Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
fast-paced
I realized I don’t really remember books after I read them so I’m writing reviews now!
I told my dad a couple days ago this is my 3rd favorite Barbara Kingsolver book, out of the 5 that I’ve read, but the problem is that based on my #1 and #2, #3 has a pretty high ceiling. This is probably still in my top 10 of all time.
I feel like Barbara Kingsolver has this way of combining historical interest with a depth of exploration of the human experience and interpersonal relationships, and it has me bawling at the end of all of her books without fail.
I found especially powerful her exploration of the creation of an American identity based in reactionism— the idea that “we are the finished product” and anyone who insinuates otherwise is a dangerous radical. And I think I’ll need to sit awhile with the exploration of who gets to tell whose stories.
I’ll also say, I maybe don’t think about the era of McCarthysim and the red scare as much as I should as a leftist. It definitely makes me think differently of the books I’ve read published in the 50s-60s, especially of those with (very moderated, given the political climate) leftist leanings.
I told my dad a couple days ago this is my 3rd favorite Barbara Kingsolver book, out of the 5 that I’ve read, but the problem is that based on my #1 and #2, #3 has a pretty high ceiling. This is probably still in my top 10 of all time.
I feel like Barbara Kingsolver has this way of combining historical interest with a depth of exploration of the human experience and interpersonal relationships, and it has me bawling at the end of all of her books without fail.
I found especially powerful her exploration of the creation of an American identity based in reactionism— the idea that “we are the finished product” and anyone who insinuates otherwise is a dangerous radical. And I think I’ll need to sit awhile with the exploration of who gets to tell whose stories.
I’ll also say, I maybe don’t think about the era of McCarthysim and the red scare as much as I should as a leftist. It definitely makes me think differently of the books I’ve read published in the 50s-60s, especially of those with (very moderated, given the political climate) leftist leanings.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Really about 3.5 stars. Had so much potential to be better. The second half, which focuses on the fear of communism in the 1950s, was far more interesting to me than the first half.
Until the final 30 pages or so, I had never been more uncertain what I thought of a book. It began so strongly, but with each new chapter and part the plot would disappear and then resurface in a new setting I did not expect, with new characters and a fresh, different perspective. Perhaps that is part of the point. "I know not what waits on the other side." The ending was wonderful. I have always been a sucker for the Cold War era as an object of study, and yet I felt as though I had learned something after reading this book. It is a dangerous game inserting real historical figures into works of fiction, but I believe Kingsolver does so well, maintaining the personalities and sensibilities that I imagine her historical figures--especially Frida Kahlo--actually held. The book is somewhat metaliterary, with one of the main characters as something of an editor, collecting the pieces of a man's life and retelling it through various stories, diary entries, newspaper articles, etc. I forget the name of this type of literary device, but I imagine it is something close to an epistolary.
No matter how ambivalent I felt about the book from beginning to end, the book doubtlessly entertained me. It is well-written; at no point did I scoff at how ridiculous a sentence or a word or an event was in the story. The characters and the story were genuine and the words were carefully chosen and well-crafted as a workman might make a chair or a bookshelf, so that even though I was a little confused (or maybe even at times disappointed) most of the way as to the direction of the novel, in the end it ended up where it itself needed to go, and I was glad to travel through the lacuna along with it, arriving out the other end breathless and enlightened.
No matter how ambivalent I felt about the book from beginning to end, the book doubtlessly entertained me. It is well-written; at no point did I scoff at how ridiculous a sentence or a word or an event was in the story. The characters and the story were genuine and the words were carefully chosen and well-crafted as a workman might make a chair or a bookshelf, so that even though I was a little confused (or maybe even at times disappointed) most of the way as to the direction of the novel, in the end it ended up where it itself needed to go, and I was glad to travel through the lacuna along with it, arriving out the other end breathless and enlightened.
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So my bias up front, I LOVE Barbara Kinsolver! Initially however, I thought this might be her only book that didn't strike a deep cord with me. The first half moves slowly but then it picks up steam and becomes more of what you expect from Babara. By the time the story closes you don't want it to end!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated