disappointing. My most basic complaint is that, unlike the characters and situations in her other books, these seem more like cardboard cutouts places in a pre-scripted generic and banal relationship to each other. There's the suffering wife, the overbearing and 'evil' husband; there are the fourdaughters - the oldest being the belle, the middle twins feeling left out, and the baby seeming to not comprehend what was going on. To be fair, some of the characters are more developed than others - Ada, one of the twins, is disabled and the passages written from her point of view are clever and insightful; Ruth May, the baby, narrates some nicely innicent chapters. However, overall, I found the relationships between the characters to be cliche beyond belief - the love interests, for example. How predictable - and thus thoroughly uninteresting! Finally, Kingsolver really pushed the political agenda too far - it really interfered with the flow of the story. Very very disappointing, I must say!
Rating:
Summary: The Best
Review: I have read every one of Oprah's suggested fiction books (Thank you so much, Oprah, for your invaluable help in finding all these good books), and I think this one is certainly one of the best. It is part psychological and part political. I am very impressed with the author's ability to speak in the language of a poorly educated teenager, then in the voice of her brilliant younger sister who reads backwards and forewards, and who thinks in poetry and palindromes; and then write in the voice of a five year old child. Barbara Kingsolver, herself, must be brilliant! I learned a great deal about the Belgian Congo -- now Zaire, including anti-American viewpoints. I really recommend this book to everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't buy this book!
Review: As good as the writing style and character development is, Barbara Kingsolver uses the Poisonwood Bible as a vehicle to support a viscous murderer. Anyone who would purposely seek out the input of a cowardly murderer to critique their book doesn't deserve to get it published, no matter how good it is.
Rating:
Summary: A great adventure drama
Review: I really liked the beautiful style of writing in this novel-especially the views of each daughter, and her different views about their situation. I really thought the descriptive language Kingsolver used gave a fantastic visual effect. I felt I got a very good lesson about the events in the Congo in the 60's. I would recommend this book to those who really enjoy epic historical dramas.
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