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I am very well read. This is probably one of the best written, educational, though provoking books I have ever read. This book is beautiful: The writing, the story, the ethical dilemmas, the human struggles we face in a variety of situations. This book changed me from a person who was always looking ahead, wanting things (to paint my house, to get new furniture, new books, etc) into a person who is now grateful every day for what counts: Clean water, a toilet to use, food, a roof over my head. How fortunate most of us are, yet we focus on what's wrong, what we want, etc. If you are able, this book will teach you about gratitude. It is also exceptionally educational about our impact on other cultures (trying to change them) and the environment in a non-preachy way. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. It is also a page turner, great story. This is the 7th or 8th copy of this book I've purchased over the years to give to friends. Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
My favorite book, I've read it 3 times so far! Ms. Kingsolver takes us with the Price family into the Congo, and we are priviledged to read the story through the eyes of each character. I laughed, and I cried, and I rejoiced, and I reflected. What lessons each character teaches us! I've travelled as a missionary to Africa, and the author's descriptions take me right back into the jungle. I didnt want the book to end, I wanted to stay with the characters on and on. Few books pull you into the action the way this one does. An excellent book, I highly recommend it. I've purchased several copies & given them to friends.
This book tells the story of a Southern American family that is uprooted by their father and moved to the Congo in Africa because he believes that God has called him to be a missionary to the natives there. I bought this book because I was bored one day and saw it and wanted to read a story that was based in Africa. The really great thing about this book is that it tells the story of their sojourns in Africa from the points of view and in the voices of all the family members (mother and 4 daughters)...actually, all except the father. The writing style is so easy to follow and keeps your attention all through and it is just downright brilliant. The story also takes place during some events that actually happened in the Congo so the interweaving of history with fiction makes it all the more enjoyable. I loved this book and was terribly upset that the person I lent my original copy to never gave it back, but its such a great book I can understand why.Read full review
Barbara Kingsolver's novel, "The Poisonwood Bible," transports the reader to the Congo in the late 1950s, following Nathan Price, an evangelical Baptist minister, and his family. Their fate becomes interwoven with that of the country during three turbulent decades. The book is a compelling family saga, a sobering picture of the horrors of fanatical fundamentalism and an insightful view of an exploited country crushed by colonialism and manipulated by a bastion of democracy. Nathan Price is a sanctimonious, foolhardy fanatic determined to convert the natives to Christianity, a plan that is doomed from the start by Nathan's self-righteousness. The story arc develops through the alternating, first-person points of view of Orleanna Price- Nathan's powerless wife- and her four daughters. Rachel, the eldest, is a self-absorbed teenager who will never outgrow her selfishishness. Twins Leah and Adah are gifted intellectually but are physically and emotionally separated by Adah's birth injury, which has rendered her hemiplagic. Five-year-old Ruth May humorously reflects a child's misunderstanding of the exotic world in which she is forced to live. As the girls become acquainted with the villagers, especially the young teacher Anatole, they begin to understand the political climate in the Congo, the brutality of Belgian rule, the nationalism briefly enjoyed in the election of Patrice Lumumba, and the secret involvement of the Eisenhower administration in Lumumba's assassination, culminating in the installation of the villainous dictator Mobutu. "The Poisonwood Bible" presents a wonderful mix of diverse characters. The inevitable outcome of the forced imposition of Christian theology on the natives' indigenous faith gives the novel its pervasive irony. Kingsolver's artful integration of humor through the children's misapprehensions of their world keeps the book from becoming a bleak meditation on colonialism. The book is more than an excellent novel. It is a marvelous commentary on the clashes that can occur between culture, politics, and religion.Read full review
Barbara Kingsolver's best book, in my opinion. I love how all her books' characters' lives are influenced by world politics, and how decisions by world leader affect us all.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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