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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
A reread from 15 years ago - so much thinking and wisdom in these essays.
Full disclosure: Kingsolver is my favorite author. Doesn't matter if it is fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, I appreciate her viewpoints. Small Wonder was written in what now seems like the a quaint old time, when a school shooting in Colorado and an events on 9/11/2001 were just the opening salvo to the 21st century we are now living in. Kingsolver handles these matters, and more, with her direct and integrative style, and leaves nothing behind. The essays also include gentler issues, such as motherhood and daughter-hood. I claim this writer as one of my own since we are both idealists born in 1955. If you like essays that reach deep into matters, Small Wonder is for you.
You really get a feel for who the author is in this collection of short essays. She talks about her personal life a lot, and why she lives her life the way she does.
In the end, I really liked this book. She had a some really good things to say. I'll probably pick up something else from her in the future.
I loved this book. The essays had a common thread that tied them together in a well-crafted way. The book is inspired by the tragedy of 9/11, and the sadness of how we as a nation reacted to it, deciding to inflict pain and revenge on equally innocent people in corners far from our world. The costs of our governments decisions are only now becoming more clear, as we face huge debt and diminished respect on the world stage. Kingsolver got this one right. Touching, revealing and engrossing!
I also enjoyed hearing the author read the essays in the audio version of the book.
I also enjoyed hearing the author read the essays in the audio version of the book.
Thankfully, I began reading this book when I needed the essay format to keep my attention. This collection written at various intervals in her life concern her planet, her country, and her family--hard to imagine that such a variety could be contained in a single volume. Her hand with prose combined with her scientific mind make for eloquent and persuasive reading.
I'm a sucker for a book of essays. This is the first nonfiction book I've read by Kingsolver. Not only did I learn a lot about her values and perspectives, but I explored and examined many of my own on a neat range of topics including gardening, feminism, poetry, biodiversity, family dynamics, and television.
An absolutely magnificent collection of essays that made me think, hope and wonder. It's incredible that this book was written TWENTY years ago and yet nearly every essay felt so timely and relevant. How can that be, Barbara?!
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
