Prodigal Summer

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Read for a Weekend
Review: By page 11 I was completely absorbed into the world of Zebulon Valley. Twelve Hours later I had finished the book! It reminds me a few books I read in the summer of 1996: The Joshua Tree by Robert Cabot and One Summer by James R. Osgood. If you enjoy Prodigal Summer I recommend these other books.

Rating:
Summary: A Bit Graphic, But Overall Compelling Story
Review: I did not read this book, but listened to the unabridged audiobook read by Kingsolver. She was an excellent reader and I would eagerly look for her reading any other novel she has authored. The story itself was a bit slow moving in the begining and also a bit graphic for my tastes, but the pace picked up before too long and she drew the different story threads together perfectly before the end.

It took me a little while to get into this novel, mostly because of the 3 different plot threads that seemed to have very little to do with each other at first. About halfway through the novel it was fairly clear how all the threads were somehow related to each other, but before that it often seemed like reading bits from 3 different books.

I might sound like a bit of a prude, but I did not like the graphic descriptions of sex that were very common throughout this book. Especially at the start of the book it seemed like every other paragraph was about someone having sex and how wonderful it was. I think that after you establish that a couple are having sex very often, you don't have to explain it every time in full detail. The level of graphic description was surprising to me given the PG-rated content of Kingsolver's other novels.

The good part of the book is, of course, the wonderful story. A reader cannot help but be drawn in (eventually). As much as I might not like the style in which it is told, Kingsolver remains a master of writing and can describe nature scenes like nobody else. She also puts so much knowledge about the natural world into her books that I think she must be something of a scientist herself. And this information is woven into such an enjoyable story that it is easily absorbed. I ended up wishing the book would keep on for a whole other novel, continuing to tell the life stories of those compelling characters I had grown to know so well.

Rating:
Summary: A Bit Graphic, But Overall Compelling Story
Review: I did not read this book, but listened to the unabridged audiobook read by Kingsolver. She was an excellent reader and I would eagerly look for her reading any other novel she has authored. The story itself was a bit slow moving in the begining and also a bit graphic for my tastes, but the pace picked up before too long and she drew the different story threads together perfectly before the end.

It took me a little while to get into this novel, mostly because of the 3 different plot threads that seemed to have very little to do with each other at first. About halfway through the novel it was fairly clear how all the threads were somehow related to each other, but before that it often seemed like reading bits from 3 different books.

I might sound like a bit of a prude, but I did not like the graphic descriptions of sex that were very common throughout this book. Especially at the start of the book it seemed like every other paragraph was about someone having sex and how wonderful it was. I think that after you establish that a couple are having sex very often, you don't have to explain it every time in full detail. The level of graphic description was surprising to me given the PG-rated content of Kingsolver's other novels.

The good part of the book is, of course, the wonderful story. A reader cannot help but be drawn in (eventually). As much as I might not like the style in which it is told, Kingsolver remains a master of writing and can describe nature scenes like nobody else. She also puts so much knowledge about the natural world into her books that I think she must be something of a scientist herself. And this information is woven into such an enjoyable story that it is easily absorbed. I ended up wishing the book would keep on for a whole other novel, continuing to tell the life stories of those compelling characters I had grown to know so well.

Rating:
Summary: A real eye opener!
Review: I took my time reading this book because it was like drinking the most intensely incredible wine I've ever tasted. Kingsolver writes with the most astounding accuracy and amazing description. I felt like I was there with Deanna on Zebulon Mountain, laying in the grass with Lusa, and picking apples with Nannie. I learned so much about the natural balance that mother nature keeps, without the "assistance" of humans. If you appreciate nature even a little bit, this book will probably make you a full-fledged nature-freak. I simply loved this book, and will take so much of it with me, forever.