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Search - The Poisonwood Bible
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The Poisonwood Bible Author: |
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Book Information
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Other Versions of this Book: Paperback, Paperback, Paperback, Audio Cassette (Unabridged), Audio CD, Audio CD (Unabridged)
Book Description:
The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it--from garden seeds to Scripture--is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.
The novel is set against one of the most dramatic political chronicles of the twentieth century: the Congo's fight for independence from Belgium, the murder of its first elected prime minister, the CIA coup to install his replacement, and the insidious progress of a world economic order that robs the fledgling African nation of its autonomy. Against this backdrop, Orleanna Price reconstructs the story of her evangelist husband's part in the Western assault on Africa, a tale indelibly darkened by her own losses and unanswerable questions about her own culpability. Also narrating the story, by turns, are her four daughters--the self-centered, teenaged Rachel; shrewd adolescent twins Leah and Adah; and Ruth May, a prescient five-year-old. These sharply observant girls, who arrive in the Congo with racial preconceptions forged in 1950s Georgia, will be marked in surprisingly different ways by their father's intractable mission, and by Africa itself. Ultimately each must strike her own separate path to salvation. Their passionately intertwined stories become a compelling exploration of moral risk and personal responsibility.
Dancing between the dark comedy of human failings and the breathtaking possibilities of human hope, The Poisonwood Bible possesses all that has distinguished Barbara Kingsolver's previous work, and extends this beloved writer's vision to an entirely new level. Taking its place alongside the classic works of postcolonial literature, this ambitious novel establishes Kingsolver as one of the most thoughtful and daring of modern writers.
The novel is set against one of the most dramatic political chronicles of the twentieth century: the Congo's fight for independence from Belgium, the murder of its first elected prime minister, the CIA coup to install his replacement, and the insidious progress of a world economic order that robs the fledgling African nation of its autonomy. Against this backdrop, Orleanna Price reconstructs the story of her evangelist husband's part in the Western assault on Africa, a tale indelibly darkened by her own losses and unanswerable questions about her own culpability. Also narrating the story, by turns, are her four daughters--the self-centered, teenaged Rachel; shrewd adolescent twins Leah and Adah; and Ruth May, a prescient five-year-old. These sharply observant girls, who arrive in the Congo with racial preconceptions forged in 1950s Georgia, will be marked in surprisingly different ways by their father's intractable mission, and by Africa itself. Ultimately each must strike her own separate path to salvation. Their passionately intertwined stories become a compelling exploration of moral risk and personal responsibility.
Dancing between the dark comedy of human failings and the breathtaking possibilities of human hope, The Poisonwood Bible possesses all that has distinguished Barbara Kingsolver's previous work, and extends this beloved writer's vision to an entirely new level. Taking its place alongside the classic works of postcolonial literature, this ambitious novel establishes Kingsolver as one of the most thoughtful and daring of modern writers.
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Genres:
- Literature & Fiction >> General >> Literary
- Literature & Fiction >> Authors, A-Z >> ( K ) >> Kingsolver, Barbara >> General
- Literature & Fiction >> Authors, A-Z >> ( K ) >> Kingsolver, Barbara >> Paperback
- Literature & Fiction >> Women's Fiction >> Domestic Life
- Literature & Fiction >> Genre Fiction >> Family Saga
Top Member Book Reviews
Joey S. (
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
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.
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
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.
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
I've read all of Kingsolver's books. This is a very long book that took me a little time to get into, but once into it, you can't put it down.
4 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book was very highly recommended by a friend, so I figured I'd read it. I actually gave up on it, but she told me to keep at it, that she put it down 3 times before finally finishing it.
It got better about 200 pages into the book, but I still am not thrilled by the story.
However, it gives a unique perspective on American and World history. Another interesting thing it will show you is about consumption. Americans and Brits use five to ten times more of the world's resources than people in third world countries. This is painfully obvious in the Poisonwood Bible. I was considering this book as part of a World History curriculum, but decided it was too much for freshmen to get into.
I suggest you keep plugging through if you find it difficult to read.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
The fictional story covers a family's missionary journey into the Congo, in the early '60's. It is told from the perspective of the mother and each of the four daughters in the family. In reading the same story from five different viewpoints you glean a rich, complex retelling of the almost 2 years spent in Africa. It also sets the stage for the later portion of the book as each daughter tells her story after leaving the Congo one fateful night, each going her own separate way.
In reading the story, I not only learned a bit of Congo history, as it is historical fiction and historically accurate in its details, I also learned a bit more about myself in my reactions to the characters and their actions.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
This is one of the best books I have ever read. The story is fabulous, and I learned a great deal about Africa.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Kingsolver has a knack for writing in several different voices, telling this story through the eyes of the daughters of a very over the top missionary.
Maybe it was because this was one of the first books I read since a very long hiatus from fiction, but I adored this story.
The characters were compelling, their life together was fascinating, and I learned a bit about history as well. And if a book can make me happy to learn about history, it must be well worth a read.
A friend passed this book on to me when she finished it, and I passed it to another friend, and it is still making its way through book lovers in my town; each of us loving it and wanting to share with anyone we know.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Very intense story about life of missionary family in Congo in 1950's. It was recommended by a friend and I was unsure about it but once I started reading I could not put it down until I sould find out what happened to all the children.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Written from the point of view of the children. Tells about a 1950s African American family from the South who go on a mission to Africa and how their experience changes them and how their relationships with each other change. A good book.
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book easily ranks among my favorite five of all time, perhaps even as my very favorite. Kingsolver's use of different voices in telling the story is brilliant, and as the plot unfolds, the overall picture painted is much richer for its multifaceted approach. This alone was enough to make the book enjoyable, but beyond the nuts and bolts of the writing itself, the overall plot is magnificently thought provoking, and is in itself, a convincing and compelling argument against organized, dogmatic religion. If I could recommend one book to anyone, this would be it.
Please Rate these Book Reviews
An incredible book! One of my favorites. Thought provoking, disturbing, and incredibly believable.
Beautifully written and thought-provoking... while it was lengthy, I found I had a hard time putting it down. A great beach read!
An excellent story that sucked me in pretty quickly. Appalled by the father, sympathizing with one daughter or another at any given time, lamenting the "stuck" mother. It really tells an epic story from several points of view.
It actually took me at least 100 pages to get into but I am glad I didn't put it down. A beautiful story.
I've never been much of a reader and so there was a time when I was reading whatever Oprah told me too. I got this book and freaked when I saw how many pages it was, but I tell you, I couldn't put it down. I really loved it. I didn't think I would but I really did. It seemed like a boring topic but the story moved along very well and kept me turning the pages. I couldn't believe I read such a long book!
"The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and 4 daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them what they believe they will need but soon find all of it -- garden seeds to Scripture -- is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follow is an epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over 3 decades in postcolonial Africa."
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