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Summary: great adventure story!
Review: This is one of the most beautifully written books I've read, I became each person in their narrative. Kingsolver is a masterful writer, and she knows a woman's heart. It is one of those books you wish was longer.
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Summary: Wonderful blend of fiction and african history
Review: This was my first novel by Kingsolver and found it wonderful. Her rich description of the people and places of Congo made you feel like you were there. The story is told in present day by Orleanne Price, mother of four girls and wife of Nathan Price, a Baptist preacher who goes down to the Congo to save all the natives' souls through baptism and the teaching of Christianity. The rest of the story is told as it is happening by each one of the sisters, with their own experiences and beliefs. The book is filled with the history and politics of the Congo from the mid-60's to current day. I found the mix of fiction and history pleasant and was fascinated by the facts I didn't know about the Congo/Zaire area of Africa. This is a great read for anyone that loves to learn a little about history with a great fictional story thrown in.
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Summary: Very Powerful
Review: This was one of the best, most all consuming stories I have ever read. From the beginning I was drawn into this astonishing recount of a family's torrid affair with the Congo. The descriptions of the jungle and those who inhabit same were articulate and wonderfully captured the sense of place and time. What made this book so exceptional, in my opinion, is that it was the telling of a fictional family against a factual backdrop - if nothing else, an extremely interesting history lesson - but in reality so much more. I cannot believe anyone could read this book and not be moved to tears or have utter compassion for the events that take place. I have loved past Kingsolver novels, but this is surely my favorite - an extraordinary tale.
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Summary: An engrossing read...to a point
Review: I read the first half of The Poisonwood Bible with immense interest. I enjoyed the alternating narrators since they gave different perspectives of the same situation. I liked Rachel for her outspokeness and Ruth May for her innocence and adaptability. Adah speaks in palindromes, which got on my nerves after a while. You can tell Leah was the author's favorite character since she spent most of the novel using her narrative voice. The novel was extremely good up until the point when the women left Nathan behind. Until this point, the author took time to unfold the plot and develop the characters. Gradually we could see how each of the four girls were changed by their experience in the Congo. But after they left, the author seemed to rush through 30 years telling us what happened to each of these characters. I felt that this part of the novel was too political and philosophical, and could have been easily summed up as an epilogue. Too much time was spent on what was happening in African politics. The Leah character clearly domindates the second half. The author uses her as a vehicle for activism and to present her political views, while she just glosses over the other characters. I didn't see a need to go so far in depth into what happened in the years after they left Nathan. Without Nathan to present a conflict, the plot just wasn't as interesting. I was also disappointed that there was no final confrontation between the mother and Nathan before they left. The author just skips to the part where the girls are making their way through the jungle to freedom. It just seemed very anti-climactic.
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Summary: A Real Eye Opener
Review: The Poisonwood Bible was a great book. Even though it is lengthy, you will finish it in a couple days because you won't be able to put it down! After reading this book it made me think about other cultures and respecting their rituals and ways of doing things. This book also made me realize how lucky I am and that I should be more grateful for what God has given me. Great book -- everyone should read it!
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Summary: Interwoven beauty.
Review: I absolutely could not put this book down once I began to read. I read almost nonstop for 24 hours until coming to the end. Kingsolver shows with beautiful style and language a world that can only be known to those that dare to leave the comforts of home on the strength (however flawed) of their beliefs. A man who believes in the conversion of spirits and a woman who believes in standing by her man and the four girls who have no choice but to believe that their parents are taking them on a grand adventure. As an expatriate myself I really identified with many of the situations in this book. I must shamefully admit to packing my pockets with extra poundage to make the baggage weight limits. Everyone will find something to love about this book.
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Summary: Sorely dissappointed
Review: All set for a great book, I was very disappointed with The Poisonwood Bible. It was full of predictable characters and a long drawn out storyline. The only interesting aspect was the historical value. Borrow it at the library before you spend a dime on this book.
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Summary: Thoughts our of Africa
Review: Barbara Kingsolver's "The Poisonwood Bible' arrived on my doorstep in South Africa in June 1999 - a gift from a dear friend in Boston MA. Like many in 'the West' she is very interested to learn more about Africa. She loved the book, and knew I would too. We laughed, wept and had our eyes opened in many different ways. Africa, with it's many places and peope, is not somwhere one can learn about on TV - or read about in history or travel books. However, Barbara Kingsolver - 'cheered on' by South Africa's own Kate Turkington, has done a wonderful job of putting us - even those of us here in the South - in the picture. A wonderful read for a few chilly July evenings.
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Summary: Well drawn characters spin their saga in the Congo
Review: Barbara Kingsolver uses one of my favorite fictional conventions--the shifting viewpoints of different characters throughout time--to tell this tale of a missionary family in a futile setting. It is fascinating to watch the different characters change and develop-or in one case, to not change- as they struggle with a dogmatic father who fails to see that his mission in the Belgian Congo can not be realized in the way he would hope. As the family struggles with the political and tropical climate,the characters narrate throughout their lifetime how they see each other and their parents. These women are so well developed, that after a few chapters, one can tell who is speaking without reading the chapter heading. Although I become frustrated that so many novels portray members of the clergy in such a poor light, it is probably a reality that many do struggle with the balance between their beliefs and those of the people they are trying to convert. However, to tell this story in this way, and to see how the daughters dealt with such a man as father and how that affected their outlooks on life, he had to be this kind of preacher. Interspersed with the story is the background of the struggle for independence in the Belgian Congo. This is an engrossing way to familiarize oneself with the history of the fight for freedom that occurs with frequency on the African continent.
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Summary: A very good way to learn to appreciate what you have
Review: I'm at this point, halfway through the book and I can't put it down. I enjoy having the book narrated from different character's points of view, especially the smallest of the daughters. The book might seem depressing for some, since its the story of a family in an unfamiliar area in El Congo, where they go with their father, who is not very aware of their needs and how much they suffer, while he goes off trying to convert the natives that really could care less about him. But the part that fascinates me, is how this people are able to adjust to having so little, especially the kids. It has, certainly, taught me to appreciate every little luxury item and think twice before I buy anything I dont need. It has also made me aware of other parts of the world that do not have as much as we have here in the US. It is a very engaging book.
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