The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

This book is one I've kind of sat and thought about for awhile.  Which usually means good things about a book.  And normally it does, but I bounced back and forth between liking this book and not caring for it at all.  But I think it had more to do with the writing than the subject matter for the most part.

When a brash commanding Reverend decides that he needs to be a Missionary, he forces his four children and wife to move out to the Congo with him where he starts preaching at the local people and expecting them to conform to his will.  There they must struggle to live in a way they are unaccustomed. to until something tragic happens.  And this tragedy will effect each of them in a different way and have them choose different courses for their lives.

Obviously, the father Nathan, is not a sympathetic character in this book.  The other characters can't stand him and he is portrayed as a tyrant.  But Kingsolver is also careful to throw in the bit about him being injured in the army in there.  It's well known that soldiers don't always come back the same person they left as in a war and it's quite a possibility that Nathan was changed in a way.  So it leaves it to the reader to see whether or not he actually is a sympathetic character when weighing everything that has happened to him.  The mother, Orleanna, I can't say I thought about much one way or the other.  She was squashed down by Nathan and I dare say it left her with her own world in her head.  Sure she took care of her kids, but there had to be some sort of escape for her and she does fade in and out in the book.  The daughters were all distinct although you had to like some more than others.  Rachel was too prissy and probably not a favorite of anyone.  Adah was strange and hard to connect to, although she got better as the book progressed.  Leah was probably the easiest character to become connected to, as she wanted to stand up for what she believed as right.  And Ruth May is a young child filled with curiosity.

There is a definitely stance on what Kingsolver believes in this book.  Her view on politics and Africa is expressly stated through the actions of her characters.  And she sheds a very sympathetic eye on the plight of Africa itself and a not so sympathetic tone with the foreign countries who mingle their affairs with it.  And it would appear that she had to have had a bad experience with a reverend or missionary with the true terror she makes Nathan.  Although there is a good missionary that appears in the book now and then.  The writing itself is what I had trouble with.  Kingsolver has a very poetic, descriptive way of writing and that's not the problem.  The problem is that there is just way too much of it in this book.  It could have easily been half this size and still told a good story.  But after awhile I had to put the book down just to take a break because it seemed repetitive.  And I enjoyed the latter half with the girls grown up than the previous half that detailed their first year in the Congo.  It was just too slow paced for me.

An interesting book and definitely one that you could tell the author did her research on.  I don't know much about the politics of the Congo/Zaire itself, but I'd hazard to guess that Kingsolver probably did adequate research there as well.  I think I still prefer her non-fiction though and would give this book a solid 3.5 stars.

The Poisonwood Bible
Copyright 1998
543 pages

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver

Sometimes it can be hard to find yourself.  Even as an adult, there are so many people wandering around out there, not knowing exactly where they are going.  And the biggest message we can get from that is that it's ok.  Everybody has a different path, and that's kind of what this book was all about to me.

Codi Noline returns to her hometown to teach biology for a year.  It's not a planned move, Codi's never been really good at planning or staying in one spot.  This is just another step on the road as she meanders around trying to find some bit of happiness.  In fact, her father's decline from Alzheimer's is all that brings her back anyway.  Meanwhile, her sister Hallie is off to South America, to try to teach farmers a way of saving their crops and lands, but finds herself in some dangerous work because of the political climate there.  Codi does reconnect with several people from her childhood though, most notably a man that she had conceived a child with when she was in her teens, although he doesn't know about it.  And as she starts to settle in her old urge to pick up and go reemerges, and she just can't figure out what she should do with her life.

Codi is a compelling character.  You can feel sorry for her, and empathize with her, because she is so real.  Kingsolver is a character builder, and that's what all her books are about, the people.  Codi is no exception, she has some real problems in her life and with her feelings and I can really relate to her.  Especially about the not knowing what to do with your life.  Hey boyfriend Loyd (and yes it is spelled that way) is also a pretty decent guy.  He has some hobbies that I'm not thrilled with but allows himself to grow and tries to be a good person.  So that's admirable in my eyes.  All the other characters are pretty wonderful too.  They're all so real and definitely can remind you of people in your own life.  It was like watching someone's life go by, in a book.

I could see where this book could be potentially boring for some.  Not a lot really happens, it's mostly the main characters musings and conversations between everyone.  But I found it easy to immerse myself in the book and get lost.  I kind of feel like a broken record saying it, but everything just felt so real.  Like I could go out West and find this group of people.  The main point of views switch between Codi and her father, and I found that a little distracting, but it did help with some background information in regards to Codi.  But then because her father is suffering from a mental disease it also made it hard to understand from his point of view.  Which is clever writing but still frustrating at times.

A very good book and one I'd recommend.  I wouldn't say it was a favorite but I found it very compelling.  I look forward to reading more by Kingsolver.

Animal Dreams
Copyright 1990
352 pages

Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver.

This was kind of an odd book. I actually started out not really liking it at all, but at the last quarter of the book I found myself enjoying it more. I've read better by Kingsolver, but it wasn't terrible.

Alice is fed up with her marriage. The only light in her life is her daughter Taylor, and granddaughter Turtle. Turtle is actually adopted, her mother found her left in her car when she was about three, but they are a tight knit family. So when Turtle sees a man fall into a hole while on vacation, Taylor has no idea that her world is about to be turned upside down. After being on numerous tv shows, someone sees Turtle, and realizes that she is a part of the Cherokee nation and as such probably hasn't had a legal adoption. Taylor, scared she'll lose her little girl, flees to the wind and runs into several strange people, while her mother Alice tries to find some way to hold the family together.

There were a lot of characters in this book, and most of them were great. There were a few that were kind of out there and I don't see what they added to the story, but I guess thats just my opinion. The character Barbie especially, sure she was unique but she kind of just detracted from the story. Taylor's boyfriend Jax also didn't do anything for me. There were some side cuts to his point of view during the book and they just didn't help the plot along at all. I did like Turtle, I thought she was an interesting little girl with a sad story. Taylor too was inspiring in her devotion to the little girl. But I think my favorite character was Alice. There was just something about her that was comforting.

The plot tends to meander here and there throughout the book. In fact I had a hard time keeping with it in the beginning because it just didn't grab my interest. In fact, it finally grabbed my interest once they got to Heaven. And by Heaven I mean a small town going by the name that has a large population of Native Americans. The book goes into more culture and stories and just general warm people when it gets there and the book undergoes an amazing transformation into something interesting. But still, that slow start is a killer for me. Kingsolver does have a nice writing style though and her characters express themselves well. There isn't too much offensive in the book although it is a little sad.

Not my favorite by her but it won't keep me from reading the other ones. If you can get through the beginning of this book the end makes it all worthwhile.

Pigs in Heaven
Copyright 1993
343 pages