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deecreatenola 's review for:
Flight Behavior
by Barbara Kingsolver
It kills me to rate one of Barbara Kingsolver's books as anything less than awesome. In reality, I have a feeling this book will stay with me and grow on me as I put some distance from it. But I never felt as though I was connected to the protagonist, Dellarobia, while I was reading it. That said, Kingsolver is a master at language and at making her books be about a bigger picture. This isn't just a story about a backcountry girl who gets pregnant and has to live with her decisions, although that describes Dellarobia. It's largely about the way we are slowly (but ever more quickly) killing our planet and can't even get up any anger over it to put a stop to it. Her biology background is clearly evident in this story about Monarch butterflies that winter in Kentucky instead of Mexico and the devastating effect it might have on their continued existence.
The characters ring true for the most part and there are scenes that are painfully true-to-life, sadly and frustratingly so. (Especially when Dellarobia realizes that Hester never gave her "credit" for staying.) You want to make a better future for all of the characters but there's no easy fix to any of their problems. The end is hopeful, but unsure. Actually, the VERY end is a bit confusing, full of meaning and symbolism, with no clarity on what really will happen. You crave an epilogue that isn't there, or at least I didn't. I want to know that Dellarobia goes on to be successful and earn a degree. I want Cub to stand up to be more than his Dad's always been and I even want Hester to stop judging and face up to her past. And I want Preston to grow up to be a world-renown scientist who saves the world. Maybe this all happens...but you just don't know.
The characters ring true for the most part and there are scenes that are painfully true-to-life, sadly and frustratingly so. (Especially when Dellarobia realizes that Hester never gave her "credit" for staying.) You want to make a better future for all of the characters but there's no easy fix to any of their problems. The end is hopeful, but unsure. Actually, the VERY end is a bit confusing, full of meaning and symbolism, with no clarity on what really will happen. You crave an epilogue that isn't there, or at least I didn't. I want to know that Dellarobia goes on to be successful and earn a degree. I want Cub to stand up to be more than his Dad's always been and I even want Hester to stop judging and face up to her past. And I want Preston to grow up to be a world-renown scientist who saves the world. Maybe this all happens...but you just don't know.