Reviews - The Poisonwood Bible

5.95k reviews for:

The Poisonwood Bible

Barbara Kingsolver

4.15 AVERAGE

librarianaaryn's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

csmurray86's review against another edition

3.0

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

davidrickert's review against another edition

2.0

This book was not what I expected. I assumed that it would be about the struggles of living in a harsh environment trying to convert a group of people who were not interested in what the Price family had to offer. And for much of the beginning of the book that's what it is: problems growing crops, ant invasions, sermons delivered to unbelievers by a stern taskmaster of a missionary who is ignorant that his goal to convert the Africans is not the best thing for them.

Then the tragedy happens, and I lost my emotional involvement with the sisters and no longer cared what happened to them because they all responded in ways that made no sense. Given what happens here, everyone should have gotten the heck out of Africa and away from their father for making them go there in the first place. Instead, one marries the man who can get her out but becomes a self righteous prig, another marries a man and stays there, and one somehow miraculously starts her life over by acting like an infant. Not metaphorically. Literally. Oh, and somewhere along the way we find out what happens to their father, almost as an afterthought. At no point do any of these characters seem remotely process what has happened, nor do they turn out to be better people. And I really struggled with in the end why these people felt they had to tell their story because I couldn't figure it out.

I have a love-hate relationship with Kingsolver. I think "The Bean Trees" is terrific, but I hated the smug condescending tone of "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." This one will go down as one I didn't care for.

sametzger's review against another edition

5.0

emotional reflective 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: No

Barbara is such a talented novelist. I loved the prose throughout the book, the way you learn the Congo’s history along the way as told by the characters experiencing/learning it for themselves. I loved the storytelling from different characters’ perspectives, and how distinct their voices were. I thought the novel conveyed emotion very well.

lee_eel's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

lorilee7474's review against another edition

2.0

I kept waiting to see why this book has such high reviews. I would have liked it better if they gave more details and history of the Congo. I did not like anyone in the family. The ants were like a horror story. It took me a long time to get through it. I just could not get into it.