Search - The Poisonwood Bible

This is an incredible book! It is among the best books I have ever read. I hesitated to start it, as it is a long book and in reading the synopsis, I thought it may be slow moving-but I was wrong! It was impossible to put down from the very beginning, for me. It is told mostly by the writing of each of the four daughters, beginning with leaving their home in Georgia to arrive in a remote village in Africa in 1959. The daughters range in age from 5 to 15-about to be 16. The mother also tells her story. Their personalities are all so different and while it is often quite humorous-it is also harsh survival-and everything between. It is so absorbing, I could not read it fast enough. It follows the years and the impact on their lives of their Southern Baptist father's decision to relocate this innocent, naive family to a foreign, alien culture. This book is on the list of "1,001 books to read before you die" and I wholeheartedly agree!

Very interesting book. It has a good story, and lots of information about the Congo, and its politics.

Kingsolver can get a little preachy and make the same points over again, but she does have a point to make, and incorporates different viewpoints within her story.

This ranks in my top 5 list. While it does take a little while to get into, it is well worth it. The characters are extremely well drawn -- after a while you know immediately which daughter is speaking.

This book is written like an orchestra. It tells the story of white, Christian, American culture which evolves throughout the book as it reflects on different African cultures and includes the politics from both areas. Sections begin in the mothers voice, reflecting on events many years later and each chapter alternates among the present voices of the four daughters. The writing was brilliant. The story took unpredictable turns and was very intriguing. The characters were richly developed and very enjoyable.

It started getting a little too preachy and rambling (Kingsolver could have cut out at least 100 pages and still gotten all of her points in there) for my taste, but overall a solid book and well-written.

I've never had much interest in the Congo or the history of it being occupied, but this book has prompted me to read up on it.

I liked this book. It took a bit to get into but once I did, I really enjoyed it. I think it's a lot longer than it needs to be but would definitely recommend it.