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Book Review of The Bean Trees

The Bean Trees
The Bean Trees
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
reviewed on + 32 more book reviews


Meet Taylor Greer. Clear-eyed and spirited, she grew up poor in rural Kentucky with two goals: to avoid pregnancy and to get away. She succeeds on both counts when she buys a '55 VW and heads west. But by the time she pulls up on the outskirts of Tucson, AZ at an auto repair shop called Jesus is the Lord Used Ties that also happens to be a sanctuary for Central American refugees, she's "inherited" a 3 year old American Indian girl named Turtle. What follows - as Taylor meets the human condition head on - is at the heart of this memorable novel about love and friendship, abandonment and belonging, and the discovery of surprising resources in apparently empty places. Kingsolver is one of my very favorite authors for richness of characters and insightful story. I have read most all of her novels - Prodigal Summer, my alltime favorite - I highly recommend this one as well. Enjoy!