Rating: 
Summary: Picked up on a whim and loved it.
Review: With all the hype about Poison Wood Bible, I figured I would pick up one of Kingsolver's earlier books and start there. And I'm glad I did. This novel was so wonderfully written from beginning till end that I didn't want it to end. The description of the Arizona landscape and atmosphere made me want to go move or visit there. This book made me laugh so many times it was great. And for who ever said this is not a guy book, well I would recommend it to every one. It has just alittle of everything in it that everyone can enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Just a delightful story
Review: Taylor Greer leaves home to wander. She has no goal or final destination in mind. What she learns in her travels is that everything in life has a support network. This book is trying to say that people help each other along in life, and fate plays a role in the choices we end up making for ourselves and our loved ones. This book is a great read. I found it much easier to digest than "The Poisonwood Bible," although I loved that book as well. I suppose, that in "The Bean Trees," we see a younger Kingsolver developing her craft that will become more complex in Poisonwood, and I also assume, "The Prodigal Summer." I haven't read the latter, but am looking forward to it now.The characters in The Bean Trees are dear, and the story is a delight.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Waste Your Time
Review: We had to read this book in our Integrated Language Arts class here at the University of Mississippi. We are studying to be teachers and were told to look at this book through an educational viewpoint. Aside from the descriptive language used, this book had no redeeming qualities. The story was poorly written and strenuous to read. The characters were underdeveloped and were hard to follow due to frequent name changes. Ms. Kingsolver's use of anecdotal notes were distracting and inappropriate for this particular story. The topics that were dealt with are inappropriate for school assigned reading. The sexual denotations would not be suitable for students to read. The end came full circle to the situations presented in the beginning. Taylor and Turtle became a real family and returned to Tuscon. The lesson of family was the only valuable moral lesson that could be taken from this book. In conclusion, we would not recommend using this book in your school systems due to inappropriate topics.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth the time!
Review: It's a great read, and well worth the time! It's a quirky, inspiring book that will make you laugh, cry and cheer. Briefly, it's about a young, poor Kentucky woman who heads west on her own in a dilapidated car. By the time she has arrived in Tucson, she has been entrusted with a 3 year old abandoned Indian child, Turtle. The author switches between 1st and 3rd person narration during the first few chapters, giving a more complete view of the main character, Taylor Greer. I loved the rural Kentucky dialect and colorful expressions. Yes, it is (in a way) a "chick book"--it presents feminist views and strong, independent women. Themes include survival, family values, and relationships. Male readers shouldn't rule it out!
Rating:
Summary: Good Read
Review: I wasn't sure I would like this one, but I couldn't put it down once I got started.
Rating:
Summary: BEST NOVEL EVER
Review: I read The Bean Trees, as a junior in high school, and now as a freshman in college, it still sticks out in my mind as the best novel I have read. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, is a magnificent novel. As Kingsolver's first novel, it takes you on a trip trough Taylor Greer's personal and political growth and experiences. It is a journey through the life of a young rebellious girl from Kentucky, who leaves all she knows for a life in the deserts of Tucson, Arizona. The book grabs the reader and drags them into this mystical journey. When you read this novel, you feel as though you are part of the novel. You feel the emotions of Taylor Greer as you read along. You feel love, confusion, defeat, anger and many painful experiences. Taylor is a young girl, who takes this journey, with out any inkling of a clue to what was coming her way. She started as a naïve girl who was unaware of the vast impact of the world outside her Kentucky home. She develops into a woman of vision and insight after life changing experiences flood her view of the "real" world. You may find that she still remains naïve about certain situations, but her growth is obvious. Taylor is also a character that pretends to be wise above her years though, but she realizes what part of her is wise, and not just cocky. When reading this story, you will find it hard to put down. I finished it in 3 days. It was a novel I, personally, could not put down, and did not want to put down. I wanted to live the story of Taylor Greer, because in a make-believe way, after reading this story, I felt like I had lived her life. That is what is so amazing about this novel. It is real for anyone of any age. It has something in it that everyone can relate to. This is a must read for sure.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Life Story for All Ages
Review: I, Erica an 18 year old college student, read The Bean Trees, as a junior in high school, and now as a freshman in college, it still sticks out in my mind as the best novel I have read. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, is a magnificent novel. As Kingsolver's first novel, it takes you on a trip trough Taylor Greer's personal and political growth and experiences. It is a journey through the life of a young rebellious girl from Kentucky, who leaves all she knows for a life in the deserts of Tucson, Arizona. The book grabs the reader and drags them into this mystical journey. When you read this novel, you feel as though you are part of the novel. You feel the emotions of Taylor Greer as you read along. You feel love, confusion, defeat, anger and many painful experiences. Taylor is a young girl, who takes this journey, with out any inkling of a clue to what was coming her way. She started as a naïve girl who was unaware of the vast impact of the world outside her Kentucky home. She develops into a woman of vision and insight after life changing experiences flood her view of the "real" world. You may find that she still remains naïve about certain situations, but her growth is obvious. Taylor is also a character that pretends to be wise above her years though, but she realizes what part of her is wise, and not just cocky. When reading this story, you will find it hard to put down. I finished it in 3 days. It was a novel I, personally, could not put down, and did not want to put down. I wanted to live the story of Taylor Greer, because in a make-believe way, after reading this story, I felt like I had lived her life. That is what is so amazing about this novel. It is real for anyone of any age. It has something in it that everyone can relate to. This is a must read for sure.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth the time!
Review: Bean Trees, 'BT', is the only book that captured my heart from the start. It is a heartwarming story about a young woman who tries to escape the plague of her hometown, which is becoming pregnant too soon. Ironically after escaping her Kentucky hell, 'Taylor' finds herself in the position she tired to escape when she finds a small Native American child in her car with no parents in sight. The sad part is that not only was the baby abandoned, but also she seems to have endured some physical abuse in her short life. Taylor decides she can't dump the child off like its parents did so she instead takes care of the child herself. Taylor and Turtle (the child) end up in Tucson were they make a fresh start and try to make it on their own. Taylor finds a roommate named Lou Ann who is also having baby problems because she is faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Taylor becomes very over protective about the children in the house as if they were a fragile glass trinkets that could be broken at the slightest touch. In BT, there is a lot of themes of feminism since Taylor is trying to make it on her own without a man in her life. Men in this story aren't particularly portrayed in a typical family man way. These women want to be strong and independent, something that a stereotypical woman is not. The 'girl power' is perhaps too much for the male audience and is more of a dis than a complement to the gender. I loved this book because of its strong descriptive nature, its strong characters and the messages it sent about being a strong, independent woman. It really reminded me of a 'Lifetime Movie' but without the psycho husband or the twisted plot. It was heartwarming because the choices Taylor made and how those choices made her grow as a person. She took on a whole new out look on life and matured gracefully over the course of the story. It was extremely realistic. So realistic that I cried and I laughed right along with the characters. The characters were easy to relate to and the dialect Kingslover added showed the origin of the characters and added to their personality. I really would recommend this book to anyone and I would definitely read it again myself.
Rating: 
Summary: THE BEAN TREES
Review: THIS BOOK WAS VERY SLOW TO START WITH BUT AFTER ABOUT 5 CHAPTERS IT BECAME MORE INJOYABLE TO READ BUT IT WAS NOT THAT GOOD A BOOK! I WOULD NOT RECOMEND THAT ANYONE WAIST THAIR TIME READING IT UNLESS THEY LIKE SLOW AND OVERLY DISCRIPTIVE BOOKS! THIS IS STRICKLY OPINION BUT YOU SHOULD READ WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY BUT IT WAS NOT A GOOD BOOK TO ME!!!...
Rating:
Summary: A DELIGHTFUL READ
Review: Through the wisdom of a poor young Kentucky girl, Taylor Greer, the reader is educated to a life well-lived if not always in opulence, and lessons well learned if not always easy. At age 22, give or take, Taylor begins a migration in a beat-up Volkswagon Bug to find her destiny.....her destiny being a 3 year old child named Turtle, thrust upon her by a Cherokee Indian woman in Oklahoma, and a a tire store in Tuscon, Arizona. Turtle is nearly catatonic when Taylor receives her, and the story of Turtle's and Taylor's developement in Arizona is the crux of this page-turning read. A cast of eccentric, but loveable characters enter their lives, surrounding them with color and flavor. Much more humorous and light than "Posionwood Bible," Barbara Kingsolver proves herself a most versitile writer with a penchant for grabbing her audience and not letting go. I laughed; I cried; I emoted varied emotions and fell deeply in like with this misfit cast of characters. A wonderful, enjoyable read.
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