Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Prodigal Summer

Very slow book, with a measured, gently moving plot. Beautiful & thoughtprovoking. The prose is like poetry. This gorgeous novel celebrates the complexity of life in the Appalachian mountains. Human dramas are interconnected with an exploration of all the living things (chestnut trees, coyotes, moths, produce even the goats). Kingsover has a deep passionate knowledge of environmental conservation and that is interwoven as her characters grapple with love, grief and rhythms of nature. People lives as well as nature intertwines. Can be just a tad heavy handed, but god I loved it!

And loved the ending, that the last thoughts were that of the coyote.

I came to this after Demon Copperhead. Apart from the love of the Applachian countryside, this is a very different novel. I will have to find more of her novels.

Content Warnings

danimcthomas's review against another edition

Go to review page

hopeful reflective relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.75

Beautiful, lush prose - the setting is as much a character as the three interwoven main characters. The book is about family, love, and self - what it means to not forsake any of those for any of the others. It’s slow to the point of being meditative - and it feels purposeful - like Kingsolver is making us pause and breathe in the mountain air.

Content Warnings

mr_cain's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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

4.75

One of the reasons I docked .25 of a star is because I'm unsure of why this was a long book with stories told in pieces rather than three separate books in a trilogy or a novella collection. The format is a little confusing to me. Not to read, just in a way where I feel like if it had been all three in order, I would've enjoyed it more. However, having the plots dispensed in measured increments is nice. I feel I often gorge myself on books and tear through them. However, Kingsolver, by her formatting, forces you to read steadily and drink in every word she writes.

The second reason I docked .25 of a star was

because of Lusa's romantic subplot with Rickie. The incestuous/pedophilic nature coupled with its borderline irrelevancy to the rest of the plot put me out.

I must say this is absolutely one of my favorite books. Ms. Kingsolver's longer books are always such a treat to invest time in. This book took me a while to finish, but I'm so glad I stuck it out. Initially, I was put off by the slow pace, but it grows on you. It's more of a walk in the woods in terms of pace rather than a story with a definite finish line. I love how the town/woods and the animals are characters in themselves both literally and metaphorically.

I loved all three plot lines so much. I was initially put off by Garnett and his views and I was unsure of where his story was going, but I learned to love him too. I even learned about pestecides and crop management! From a fiction book! What?!

I also loved how she ended the book.

Leaving some ends frayed solidifies the feeling that you are peering through a window into other lives. When there are loose ends, it fleshes out the characters subtlely; it implies that they keep living beyond the duration of those pages which is very wonderful.

I could not recommend this book enough. I did not consider myself any kind of hardline environmentmentalist: I didn't know much and agriculture was not ever on my mind. This book opened up a world to me I'd never spend time in and it was wonderful. I loved it.

Content Warnings

zarlynsnook's review

Go to review page

emotional funny informative lighthearted slow-paced

5.0

this book is like a lullaby you wouldn't want to end. light, cozy, and sometimes, funny. the three interconnected stories in the book depicts how, as creature in the universe, are all connected and binded to each other. i learned a lot about nature while reading this and had so much fun feeling and experiencing all of the characters.

Content Warnings

ghost_rider's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective relaxing 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

4.25

Content Warnings

carli_indicating's review

Go to review page

reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The book had an overall unfinished feeling to me with a rough start and abrupt finish. I don't typically demand resolution, but I was reading this on Kindle and I was looking for the next chapter after the end. That's after I almost didn't get past he opening chapter, because I found it overwrought, even for Kingsolver. I kept on because the book was recommended by someone I'm in a reading group with, and after that I was truly enjoying the characters. I was sad it was over. So it's worth reading for the experience, but not for those who like things tidy.

Content Warnings

More...