thisotherbookaccount 's review for:

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

3.0

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There isn't very much I can or want to say about The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. I think there are better books out there that draw clearer, more concise lines between religion and colonialism. Shusaku Endo, for one, has written two fabulous books on this: Silence and The Samurai. The Poisonwood Bible, on the other hand, just feels overly long, with a final act that just sort of tapers off into nothingness. Once Kingsolver makes clear her stance on the issues, the rest of the book just feels like her (and her characters) going through the motion. I think the most compelling parts of this book are in between the lines, as well as the lyrical language that Kingsolver is able to conjure up. Otherwise, if like me you were hoping for well thought out criticisms of religion, colonialism and racism, you are not going to find it here.