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vyhurz's review against another edition
5.0
I’m so happy I was able to finish this book before the end of the year. I have to say upfront how much I enjoyed it. I felt so hard and so many things while reading this story. That hasn’t happened in a while. I don’t mean to sound old (I’m about to be 36), but a lot of new media I consume doesn’t make me feel much. I thought it was because all stories had been told, that I had seen all the formulas. But now I think it’s the way stories are told. The story of The Bean Trees is not necessarily groundbreaking. But Kingsolver’s prose, the way characters interact, the facts of the world around them, and zooming in on small moments are what make this book great. Those, and so many other things. With this in mind, I’ve started looking more at books published in the past rather than the newest ones. Don’t hold me to that, though.
The Bean Trees can’t really be summarized. A girl leaves rural Kentucky, practically fleeing, because she doesn’t want to die in the dirt there. She ends up in charge of an Indian toddler and living in Arizona with another woman who has her own baby. (As friends. Nothing queer here.) She works in a used tire shop for an older woman who helps refugees trying to make their way to safety while the American government wants to send them back to be killed in their home country. There is so much in this novel, and that’s because life itself is complicated and messy.
I read this book in high school, and for all these years, I’ve remembered that I liked the book. However, I’d forgotten anything significant about it, only that someone (I thought the main character) helps refugees to safety. I bought a copy a long time ago, and I can’t say how happy I am that I’ve read it.
This book deeply affected me. A big theme is motherhood, and the fear of taking care of a child. I don’t have or want children, but my mother died in 2018 and we did not have a wonderful relationship. Certain things resonated with me, and other things I probably just projected my own issues onto. But that happens for all readers, right? Every reading experience will be different. Being able to connect so strongly to a book, though, is a sign of the strength of the book, of the book’s own character and power.
There’s a scene near the very end where the main character calls her own mother back in Kentucky on a payphone. They don’t want to hang up, saying goodbye to each other several times, until the main character finally says she has to go. This moment just made me bawl. I see how it’s because I miss my own mom, that I’d love to talk to her on the phone again. I see exactly how we wouldn’t be able to hang up on each other. Moments like this, the reality of it all, is why this book is so moving and why I could connect with it.
Anyway, I recommend it.
https://tinyleafbooks.wordpress.com/
The Bean Trees can’t really be summarized. A girl leaves rural Kentucky, practically fleeing, because she doesn’t want to die in the dirt there. She ends up in charge of an Indian toddler and living in Arizona with another woman who has her own baby. (As friends. Nothing queer here.) She works in a used tire shop for an older woman who helps refugees trying to make their way to safety while the American government wants to send them back to be killed in their home country. There is so much in this novel, and that’s because life itself is complicated and messy.
I read this book in high school, and for all these years, I’ve remembered that I liked the book. However, I’d forgotten anything significant about it, only that someone (I thought the main character) helps refugees to safety. I bought a copy a long time ago, and I can’t say how happy I am that I’ve read it.
This book deeply affected me. A big theme is motherhood, and the fear of taking care of a child. I don’t have or want children, but my mother died in 2018 and we did not have a wonderful relationship. Certain things resonated with me, and other things I probably just projected my own issues onto. But that happens for all readers, right? Every reading experience will be different. Being able to connect so strongly to a book, though, is a sign of the strength of the book, of the book’s own character and power.
There’s a scene near the very end where the main character calls her own mother back in Kentucky on a payphone. They don’t want to hang up, saying goodbye to each other several times, until the main character finally says she has to go. This moment just made me bawl. I see how it’s because I miss my own mom, that I’d love to talk to her on the phone again. I see exactly how we wouldn’t be able to hang up on each other. Moments like this, the reality of it all, is why this book is so moving and why I could connect with it.
Anyway, I recommend it.
https://tinyleafbooks.wordpress.com/
ktann11's review against another edition
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lmstone1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
exlibris_ariel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mjgoob's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
indigoblue777's review against another edition
5.0
2023: I read this book for summer reading in middle school/ high school, and I forgot about it until it was referenced in How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C Foster. All I can remember is that it was phenomenal! I’ll have to reread it.
kcrouth's review against another edition
5.0
This is a wonderful story of humanity and love. It is moving and inspirational and challenges the reader to look deeper at each person to see their wonderful precious humanity. I had a hard time putting this story down before it was completed. I think this is my favorite so far by Barbara Kingsolver! I'm excited to find that it has a sequel, Pigs in Heaven, which i'll be starting immediately. It is a serious shame that the issue of immigration which is central to this book, is still as much an issue today as it was in 1988 when it was published. As a society, we just don't get it.
vandelay's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lawryn's review against another edition
4.0
Although this isn't my favorite Barbara Kingsolver novel, I greatly enjoyed this tale of womanhood, friendship, and humanity set in the 80s in Arizona. Stories like these are a great reminder that the immigration/refugee crisis is not new, but has been ignored for dozens of years. TW: Childhood Sexual Assault
jess_mccoy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0