Rating: 
Summary: I loved this book
Review: This thoughtful and beautifully written book was a pleasure to read. It certainly gave me much to ponder. Bravo!
Rating: 
Summary: Not easy to read -- for the right reasons.
Review: Having read High Tide in Tucson (and pretty much everything else BK has written), I was expecting more of the same in this collection of essays. Nope.While there are several that put you RIGHT THERE in the desert or the rain forest, loving every second of it, there are some that are a little more difficult to stay with ... Not because of the writing, but because Kingsolver doesn't let the reader off the hook. She doesn't have the smugness of other ecologically-minded writers ("I raise my own vegetables so I'm better than you") but she also doesn't let you simply cruise across the surface without thinking twice about your own lifestyle. Do you really NEED that gas-guzzling SUV to make it through the rough terrain of the McDonald's drive-through? In fact, do you really need to be going to McDonald's in the first place? This isn't a comforting book, and Kingsolver is blunt about her concerns with environmental issues. If you read it and are feeling defensive ... maybe there's a reason for that.
Rating: 
Summary: small minded
Review: I hated this book. I hated the preachy, self-righteous tone that kept popping up regularly. I don't think many women who work away from home but must take care of their house and families in addition to their job, would appreciate the not-so-veiled contempt for people who don't have the time or money to stay home, eat bonbons, commune with nature, and raise all their veggies from scratch. Just because someone chooses to grab a cup of joe from Dunkin' Donuts instead of making their own shade grown coffee does NOT mean they are evil, ignorant or lack compassion, self-awareness and respect for the planet. This kind of mindset is dangerous, juvenile and only serves to alienate people who might otherwise be open to your views on how to make the world a better place. Read Anne Lamott or Nancy Mairs on much the same themes that Kingsolver does here and you'll come away feeling like the author is a real and flawed person like 99 percent of the population, not someone who does not practice the compassion she preaches. The only passion this writer has is for judging others - and finding them lacking.
Rating:
Summary: A WONDER INDEED--AND NOT SO SMALL AS CLAIMED
Review: There have already been 59 opinions given on Barbara Kingsolver's SMALL WONDER but if only one person reads this and agrees with it, it'll have been worth my time. In my opinion, (1) that book that is found in most hotels next to the bed should be replaced by SMALL WONDER (though I'm sure, unlike the other, it won't help you get to sleep...) and (2) SMALL WONDER should be on required reading lists for all highschool seniors and/or university freshmen and women. This is a book for the 21st century, THE book. BRAVO, BK! BRAVO to all publishers for making it accessible to the public. The world needs this now and more of the same.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding reflections from a gifted author
Review: I have read all of BK's books and short stories. I was excited to read personal essays from an author I so admire. Her essays are beautifully written. She speaks her mind and she discusses topics that are critical in our nation. After reading many of the reviews here it is clear that many Americans can not handle critical analysis of their nation and of their culture. If BK's essays make you feel guilty or unsure of yourself or even defensive....GOOD.....she was effective in making you think. That appears to be missing from a large segment of the American populace. Her essays require you to think. You may not agree but you do need to think. BK is not just standing on a soap box but calling out the American people to THINK and CRITICALLY ponder you day-to-day life. A mark of a good author or essayist is one who makes you think and leaves you thinking or leaves you with strong emotion. Clearly BK is successful at her craft considering the various reviews on this site. I was moved by BK's essays. She gave me impetus to think about aspects of our society that i had not thought about for a few weeks. I found the critical views of our current governmental regime to be refreshing. She may be a quiet voice in our current political and social climate but voices carry and as more voices join hers we can have a choir singing out the praises and injustices of the current American Republic. Give yourself an opportunity to expand your mind and clarify your views....buy this book. Enjoy this book. Think about this book. You will be happy you did.
Rating:
Summary: Life Changing...
Review: I read 'Small Wonder' while on vacation last month and it was life changing. Reading this collection of personal stories has sparked my interest in being a better citizen - something I'm ashamed I never thought about in much depth before. Now I find myself reading about politics, hoping to inform myself enough to make an educated vote for our country's future leaders. And this book has inspired me in countless other ways. I want to introduce 'Small Wonder' to everyone I know, and I hope that they find it to be as amazing and poignant as I do.
Rating:
Summary: Essays, not fiction
Review: If you're looking for the incredible fiction of Barbara Kingsolver, this isn't the book. This collection of essays, though, is as insightful, detailed, and passionate as her fiction. Essay lovers will rejoice, and fiction fans will discover Kingsolver's "other voice."
Rating: 
Summary: Yes Barbara, I've read ALL your books!
Review: I bought the audio tapes and listened to them during long commutes. Barbara Kingsolver certainly does make us think about the tough issues, however, I found myself debating with her throughout the entire series of essays. At one point she tells us how many hundreds of miles some kind of food product takes to get to our table, how much fuel is consumed, while in another essay she brags about how many THOUSANDS of sky miles her 'home grown' fit body has flown to study exotic birds. She wants us to believe that she scorns a consumer lifestyle while she sells millions of books and maintains two homes on opposite ends of the USA. Oh, by the way Barbara, do you walk between your two homes in order to save fuel? I'm glad that you have two great daughters who are concerned about the future of our planet, but I'm too busy maiking sure my teenager doesn't do drugs, or other harmful worldly behaviours that we haven't talked much about sea creatures that might become extinct after millions of years. Barbara says that the only people who criticize her are those who haven't read her works...sorry Barbara, I have read them all, but I'm done now!
Rating:
Summary: a wonderful discovery
Review: I was pleasantly surprised by this little book, which, though small, speaks volumes about the twenty-first century world and how we might live in it. I suppose fiercely pro-war advocates might choose to be offended by some of her views, but Kingsolver is not so much anti-war as pro-humanity. Yes, she does make an argument for peace, because, as a person of faith, she does not believe that hatred can be dispelled by more hatred.
She writes beautifully about the role of nature and the ways that we need to re-embrace it. She writes about loving others and finding wonderful blessings in the midst of darkness. This is a book for anyone who feels despair over the increasing violence in the world, for anyone with a pure faith, for anyone who loves nature.
If you love this book, also check out books by Annie Dillard and Wendell Berry.
Rating:
Summary: shoulda stuck with fiction
Review: What a disappointment to discover that the author of one of my all-time favorite novels, The Poisonwood Bible, is the kind of person I dread getting stuck talking to at a party! And it's not the political views that I found so offensive--it's all the preachy "lifestyle" judgements, such as her categorical dismissal of television. I'll take the worst "Simpsons" episode over the best essay in this book any day.
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