Rating: 
Summary: Riveting, Compelling, Satisfying.
Review: "The Poisonwood Bible" is without a doubt the best book I have read all year. I was completely engrossed with this epic story, and thoroughly enjoyed every word. I am the oldest child in my family with seven siblings, five of whom are girls, and I could relate so well to the personalities reflected in Rachel, Leah, Adah and Ruth May. Our father is also deeply religious, and oftentimes obscure and distant, and the tense scenes from the book involving Nathan Price also felt very familiar to me. The book depicted the human condition so candidly, showing us the broad range of responses that can come from a single situation. It was fascinating to see what each of the girls chose to do with their lives, and how deeply the African experience affected them. Thank you, Barbara Kingsolver! You have touched many of us with this beautiful work.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing, beautiful book
Review: This book is so beautifully written, I enjoyed savoring each word. Kingsolver weaves an amazing story, and the way the whole tale is told, from the point of view, separately, of each of the women, makes this read all the more wonderful. It allows you to know many different, beloved characters, and get a different p.o.v. per chapter. I have not read a book this good in a long, long time. What a pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: Should have won a Pulitzer!
Review: Barbara Kingsolver outdoes herself in this powerful story of a tyrannical Baptist missionary who never fails to say and do the wrong thing in his quest to convert the Congolese natives. Kingsolver employs a masterful narrative style through the voices of the missionary's wife and four daughters. As each woman narrates a chapter, in turn, five distinct voices and perspectives begin to emerge. Layer upon layer, the events and emotions of their years in the Congo unfold. I laughed and cried with and for these characters. This novel is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Breathtaking!
Review: As a male reading this book, it is hard for me to totally identify with the characters, however, I was able to identify with their struggles. While friends of mine criticized it for being a decidely female book, the story is universal, breaking gender and race boundaries. It is simply the story of the impact of the jungle (or any other serious trial) on a family. Each character is totally unique and it is difficult to pin one down as the "heart and soul" of the story. I found myself emotionally drained after prolonged reading (definitely a good thing). This is one of the few books that actually gave me goosebumps more than once. I reccomend it to anyone that can read.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful wonderful book
Review: I was glued to this book *both* times that I read it. It was absolutely fantastic. I'm sure that I'll read it a third time.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've read all year
Review: I thought this story was fabulous from start to finish. Each of the women's voices was so distinct I could hear them. I truly felt Orleanna's complete sense of being lost in something that was out of her control. Crippled Adah's search for balance in palindromes and word games was brilliant. OK, so Rachel's malapropisms did start to wear on me after awhile and we never do find out exactly why she's so shallow. Leah is the heart and soul of the story, a woman who in many ways has all the tenacity of her father but decides to put it to better use. A lot of reviewers have complained about the last third of the book but I think that's a very necessary part of the story. A couple of quick pages explaining what happened to everyone would have been a travesty. The whole point of the story was the impact that those months in Kilanga had on the rest of their lives. Although it led each of them in a different path they were never able to break their ties to it. And as for the politics of the book: it was an educational experience. If even most of it is true (and I suspect a good deal is) it makes me ashamed. But as far as the story is concerned, who ever said a novelist had to be objective?
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful to read and even better to listen!
Review: I read this wonderful book as soon as it came out and thought it was fabulous. My husband had not read it and we purchased the unabridged "books on tape" for our road trip to Yosemite! What a brilliant idea it was! We were captivated by the language and appreciate the beauty of the parables and analgoies. I HIGHLY recommend the audio version of this great book!
Rating:
Summary: A True Masterpiece!
Review: This book hooked me in and kept me focused throughout the 543 pages. I cheered for the mother and daughters and cursed the father. I wept for the loss of Ruth May. If this book has one flaw, it becomes confusing with the wide range of years toward the end. I found myself having to turn back to see how many years had past since the last narative. I deeply enjoyed this book, and am almost sadden by coming to the end. I will recommend this to all my friends.
Rating: 
Summary: enjoy and learn
Review: I'm disappointed that so many readers dismiss this book as "too political." Unless you already happen to have extensive life experience with Africa, are you really in any position to run up your nose at an outstanding novel that also informs us about US involvement in Zaire? If you think it has nothing to do with you, then like Rachel Price, you're living in denial. Incidentally, I do agree that the book drags towards the end, thought for me that had less to do with politics, and more with repetitious material regarding the characters.
Rating: 
Summary: She Didn't Know When to Quit!
Review: Just as a painter must finally put down the brush and admit the painting is finished, a writer, too, must know when to put down her pen. Up until the family exits Africa, I couldn't stop reading (even did one all-nighter). I thoroughly loved the different voices of the girls and was riveted by the trials and tribulations the family endured in the Congo. BUT after the climax, my interest waned GREATLY--(and there's still several hundred pages to read!)--because the rest of the book seems like epilogue. I didn't really care to follow the characters into "Life After Congo." It was ALMOST the best book I read all year--had Kingsolver ended the story sooner, I would have found myself leaving the POISONWOOD BIBLE "wanting more," instead of "praying for less."
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