Rating: 
Summary: Good work BUT STILL..
Review: NO I did not buy this book. Found it with a friend, but could not get passed half way through. I guess for somebody of my taste its just too 'feel good' book.
Rating: 
Summary: wow
Review: an excellent if somewhat difficult read. The Poisonwood Bible will make you think and wonder about the lives and comfrots we all have, and it will make you cherish your loved ones even more.
Rating: 
Summary: a work of art
Review: I have always been a fan of Barbara Kingsolver, and I think this is her masterpiece. Obviously a lot of work went into this book. It was so insightful and enjoyable that I had to read it twice.
Rating:
Summary: Lighting up the Dark Continent
Review: The Poisonwood Bible served as my introduction to the writings of Barbara Kingsolver. The novel's two distinct sections worked well together, although I did prefer the first half of the novel to the second. The novel begins as a fine example of characterization and plot, and the use of multiple voices to define the members of the Price family works quite well. I think the author was at her best here, allowing us to see the gradual development of each child's own personality as the years in the Congo pass by. Character development in the first half of the novel rang true, at least to me. Later, as the family goes there separate ways, things seem to degrade a bit. While the first half of the novel bounced through the ups and downs of a well imagined world that could easily be mistaken for reality, later on everything looked like a five year weather forecast, with each character just traversing along in a (somewhat) tedious and all too predictable way. The book remains an enjoyable read to the finish, but it just doesn't reach the level of excellence hinted at in the earlier chapters. That being said, my knowledge of the political history of the Congo was greatly enhanced by reading the later chapters of this book--how could it not be? As a typical American, I know very little about Africa from a political perspective, and while the author certainly has her own point of view and perhaps even her own political agenda, her retelling of Congo's political past is eye opening, to say the least.
Rating:
Summary: Will rank with "Heart of Darkness" and "A Bend in the River"
Review: "The Poisonwood Bible" is a powerhouse of a novel, brillantly executed. Barbara Kingsolver uses multiple narrators to tell the story of an American missionary who takes his family to the Belgian Congo in the last days of colonial rule. It is compelling reading, there are many memorable scenes and images, and several very suspenseful moments. The characters, both the missionary family as well as the local Congolese, are well drawn. The book's historical background is equally interesting. This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good novel, even moreso for anyone interested in Africa. There have been few English-language novels set in Congo (Zaire), but two of them ("Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad and "A Bend in the River" by V. S. Naipaul ) rank among the best in English literature. "The Poisonwood Bible" will take its place alongside these classics. Taken together, the three novels tell the story of the Congo in the 20th century: Conrad's story covers the early Belgian Congo colonial period; Kingsolver's novel is set at the end of the colonial period and the coming of independence; Naipaul's novel is set during the rule of Zaire's first strongman Mobutu Sese Seko. "King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa" by Adam Hochschild is a non-fiction approach to the story of the Belgian Congo and its aftermath.
Rating: 
Summary: Authorial Intrusion
Review: The female characters were beautifully evoked and I felt engaged by them. However, the author's insistence on incorporating her personal agenda became overwhelmingly irritating and eventually threw me out of the novel.
Rating:
Summary: Boom da da da da boom da da da boom
Review: You can almost hear the drumbeats of the Belgian Congo leap off the page. Imagine, dragging your four young girls off to live in the jungle. The father Nathan Price has some serious character flaws which are fascinating to uncover. The first part of the book is voiced by each daughter and the mother taking an alternate chapter. This book is long and it is good. It is not for the Danielle Steel crowd. In addition to learning about the Price family, the "natives", and missionaries I also learned a great deal about the Congo and the politics that surrounded it in the 1960s. This book is an excellent book, the kind you may keep on your bookshelf for years and actually re-read years down the road. Highly highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A "Somewhat Excellent" Book
Review: A Story told by the Women in an American Preacher's family relating their life in the Congo during a period in the 1950's. The first 2/3rds of the novel intensely gives you a series of vivid pictures of this family's life during a time of extreme unrest in Africa. You would have to be a piece of wood if you do not feel the emotional high's & lows of this section of the novel. The last third is almost an after-thought and loses the amazing energy of the first 2/3rds(You will know when you reach this part and wish you stopped if you continued to the end). Overall I did like this book and do recommend it to people looking for a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Well-written and very interesting.
Review: Kingsolver's most recent novel was my first experience as one of her readers and it took me about 130 pages to become hooked. By that time, however, I was unable to turn my back on the personal, vibrant story of the Price family. The year is 1959. Nathan Price, his wife and four daughters have moved from Georgia to the the Congo in order to evangelize the people there, believing Jesus Christ to be the one and true God. The daughters, ages 5-16, take turns telling the story from each of their points of view; the struggles they have as a family, the difficulty in preaching "one God" to a village that believes in "the gods," the adjustment to living in a jungle, etc., etc. Father Price becomes more horrible as the story proceeds, caring less and less for the welfare of his family. When political chaos begins to endanger the Price's and every other American family returns to the States, Nathan's family stays on in the Congo until a terrible tragedy shocks everyone into silence and empowers Mother Price to make a striking move for her girls. Kingsolver then proceeds to follow each character individually through their lives for the next twenty-five years, telling their personal story as well as Africa's story. Passionately written, elegantly told and completely riveting, I could not agree more with Oprah on this one. Just don't give up unless you've passed the 130-page mark. You'll be glad you didn't.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice way to pass the time
Review: This book is a nice way to pass the time. The description or the Congo are good enough to make you believe you've been there. If there was a lesson to be learned from all of the preaching however, I'm afraid it was lost on me. For the life of me I can't imagine what ending I was expecting but it certaily wasn't the ending she came up with.
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