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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
I had to read this book for my AP English 4 class, and it was definitely the best book that i've had to read for school. Although the first 100 pages or so are slow, it really does pick up, and gets very interesting. The history behind the novel is fascinating, and the characters are too. I see some people saying that this book is "Anti-American" or "Anti-Christian" but it's not. This stuff actually happened in history, and the religious part of it, well, that could happen anywhere. However, if you do get offended easily, then don't read it.
I read this about 16-17 years ago and this book still comes to mind at certain times. Excellent read!
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
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
This story is absolutely stunning- both in its beauty and raw power. For being a novel with a length of over 500 pages, I found myself reading this book in significant chunks at a time. Kingsolver’s writing style adapts to the perspective of the five characters, which lets us in to their own mind and perception of the world around them. The immersion was so well done, I found myself experiencing the same anger, grief, confusion, and fear as the characters. Every page of this novel provokes deep thought and compares intent with action in such a drastic conflict of realities. I still shiver at the beautiful intensity of the last line that this novel delivered- a line so devastatingly beautiful, a plea to life.
This novel shocked me, brought me to tears, and dug deep into my spine- this will live with me for the rest of my life. There is so much to say, but I don’t want to ruin a single moment for any prospective readers.
In my opinion, this is a full five star novel. Barbara Kingsolver dug deep into herself to bring this story to light, and she absolutely delivered with every word, nuance, and emotion. Thank you.
This novel shocked me, brought me to tears, and dug deep into my spine- this will live with me for the rest of my life. There is so much to say, but I don’t want to ruin a single moment for any prospective readers.
In my opinion, this is a full five star novel. Barbara Kingsolver dug deep into herself to bring this story to light, and she absolutely delivered with every word, nuance, and emotion. Thank you.
dark
emotional
informative
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
This book made my heart ache.
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
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
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Poisonwood Bible is one of the most profoundly transformational books I’ve ever read. It opened my world in ways I didn’t realize I was lacking. The language is beautiful, the characters so human and well-developed. Its division into different books that align with those of the Bible was a good structural choice, with each chapter sharing the perspective of a different family member. Each has a distinct voice and clear personality and motivations, and I appreciated the lens that every POV character brought to their circumstances. My only small wish is that the later sections felt a bit better connected. They cover years rather than months like the first 2/3 of the book does. Because the first parts of the book are so zoomed in, I found the drastic tone shift to a zoomed-out perspective a bit jarring. However, it allows Kingsolver to situate the family much more firmly in the political fallout of this time period and the future, which I learned a lot from, so I understand why that was her stylistic choice.
Highly recommend to everyone. I think this read is especially important for anyone situated in one of the Western countries that has been complicit in the history of the Congo.
[The rest of this review contains scattered reflections on how the story impacted me, not on the book itself.]
I also learned so much about both the people and the history of the Congo, and came away with a new respect and appreciation for a culture very different to my own. I took a lengthy break in the middle of reading this book to read through about 20 different Wikipedia articles. I wanted to get more of a handle on the history of the region and some of the key players discussed. That’s not due to any fault in Kingsolver’s descriptions and thoroughness — she weaves personal and political histories together expertly. Rather, it revealed to me that there’s yet another aspect of American imperialism that I did not previously know about. I’m grateful to be aware of it now, and I feel so much sadness for what’s been done by people who are convinced that “finders keepers” is a valid way of treating your neighbours. It is a sickness that leads humans to lust for power and material gain at the expense of others. The dehumanization runs so deep. And as some characters reflect on later in the story, most people “at home” here do not know what has been done in Africa, and the suffering being caused at our hands.
Additionally, my family of origin shares some characteristics with the Price family — deeply evangelical, convinced of the natural right of American Christianity and capitalist democracy to reshape the world in its image. In that way, I understood how the Prices got to the Congo. Members of my family have themselves been Christian missionaries to Africa, something of which I was already deeply critical but now see in a worse light. In that way, seeing what happened to the Prices after arriving was very affecting too.
Highly recommend to everyone. I think this read is especially important for anyone situated in one of the Western countries that has been complicit in the history of the Congo.
[The rest of this review contains scattered reflections on how the story impacted me, not on the book itself.]
I also learned so much about both the people and the history of the Congo, and came away with a new respect and appreciation for a culture very different to my own. I took a lengthy break in the middle of reading this book to read through about 20 different Wikipedia articles. I wanted to get more of a handle on the history of the region and some of the key players discussed. That’s not due to any fault in Kingsolver’s descriptions and thoroughness — she weaves personal and political histories together expertly. Rather, it revealed to me that there’s yet another aspect of American imperialism that I did not previously know about. I’m grateful to be aware of it now, and I feel so much sadness for what’s been done by people who are convinced that “finders keepers” is a valid way of treating your neighbours. It is a sickness that leads humans to lust for power and material gain at the expense of others. The dehumanization runs so deep. And as some characters reflect on later in the story, most people “at home” here do not know what has been done in Africa, and the suffering being caused at our hands.
Additionally, my family of origin shares some characteristics with the Price family — deeply evangelical, convinced of the natural right of American Christianity and capitalist democracy to reshape the world in its image. In that way, I understood how the Prices got to the Congo. Members of my family have themselves been Christian missionaries to Africa, something of which I was already deeply critical but now see in a worse light. In that way, seeing what happened to the Prices after arriving was very affecting too.
adventurous
challenging
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes