A review by ashleycornelius
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

Every time I read a Barbara Kingsolver novel I think: this is my favorite one yet. In this story there are three storylines/characters and I felt that they balanced each other really well. The grumpy old guy at war with his neighbor balances out the story line of grief and finding oneself, along the steady growth of the third character. They all live near the same small town and their stories interconnect. I may love this one so much because interwoven with the stories is an education on the interconnectedness of our ecosystems and how every action affects and can balance or tip the balance in the environment. I found the nature/science side of it expertly woven in amongst lovely characters and their relationships and growth, but maybe someone who doesn’t care would find it too much science, or too heavy handed in its delivery.