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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
I loved the first half of this book--telling the Price family's story through the different characters was a great idea, and I couldn't put the book down. The second half of the book, however, drops its subtlety and intriguing plot and just hits the reader over the head with preachiness.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-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
This was amazing! I lived in Africa and while I was in Western Africa and this book takes place in East Africa, there was so much I could relate to.
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
Well-written, perfectly captures the naivety of white Christian missionaries and their imperialistic nature
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kingsolver mixes a family story with the story of a nation, as she follows the trials of an evangelical Baptist minister and his family when he go as a missionary to the Congo in the 1950's. An excellent read! -- Sky L.
A beautifully written book. I love the story, but it was kind of hard to get through. Still well worth the read.
Listened to the audiobook, and it enhanced the experience. It provides a visual of life in Congo and the travesties that it has endured. The words are full of flavor. I had to rewind several times to savor the wordplay.
Simply put, The Poisonwood Bible is one of the best books I have ever read. The writing is absolutely beautiful and character development is superb. While Kingsolver definitely presents a scenario that I'm sure many would take offense to, I found her messages to be very poignant and relative, if at an extreme end of the spectrum.
I loved Kingsolver's story structure, switching between the POV of all the Price women, and came to see a bit of myself in every one of them by the end - yes, even a tiny sliver of myself could identify with Rachel, but not until the very last few sentences of her part of the story!
The Poisonwood Bible is one of those books that leaves me feeling like more of a complete person for reading it, if that makes any sense. I look forward to reading more from Kingsolver.
I loved Kingsolver's story structure, switching between the POV of all the Price women, and came to see a bit of myself in every one of them by the end - yes, even a tiny sliver of myself could identify with Rachel, but not until the very last few sentences of her part of the story!
The Poisonwood Bible is one of those books that leaves me feeling like more of a complete person for reading it, if that makes any sense. I look forward to reading more from Kingsolver.
In the end the length got to me. I might have done without the last section. An epilogue could have done it for me I think. I enjoyed the baseline story and how she built to the the event that pushes to the final act. But agin, length got to me and I just can’t rank it higher than 3 stars.