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ada_elisabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was the perfect way to start out ✨ sad book summer✨. The only acceptable way, really. 5/5 for the fact that I teared up not once, but twice while reading this.
Let's begin with what I loved about this book, because there was a lot:
I loved the unique voices/narration styles of each of the characters. It took me a while to appreciate this, but I really liked how different each of the girls' voices were: Ruth May, the baby, was obviously innocent, hilarious, and naive, while Leah's style was very straightforward and to-the-point. Although I initially didn't like Rachel's jaded whining, I found her parts to be easy to read and even funny at times, especially once I caught on to her malapropisms. Adah was undeniably my favorite because I felt her perspective to be the most similar to what mine would be: I found her questions to be the most introspective, her observations to be the most interesting, and her poems and palindromes to be downright delightful. Although Adah was a clear favorite of mine, Ruth May was not far behind, and her death was predictable yet tragic. I nearly cried when she died, but I really started to tear up when Leah said "As long as I'm carrying Ruth May piggyback through my days, with her voice in my ear, I still have her with me." Ouch. I also liked Orleanna's sections of narration at the beginning of each section and Ruth May's piece at the end: they bookended the story in such a great way.
- The side characters were also extremely fleshed out and realistic. The different quirks and idiosyncrasies of each character made them multi-dimensional and exceedingly human. Even Nathan, who was frankly insane, had a well-developed character. Although I complained many times about the length of this book, I really do appreciate the way the story unfolds over several decades, following the girls as they grow into women and continue with their lives. I almost wish more of the novel had been dedicated to their adult lives; I found them to be much more interesting than chapter after chapter of teenagers in the Congo.
- The writing was simply phenomenal. The simple elegance of the syntax and the extremely well-curated word choice made this such an amazing read. Even in characters with more simple ways of speaking, such as Ruth May or Rachel, Kingsolver's masterful writing shines through.
Things I didn't like:
- This book was LONG. Over five hundred pages, making it the third(?) fourth(?) 500+ page book I've read this year, which I'm pretty sure is more than I read in the entirety of 2023. It took me weeks to get the the three hundredth page, only for me to sit down on the first day of summer break and finish the entire thing, reading over two hundred and forty pages in just a few hours. I don't actually have a complaint about this book's length, because I think it was perfect for what it was, but I wish I had had more time to read during the school year.
- Anatole and Leah. There relationship in adulthood was sweet, but he was too old for her. I rest my case.
5/5 stars, nearly perfect. Shout-out Jen for giving me this for my birthday, sorry it took me so long to get around to it lol.
There were so many beautiful, beautiful passages in this book that I had some difficulty selecting a quote, but I've picked one that sums up the entire thing pretty well:
"To live is to be marked. To live is to change, to acquire the words of a story, and that is the only celebration we mortals really know. In perfect stillness, frankly, I've only found sorrow.
Let's begin with what I loved about this book, because there was a lot:
I loved the unique voices/narration styles of each of the characters. It took me a while to appreciate this, but I really liked how different each of the girls' voices were: Ruth May, the baby, was obviously innocent, hilarious, and naive, while Leah's style was very straightforward and to-the-point. Although I initially didn't like Rachel's jaded whining, I found her parts to be easy to read and even funny at times, especially once I caught on to her malapropisms. Adah was undeniably my favorite because I felt her perspective to be the most similar to what mine would be: I found her questions to be the most introspective, her observations to be the most interesting, and her poems and palindromes to be downright delightful. Although Adah was a clear favorite of mine, Ruth May was not far behind, and
- The side characters were also extremely fleshed out and realistic. The different quirks and idiosyncrasies of each character made them multi-dimensional and exceedingly human. Even Nathan, who was frankly insane, had a well-developed character. Although I complained many times about the length of this book, I really do appreciate the way the story unfolds over several decades, following the girls as they grow into women and continue with their lives. I almost wish more of the novel had been dedicated to their adult lives; I found them to be much more interesting than chapter after chapter of teenagers in the Congo.
- The writing was simply phenomenal. The simple elegance of the syntax and the extremely well-curated word choice made this such an amazing read. Even in characters with more simple ways of speaking, such as Ruth May or Rachel, Kingsolver's masterful writing shines through.
Things I didn't like:
- This book was LONG. Over five hundred pages, making it the third(?) fourth(?) 500+ page book I've read this year, which I'm pretty sure is more than I read in the entirety of 2023. It took me weeks to get the the three hundredth page, only for me to sit down on the first day of summer break and finish the entire thing, reading over two hundred and forty pages in just a few hours. I don't actually have a complaint about this book's length, because I think it was perfect for what it was, but I wish I had had more time to read during the school year.
-
5/5 stars, nearly perfect. Shout-out Jen for giving me this for my birthday, sorry it took me so long to get around to it lol.
There were so many beautiful, beautiful passages in this book that I had some difficulty selecting a quote, but I've picked one that sums up the entire thing pretty well:
"To live is to be marked. To live is to change, to acquire the words of a story, and that is the only celebration we mortals really know. In perfect stillness, frankly, I've only found sorrow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Child abuse
Moderate: Animal death, War, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Sexual harassment
scramuel058's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Religious bigotry, and Child death
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Slavery and War
wordsmithreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Religious bigotry, Racism, Colonisation, Animal death, and Classism
Moderate: War, Ableism, and Child abuse
Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Cannibalism
a_kt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Barbara Kingsolver is truly a one of a kind author. Her voice and presence is so unique and striking that I felt this book come to life as I was reading it. This was really one of the only times I can confidently say that a book "transported me" and it was a reading experience unlike any other. The whole conceit of Poisonwood Bible is to be a stranger in an unknown place. The story is about how for some places, no matter how hard to try to understand the land, its people, its life, its history- the more you are changed by it, even if you never end up fully understanding it the way you meant to. The Price family became as real to me as some distant relatives. I felt like I had met all of these people at one point or another in my life. It probably doesn't help that I grew up in the South, but even beyond that- by Kingsolver's writing I knew them. I knew their fragile emotional states, I knew their secrets, their inner thoughts, and watched them change and be changed, gradually, over decades. Reading this book is like watching the lives of people you get to know very well play out in real time. Sometimes the words on the pages became so realistic I wanted to scream at Nathan Price for his unwillingness to try and understand his surroundings in favor of breaking them down all together; I wanted to extend my hand to Adah and help her when no one else in her family would; I wanted to sit down with Rachel and try to make her understand the nuances of civilization. But of course I couldn't effect these characters' lives anymore than most people can effect anyone's lives. At the end of the day, we all make our choices, we walk our paths, and we must either stand still and drown in the mud of our regrets or trudge forward through it. That's what this book and all of its heartbreaking beauty teaches us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, War, and Colonisation
fpcat99's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Cannibalism, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Sexism, Toxic relationship, War, Animal death, Death, Abandonment, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racism, Religious bigotry, Slavery, and Vomit
cinderoni's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
This book feels like it should be required school reading (though it would 100% be banned in America's political climate, I'm sure it some places it is) The descriptions of the Congo are vivid and lush, to the point I felt like I was in the jungle with the Price's. My favorite part, though, is that while Nathan Price (the father)'s actions shape the narrative, his voice is nowhere to be found in the book. His family, his victims, get to speak and be heard, but he is silent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: War and Violence
sylviet's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Classism, Colonisation, Grief, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Child death, Death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and War
Moderate: Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, and Animal death
bmpicc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was my 3rd book by Kingsolver. It took me longer than expected, but I'm glad I didn't rush and risk missing something. Why then 3 stars? Simple. I enjoyed it, but 546 pages still seemed like a bit much. It is an interesting character study and I think whether you are religious or not, there is (or could be) a takeaway for each reader.
"As long as I kept moving, my grief streamed out behind me like a swimmer's long hair in water. I knew the weight was there but it didn't touch me."
"There are Christians and then there are Christian."
"The power is in the balance: we are our injuries, as much as we are our successes."
"As long as I kept moving, my grief streamed out behind me like a swimmer's long hair in water. I knew the weight was there but it didn't touch me."
"There are Christians and then there are Christian."
"The power is in the balance: we are our injuries, as much as we are our successes."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Grief, Racism, Violence, Child death, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Slavery, War, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Religious bigotry, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Bullying
amsswim's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
I think this is going in not only 5 star category, but favorites and best books I've read categories. Not only was the story good, but the writing kept me engaged and seeking more the whole time. This author had such beautiful and realistic ways of making these characters come to life, as well as tie in real world implications and reflections.
You follow 4 daughters, their Mother, and Baptist Pastor Father deep into the Congo on their Fathers' mission to convert the people living there to Western Christianity. While the family goes through culture shock regarding that and their new realities, the country is self is trying to shed itself of Belgian colonialism. Despite it taking place in the 1960s, the story and the real world events occuring now still echo the exact same. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a more modern classic.
My favorite quote: "I found ... I had now wings ... I had lost my wings. Don't ask me how I gained them back, the story is too unbearable. I believed too long in false reassurances; believing as we all want to, when men speak of the national interests that it is also ours. In the end, my lot was cast with The Congo. Poor Congo; barefoot bride of men who took her jewels and promised the kingdom"
You follow 4 daughters, their Mother, and Baptist Pastor Father deep into the Congo on their Fathers' mission to convert the people living there to Western Christianity. While the family goes through culture shock regarding that and their new realities, the country is self is trying to shed itself of Belgian colonialism. Despite it taking place in the 1960s, the story and the real world events occuring now still echo the exact same. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a more modern classic.
My favorite quote: "I found ... I had now wings ... I had lost my wings. Don't ask me how I gained them back, the story is too unbearable. I believed too long in false reassurances; believing as we all want to, when men speak of the national interests that it is also ours. In the end, my lot was cast with The Congo. Poor Congo; barefoot bride of men who took her jewels and promised the kingdom"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Child death, Ableism, Religious bigotry, Violence, Death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Racism, Misogyny, Animal death, Colonisation, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Trafficking, Genocide, and Medical content
charlotte112's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Gripping and really fleshed-out story that spans over 40 years detailing the lives of the Price family who move to the Congo as missionaries. The book provides historical and political context to the Congo whilst offering a variety of unique and individual characters. A large part of the book focuses on the few years that the family resided together in the jungle and the last 1/3 on their lives after. I laughed and cried at this book and it opened my eyes to what it must have been like to live in a country with severe poverty, hunger and political corruption. I felt the last part was quite heavy on the latter for me but overall I found the characters believable and really felt like I was in the jungle with them. I loved how touching the ending was and I think it helped to ease up on the sorrow in the book and provide a more uplifting and hopeful future for the main characters. Not quite a 5 star read due to the length of the last part of the book but I loved the themes that this explored and how immersed I felt in their world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, War, and Child death