Barbara Kingsolver - The Poisonwood Bible

Pros: Kingsolver develops a deeply-layered, richly-textured story that verges on masterpiece status
Cons: There's a tragic turn of events midway through and the pace seems to slow down in its aftermath

Politics and religion, those strange bedfellows, snuggle between the sheets in Barbara Kingsolver’s impressive novel The Poisonwood Bible. Set during Africa’s political upheaval in the early 1960s, Kingsolver’s tale follows missionary Nathan...

Pros: Gorgeous writing, brilliant characters
Cons: Hard, depressing tones and a main character you'll want to punch in the face!

In 1959, fiery Baptist preacher Nathan Price took his wife and his four daughters to the Congo. "Took" is perhaps too light a word. "Forced" might be better, or at least "commanded." His goal? To save the souls floundering in the darkness of sin. Theirs? ...

Pros: Very well-written, from a purely literary point of view
Cons: Inordinately irreverent; misrepresentation of Christianity

INTRODUCTION: “Imagine a ruin so strange it must never have happened.” (Barbara Kingsolver.) Imagine a grossly overgrown forest—one with gnarled trees that take life from other decaying plants. Imagine the village near this ...

Pros: Serious treatment of cultural bias, strong environmental themes
Cons: none

Nathan Price has lofty ideals in The Poisonwood Bible. Barabara Kingsolver's multifaceted 1999 novel weaves together themes explored in Alcott's Little Women, Conrad's Heart of Darkness, and Burdick & Lederer's The Ugly...

Pros: engrossing, well written, clear visual writing.
Cons: there are scarey moments.

This book review is part of the “This Book Has Changed My Life” Write off. Please see the end of this review for the list of participants.

It has been a long time since I have last written. I took an on-line graduate computer course and...

Pros: Multiple perspectives give a touch of authenticity.
Cons: The history Kingsolver depicts is more or less accurate.

Barbara Kingsolver has created a masterpiece of historical fiction, using multiple voices to tell her story, Kingsolver draws the reader in and inspires emotions, for me the primary one was anger, in her readers. The story she tells is of the Price...

Pros: Exquisite imagery and language. Forceful plot. Highly intriguing characters
Cons: a tad long. Kept me up all night reading.

It has been a long time since a book has been good enough to keep me up all night reading. I hold The Poisonwood Bible in high esteem for this reason and many others.

"You know, you need to read Barbara Kingsolver. I think you'd like...

Pros: Vivid prose, well-researched content, and firmly held opinions
Cons: Political and religious views may offend some readers

Set alternately in the Congo and the United States during the mid-to-late 20th century, Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible is a stirring indictment of cultural and political imperialism. Speaking with the voices of the five women of the...

Pros: The writer is very good.
Cons: The book is not.

Not too long ago I took my first trip to Washington D.C., and one of the most interesting things I saw there was a bookstore. It’s not as weird as it sounds, one of the most interesting things I see anywhere is bound to be a bookstore.

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Pros: well written, filled with believable fiction and actual facts
Cons: a long book,to read, filled with a lot of despair and tragedy

Poison wood bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Published by HarperFlamingo

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Barbara Kingsolver lives in Arizona and the southern Appalachian mountains. In the course of her life, she actually trained as...

Pros: Wonderful, vivid details, Easy to read and understand difficult subjects
Cons: Absolutely NONE

Barbara Kingsolver has earned a place on my all-time favorite writers list. I have read a few of her works including; The Bean Trees, Pigs in Heaven, Animal Dreams and now The Poisonwood Bible. She never ceases to amaze me...

Pros: Packed with information and story.
Cons: None.

Gee, what could go wrong here? In “The Poisonwood Bible,” a white American Baptist preacher decides he would make a terrific missionary to the poor, ignorant people of Africa and drags his family along. That he is far more ignorant of the world or ...

Pros: I learned a lot about the Congo and missionaries
Cons: A bit slow moving

I have to admit, it took me well over a month to get into this book. However, once I finally allowed myself to get immersed in the Congo, I couldn't stop reading until I was finished. I have to say, this book far exceeded my expectations.
The...

Pros: Absorbing, thought provoking, expresses different truths.
Cons: None

I just finished Barbara Kingsolver's recent novel. It called forth in me a soul examination of our civilization. Her story took place in Equatorial Africa, the Congo, in the 1950's. A Southern Baptist preacher, a redhead from Georgia, took his wife...

Pros: Spellbinding drama, dynamic characters, accurate depiction of history
Cons: Symbolism, while poignant, may be tough to understand at times.

In an odd move for me, I did not run out and buy this book as soon as Oprah announced it as her summer read of choice. At the time, I was hip-deep in mandatory college reading and had no leisure time for pleasure reading. It was years later, when I ...