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A review by izzyvb023
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
5.0
I think everyone should read this book. I wish I had read it in highschool instead of reading “heart of darkness.” But, books find us when we need them most, I suppose. A true 5/5 for me for so many reasons.
First, the storytelling is immaculate. Kingsolver weaves together the 5 narratives to create such a fascinating epic. Some books are just stories, and books are literature. This book is certainly the latter.
I think this is the kind of book that means something different to everyone. For me, i was really drawn to the gender aspect: motherhood, womanhood, and how these descriptions change with and for the characters over time. What does it mean for this to be a book told only by women and girls? How does each woman gain AND lose her independence throughout the novel?
I was also really interested in the religious aspect and how religion took different forms for each person in the book. (That is, each person except Nathan and Rachel. They never really change). Religion was a stagnant, immovable object for every character at the very beginning. But, for each woman, it changed drastically and in different ways as a result of their experiences in the Congo. As someone who has grappled with evangelicalism and grew up surrounded by southern missionaries, but has since adapted their faith, I felt as if I was experiencing these same stories alongside Leah, Adah, Ruth Maya, and Orleanna. I was reliving my own stories and learning new ones along the way.
I find it really interesting that a lot of the negative reviews surround the book’s depiction of Christianity. I suppose that’s why the book is banned in several schools too. If all you took from the book is “Christianity bad,” then I don’t think you actually read the book or understood it.
There is so much more I could say about this book regarding disability, politics, The Apocrypha, growing up, etc etc. i never thought id say this, but i almost wish i was a student again just so i could pull my favorite quotes and write essays on them.
Anyway. A very longwinded way to say: read this book. And if you do, id love to discuss it
First, the storytelling is immaculate. Kingsolver weaves together the 5 narratives to create such a fascinating epic. Some books are just stories, and books are literature. This book is certainly the latter.
I think this is the kind of book that means something different to everyone. For me, i was really drawn to the gender aspect: motherhood, womanhood, and how these descriptions change with and for the characters over time. What does it mean for this to be a book told only by women and girls? How does each woman gain AND lose her independence throughout the novel?
I was also really interested in the religious aspect and how religion took different forms for each person in the book. (That is, each person except Nathan and Rachel. They never really change). Religion was a stagnant, immovable object for every character at the very beginning. But, for each woman, it changed drastically and in different ways as a result of their experiences in the Congo. As someone who has grappled with evangelicalism and grew up surrounded by southern missionaries, but has since adapted their faith, I felt as if I was experiencing these same stories alongside Leah, Adah, Ruth Maya, and Orleanna. I was reliving my own stories and learning new ones along the way.
I find it really interesting that a lot of the negative reviews surround the book’s depiction of Christianity. I suppose that’s why the book is banned in several schools too. If all you took from the book is “Christianity bad,” then I don’t think you actually read the book or understood it.
There is so much more I could say about this book regarding disability, politics, The Apocrypha, growing up, etc etc. i never thought id say this, but i almost wish i was a student again just so i could pull my favorite quotes and write essays on them.
Anyway. A very longwinded way to say: read this book. And if you do, id love to discuss it