Rating: 
Summary: A Testimony To The Life Giving Power of the Family!
Review: Kingsolver creates characters you'll learn to love as they struggle to make sense of and survive in a complex world. When a lovable man of limited intelligence falls into a hole in the Hoover Dam, an adventure begins and doesn't stop until a Television set is blown to bits with a shot gun. You'll notice that as each of characters travels farther away from their "family" (center) they become weaker and more confused. Only by returning home can you find Heaven, pigs and all. It's an adventure with meaning for all of us. Despite, the strength of this book, I do not think it is for everyone as it's style can be slow at times. It is a character-driven rather than plot-oriented novel. Clancy lovers beware
Rating: 
Summary: This book was very thought provoking and intense.
Review: I am 15 years old. I read both "The Bean Trees" and it's sequel "Pigs in Heaven" for a book report for my English class. I am currently working on dialectical journals for both. Barbara Kingsolver sprinkles her text with Kentucky dialect and never slowed the story down. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out the peak of action. Her books aren't exactly action packed, but they do make the reader think about themselves and the world around them. I noticed that her books are very autobiographical. She has interwoven somesome of her life experiences into the stories. I recommend these books to anyone who is interested inNative American studies, or anyone looking for a good read on a rainy day (or any day for that matter)
Rating:
Summary: thought provoking, humorous tale by an imperfect heroine
Review: Ms Kingsolver writes exquisitely. She manages to captivate
the readers imagination with wit and style. Her use of the
English language is delightful. Yet, she does not get so
involved with the prose that she forgets the tale. She does
an excellent job developing the plot line. The reader is deliciously surprised by some unexpected twists and turns. The family is key without being maudlin.
Rating:
Summary: A great book! I wanted more after I finished reading it.
Review: Lately I have been enjoying books written by contemporary women authors. I have especially enjoyed books written
by Barbara Kingsolver.
She does not resort to hard core sex and violence in her books as do most of her contemporary male counterparts.
Although she deals with disturbing issues, she effectively
implies her intensions without graphic details.
Barbara Kingsolver is genuine and sensitve in her writing
and has the ability to keep her readers attention. She
has written three books which are a continuation of one another: The Bean Trees, Animal Dreams and Pigs in Heaven.
I have read all three and will not miss a fourth if she publishes another in her series.
Rating:
Summary: A strong, sweet story.
Review:
I loved this book. The plot was serpentine without being
intricate. I love plot surprises and this book had a few
good ones. The characters were developed perfectly; vivid,
real, and interesting. The story educated me; it showcased
American Indian family values and the hardships of
single parenthood.
But, the thing I like most is the author's
style. Some authors have the gift of turning a phrase that resonates with the reader on multiple levels.
Ms. Kingsolver has that gift and it increased my enjoyment
tenfold of her already excellent story.
This was the first book by Kingsolver that I have read;
I will definitely seek her out in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully powerful imagery, engaging
Review: I was immediately captured on the first page. Kingsolver's
ability to draw the reader into the story is a fine gift. I could readily visualize the people, scenes she describes as well as empathize with the emotion accompanying the descriptions. The characters are very real and call forth memories of similar individuals in my own past--their stories
are not "business as usual" but have some unexpected turns and twists. Kept me engaged throughout.
Rating:
Summary: It Doesn't Get Better Than This!
Review: Pigs in Heaven is the type of book that you must own just so you can touch it every now and then, just so you can let the pages fall open where they will so you can sample even a paragraph of Kingsolver's brilliant lyrical style.
A sequel to The Bean Trees but a full novel unto itself, this is the continuation of the story of Taylor Greer and her adopted Cherokee daughter Turtle, the abused child given to Taylor in a parking lot some 3 years earlier. Now fully bonded as mother and child, Taylor and Turtle are living a happy iconoclastic life as only Kingsolver can describe. Turtle has come far from her earlier trauma, although not completely healed. And Taylor's fierce adoration of her child cannot be disputed.
Through a series of unbelievable events, Taylor and Turtle appear on the Oprah show, and catch the eye of Cherokee lawyer-activist Anawake Fourkiller, who immediately determines that she must wrest the child from her non-Indian mother and return her to the fold of the Tribe. On the face of it, Anawake seems the enemy and Taylor and Turtle her victims. But nothing is as it seems. With the addition of such unforgettable characters as Taylor's irrascible mother Alice, plus a real-life Barbie doll cum waitress who latches on to the family and won't let go, and the various tribal members, this is a book rich in meaning, deep in thought, and brimming with human truth that transcends all barriers, racial or otherwise.
And that, of course, is the point.
If you have not read Kingsolver before, start with this brilliant offering. You won't be sorry. She is a voice not to be missed.
Rating: 
Summary: Pigs in Heaven not very heavenly
Review: Pigs in Heaven starts out well, but then we get dragged through the emotional mud of 2 women who can't relate to others in a healthy way. As the reader, I couldn't relate to or sympathize with either charachter. Kingsolver deals with Indian American issues as they pertain to adotion and slams everyone from adoptive parents to Mormons in the process! She tries to tie it all together with a happy ending that is far-fetched and just a little too easy. She wants to tackle major social issues and then turn it in to a happily-ever-after and I just didn't buy it. Not one of her better books.
Rating:
Summary: I liked it better than The Bean Trees
Review: I liked The Bean Trees a lot, but I loved this one. Ultimately, the story, to me, is about how Taylor and her mom, Alice, learn about where and with whom they truly belong. An uplifting, feel-good story. The writing often amazed me - there were observations and details that made the people and places seem very real.
Rating: 
Summary: Not my favorite Kingsolver book
Review: Not my favorite Kingsolver book, but it's a nice story about a white woman's adoption of an Indian child. The purpose seemed to be to explain the Indian Child Welfare Act, but I found much of it hard to understand.
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