The Poisonwood Bible

by Barbara Kingsolver

published

February 2000 (first published 1998) by G. K. Hall & Company

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binding

Paperback, 712 pages

isbn

0783884680 (isbn13: 9780783884684)

description

Oprah Book Club® Selection, June 2000: As any reader of The Mosquito Coast knows, men who drag their families to far-off climes in purs...more

[close] Oprah Book Club® Selection, June 2000: As any reader of The Mosquito Coast knows, men who drag their families to far-off climes in pursuit of an Idea seldom come to any good, while those familiar with At Play in the Fields of the Lord or Kalimantaan understand that the minute a missionary sets foot on the fictional stage, all hell is about to break loose. So when Barbara Kingsolver sends missionary Nathan Price along with his wife and four daughters off to Africa in The Poisonwood Bible, you can be sure that salvation is the one thing they're not likely to find. The year is 1959 and the place is the Belgian Congo. Nathan, a Baptist preacher, has come to spread the Word in a remote village reachable only by airplane. To say that he and his family are woefully unprepared would be an understatement: "We came from Bethlehem, Georgia, bearing Betty Crocker cake mixes into the jungle," says Leah, one of Nathan's daughters. But of course it isn't long before they discover that the tremendous humidity has rendered the mixes unusable, their clothes are unsuitable, and they've arrived in the middle of political upheaval as the Congolese seek to wrest independence from Belgium. In addition to poisonous snakes, dangerous animals, and the hostility of the villagers to Nathan's fiery take-no-prisoners brand of Christianity, there are also rebels in the jungle and the threat of war in the air. Could things get any worse?

In fact they can and they do. The first part of The Poisonwood Bible revolves around Nathan's intransigent, bullying personality and his effect on both his family and the village they have come to. As political instability grows in the Congo, so does the local witch doctor's animus toward the Prices, and both seem to converge with tragic consequences about halfway through the novel. From that point on, the family is dispersed and the novel follows each member's fortune across a span of more than 30 years.

The Poisonwood Bible is arguably Barbara Kingsolver's most ambitious work, and it reveals both her great strengths and her weaknesses. As Nathan Price's wife and daughters tell their stories in alternating chapters, Kingsolver does a good job of differentiating the voices. But at times they can grate--teenage Rachel's tendency towards precious malapropisms is particularly annoying (students practice their "French congregations"; Nathan's refusal to take his family home is a "tapestry of justice"). More problematic is Kingsolver's tendency to wear her politics on her sleeve; this is particularly evident in the second half of the novel, in which she uses her characters as mouthpieces to explicate the complicated and tragic history of the Belgian Congo.

Despite these weaknesses, Kingsolver's fully realized, three-dimensional characters make The Poisonwood Bible compelling, especially in the first half, when Nathan Price is still at the center of the action. And in her treatment of Africa and the Africans she is at her best, exhibiting the acute perception, moral engagement, and lyrical prose that have made her previous novels so successful. --Alix Wilber [close]

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Alex Wandaloo rated it:

(review of isbn 0571225616)

05/06/08

Read in May, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

The Poisonwood Bible takes place in the 1960 Congo that the Price family has just flown to. Mr. Price is a reverend and made the bold choice to take his family out of Georgia for a year to do missionary work in a village called Kilanga. The culture of the Congo and the culture that the Prices ignorantly preserve from Georgia clash tremendously. With their small monthly stipend, the Prices are rich by Kilanga standards, but they do not understand that in Congo, those who have a lot are expecte...more

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Annalisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0060786507)

10/13/07

bookshelves: book-club, favorite-books, historical-fiction

Read in June, 2005

recommended to Annalisa by: bookclub

This is the book Kingsolver was destined to write. It is her life's culmination, her masterpiece. Wrapped up in a fabulous piece of fiction we learn volumes from her expertise in African culture. It is what makes her voice so authentic.

What amazes me about this story, is Barbara Kingsolver's ability to write five very distinct, very different characters and give them all a believable voice. The characters were so vivid, real in their flawed insecurities, and so utterly different. I found mys...more This is the book Kingsolver was destined to write. It is her life's culmination, her masterpiece. Wrapped up in a fabulous piece of fiction we learn volumes from her expertise in African culture. It is what makes her voice so authentic.

What amazes me about this story, is Barbara Kingsolver's ability to write five very distinct, very different characters and give them all a believable voice. The characters were so vivid, real in their flawed insecurities, and so utterly different. I found myself constantly annoyed with Rachel's shallow stupidity and yet invested in her story. With almost smug satisfaction, I watched her board the plane that would forever change her life. I wish every self-centered girl could experience life in a third-world country and gain some perspective. While I found myself sympathetic to Orleanna's ordeal I didn't find myself congruent to her decisions or Kingsolver's prejudice in her forward feminist message. Ruth May's chapters are sweet and while I enjoyed her character without much depth or growth to her she is the character I remember the least.

What I loved most was the complete balance between the twins. The naive optimistic Leah who blindly idolizes her father is the polar opposite of Adah's bitter resentment who finds no hope or reason for faith in life. If it weren't for Kingsolver's obvious disdain for Leah's paternal allegiance, I would have related most to her character. I felt sorry for Adah's self pity, found a kindred spirit in her literary mind, and loved her palindromes. Between the negative and positive I felt I got a more balanced view of their Africa experience. As they evolve into their mature characters, they almost swapped places. Leah is the one who became bitter and rebellious while Adah assured and accepting. Adah was the character I most enjoyed, especially the more the book progressed.

What was counterproductive was her portrayal of the controlling, unyielding preacher and her refusal to give him a voice. Had she made Nathan a kind well-meaning preacher misguided in his mission to save Africa, I would have taken her questions about Christian values imposing their views on the rest of the world better. But instead of finding myself taking her stance that other cultures and religions have value and should be unaltered by Christian oppression, I found myself wanting to side with the minister and defend his decision to uproot his family, take them halfway around the world, and sacrifice their own comforts for the charitable saving of a nation. I found his inability to turn pride aside and consider his family's needs first completely unbelievable and only serves as a sacrificial lamb not only for his family 's misfortunes in Africa but as Kingsolver's impression of these Christian missionaries as well. The book stereotypes this character and reveals her own prejudices.

She inserted the old minister to showcase how she thought the missionary efforts should go: keep their culture and introduce Christian principles to enhance their lives, but I disagree. He seemed more of a service missionary without introducing much gospel into his efforts. And what preaching he did do he let meld with their superstitious belief. But I didn't feel that a perversion of truth was the right answer either. Is service without gospel always the answer? If these tribe members had embraced Christianity and given up their traditions would that really have been a bad thing?

Just as Nathan's stubborn unyielding stance brought him no believers in Africa where an appreciation for their culture could have bridged the gap, Kingsolver's position does the same with readers. If you are already inclined to despise missionary efforts you'll probably agree with her analysis that Christians should mind their own business and leave culture worldwide to thrive. But I doubt her mockery and depiction of Christianity as unyielding is winning any Christians to reconsider their tolerance level.

But despite my issues with her portrayal of Christian missionaries, I loved the book. So back to the good: while the characterization is fabulous in the novel her description of African culture even stronger and her love for the country shines through. Perhaps that is why she feels so saddened by Western efforts to change it. I felt transported into the tribes of Africa as I vividly saw this politically unstable era take shape as the backdrop to this story. Years after reading this I can still visualize the ants overtaking the village. I can see the heavy rains (symbolizing the differences of Africa) demolishing Nathan's garden (the symbol of his inability to conform to another culture) even if I don't completely agree with the message (African culture is better for Africa). And I still think about the tarantulas crawling in bananas or wild cats following children home. Most of all, I enjoyed the accurate glimpse into the cultural values of this opposing social structure from the perspective of understanding instead of judgment.

But once again, instead of making me want to visit the continent and save its inhabitants, it verified my fears and conviction to steer clear. I feel that Kingsolver wanted to inspire humanitarian activists in her readers, but I find myself overwhelmed. This well-meaning family made no difference and were only swallowed in the culture and their problems themselves. What could I do? I feel useless and inadequate to affect any change and therefore my only reaction is "I don't want to go to Africa," which makes me feel haughty.

Maybe Kingsolver wanted us to feel hopeless and show that there is no small, quick solution for Africa coming from Western value. Or maybe her only motive was to open our eyes to the quality of life in other countries so we don't take our own for granted. Having lived in third-world countries, I know firsthand what she is describing. And maybe my own experience is what overwhelms me. Change can not come from the outside. And on that level I can understand her frustration with the Nathan Prices in the world, even if I don't agree with her view that Christians are wrong to try to convert other cultures. If the bitter truth about Africa didn't inspire action on my part, at least it gave me a history lesson about a country and time I know little about and for that I highly enjoyed the book. Who doesn't love a real history lesson mashed up in an interesting story?

Despite my reservations about her message on Christianity, I loved watching each of the characters mature, develop, and change and was vested in their outcome. The story is very well written and an excellent choice for book club discussions as you explore which characters you related to and what messages you take from the book. A powerful read that won't soon leave your memory. ...less

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Ebookwormy rated it:

(review of isbn 0060175400)

09/06/08

bookshelves: 3-caution, culture, world--africa

Read in September, 2008

On one hand, there is nothing new here, and on this same old tirade, I disagree strongly with the author. Examples:

* Relativism. I'm sorry, I believe infanticide to be wrong for all cultures, for all times.

* Missionaries, particularly protestant missionaries to Africa were entirely the endeavor of egotistic, abusive, colonialists who were merely out to change Africa into either a western society or an exploitative factory for western society. Wrong again, read Tom Hiney's "On the Mi...more On one hand, there is nothing new here, and on this same old tirade, I disagree strongly with the author. Examples:

* Relativism. I'm sorry, I believe infanticide to be wrong for all cultures, for all times.

* Missionaries, particularly protestant missionaries to Africa were entirely the endeavor of egotistic, abusive, colonialists who were merely out to change Africa into either a western society or an exploitative factory for western society. Wrong again, read Tom Hiney's "On the Missionary Trail" for a non-fiction perspective that documents ways in which many missionaries were actually upsetting the colonial balance by preparing native peoples for independence, tutoring leaders on negotiation with world powers, recording native history and cultural practies and transcribing their languages, ; see also Philips Jenkins' "The Next Christendom".

* Marriage is an oppressive institution that consumes women; they need to escape. Certainly SOME marriages are, but that doesn't mean we go the way of disregarding it as a foundational institution of society.

* America is an evil power of which we should all be ashamed. False again. I cannot deny mistakes have been made in American foreign policy, and certainly events of the Congo, as presented in this book, would appear to be this way. But, there are also many things America has done that are good (such as preserving freedom for those who live here to write books ripping on America), and these shouldn't be ignored.

* All cultural traditions should be preserved because they have merit in and of themselves. I do not agree with this at all. Femaile circumcision should not be, regardless of whether it is a cultural tradition. It serves no purpose to enhance the lives of either men or women. At the same time, the American high-fat, high-sugar diet, while traditional (burgers, fries and shakes) should be changed. American isolationalism that doesn't consider other cultures and peoples should also go too.

* The work is tauted as an "examination of personal responsibility". Clearly all Belgians, American, colonialists, businessmen, husbands/fathers, missionaries, and mothers (to a lesser extent) are to be found culpable in the downfall of the Congo, as if this type of situation has never occurred in history before. But the truth is often far more complex, and the events in Congo, while horrible, cannot really be understood outside of their larger context. Was Congo the only African nation to suffer? Was there truly not a single benefit of colonialism? Were all businessmen/ westerners culpable or colluding? Were all involved in the downfall of the Congo Christians? Were not the African leader, Mbuto (funded by the US, yes) and his followers not equally guilty of selling out Africans for personal gain? Were there not some westerners (like the more heroic in this story and the noble parents of the author mentioned in the prelude) trying to make life better for Africans? Is this not the same thing we see currently in Zimbabwe? If we are going to examine evil and exploitation, let's remember that no one person, country, or even time, has a lock on it. And lets not paint extreme pictures of those we chose to reject, while painting those we agree with in glowing terms. As with many fictional accounts, we don't like to admit the good and the bad falls on both sides.

*Christianity is merely a tool people use to exploit others and promote their own agenda. I fundamentally disagree with this perspective. Christianity is a relationship with Christ that involves following after Him and becoming more like Him.

The extreme situation the author creates in this fictional account allows her to proclaim her philosophies of life with vigor, particularly anti-Christianity and anti-Americanism. In the foreward, she makes effort to point out that her parents (who went to the Congo in the same time period) have NOTHING in common with the main subjects of the work, essentially preparing the reader for the assault upon the southern baptist missionary and his 4 children from Georgia who are the main characters.

With such flaws, a work should be easily dismissed. However, there are some glowing strong points. The writing is exceptional, and there are many rich scenes that are not soon forgotten. The understanding of African life, customs, language and landscape as well as the ability to portray this amazingly beautiful land as a living organism were welcomingly impressed upon my mind. The character development and interaction of perspectives (each chapter is the perspective of one character, the book being a series of their interwoven stories), is extraordinary; though it is noteworthy that the author doesn't include a single chapter from the perspective of the husband/father/missionary zealot of the family, but only permits him to be defined by the others. I really cared about the characters and wanted to know what would happen to them.

The examination of cross-cultural interaction and communication is powerfully illustrated as we begin with a purely American perspective that slowly opens (through the eyes of some, not all, characters) to an African perspective.

While it might be a helpful work to those longing to know Africa or understand cross-cultural disconnects, I cannot give it more than two stars because of the blatant agenda referenced above.
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Meghan rated it:

(review of isbn 0060786507)

08/29/08

Read in August, 2008

I started this book around 4 or 5 years ago and couldn’t get into it. My psyche was trying to tell me not to bother. I decided to finish it (for some reason picked it over a classic like Les Miserables) and I did like the writing style and I did like the story, but it is very much anti-American, anti-Christian, and pro-communist! I should have expected exactly that from an Oprah book club book.

The book praises Patrice Lumumba (the Congo’s first democratically elected prime minister)...more I started this book around 4 or 5 years ago and couldn’t get into it. My psyche was trying to tell me not to bother. I decided to finish it (for some reason picked it over a classic like Les Miserables) and I did like the writing style and I did like the story, but it is very much anti-American, anti-Christian, and pro-communist! I should have expected exactly that from an Oprah book club book.

The book praises Patrice Lumumba (the Congo’s first democratically elected prime minister) for being a communist who believes in democracy and conversely vilifies Mobutu Sese Seko (the man who took power after Lumumba was assassinated) for being a dictator who believes in capitalism. Mobutu was not a capitalist. He was a dictator who ran a kleptocracy (a government that extends the personal wealth and political power of government officials and the ruling class at the expense of the population). Dictatorships are bad and Mobutu was no exception. He made the people of the Congo suffer enormously, but the book does not make him a villain for being a dictator, it makes him a villain for being a so-called capitalist (Dictatorships are okay for Liberals due to their favorite communist dictator Fidel Castro).

The incessant glorification of communism and the opposing drawl of America (and Christianity) is bad in this book is sickening. The Christian minister is portrayed as a controlling father and husband who puts his whole family in danger by staying in Africa in an unstable political climate and who ends up going crazy. The previous Christian minister is someone who actually lives Christian principles, but was kicked out of position of minister by his own church for cavorting too closely with the natives. Leah defines communists as people who “do not fear the Lord, and they think everybody should have the same kind of house” and from her standpoint “it is hard to fathom the threat” of communism (oh please as if millions of people haven’t died due to communist rule). Rachel, who argues with her sisters against communism, is portrayed as a dumb blonde who misuses words and who also happens to be shallow and heartless. Adah who is seen as the smart one of course agrees with whatever Leah thinks. This theme culminates near the end of the book the sisters get together and go sight-seeing. They go to a palace in Africa where human bones and remains were used as building materials. Leah suggests that we shouldn’t judge the chief for murdering all those people to build his palace just because we are from the West and don’t understand. She says that what looks like “mass murder to us is probably misinterpreted ritual. They probably had ways of keeping their numbers in balance in times of famine”. Both Rachel and the Bible are then made fun of by Leah and Adah when Rachel points out ‘thou shalt not kill’. So … if you are a chief in Africa facing elimination by starvation it is okay to knock off a few people to save the rest, but if you are an American in a world full of nuclear weapons capable of eliminating life on this planet you shouldn’t take out one man who may increase the chances of nuclear holocaust (according to the book Lumumba’s assassination was orchestrated by Eisenhower to eliminate an additional communist threat during the Cold War). If you think one is okay, you have to think the other is too. You can’t justify one just because of where you live or what color your skin is. Nice hypocritical message Barbara Kingsolver.
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Scot rated it:

(review of isbn 0060786507)

09/05/08

Read in September, 2008

A friend told me this was the most powerful novel she had ever read, so with that kind of endorsement, (and as I later learned, it was an Orpah selection in 2000), I decided to give it a go.

I found it to be well crafted and dense. A mother and four daughters, each with a distinctive personality and voice, take turns giving their particular perspectives on the story of how their family, led by the fire-and-brimstone Free Baptist preaching father of this Georgia clan, ventured into the deepes...more A friend told me this was the most powerful novel she had ever read, so with that kind of endorsement, (and as I later learned, it was an Orpah selection in 2000), I decided to give it a go.

I found it to be well crafted and dense. A mother and four daughters, each with a distinctive personality and voice, take turns giving their particular perspectives on the story of how their family, led by the fire-and-brimstone Free Baptist preaching father of this Georgia clan, ventured into the deepest Congo on a mission to an obscure village named Kilanga during the closing years of the Eisenhower administration. The novel, which runs on for 543 pages, recounts how this mission to Africa affected their family dynamic, their interpersonal relationships, and their futures. But it is much more than just a story of how Southern Baptists adapted (or not) to life in the Congo, it is about the process of self-discovery, the presumptions of proselytizers, the range of different approaches people might take to living in a foreign culture, the impact of colonialism, American hegemony during the Cold War, and the history and natural essence of Mother Africa herself.

I enjoyed the range of different voices telling the tale, most particularly the voice of Adah, a second born twin who suffers from a prenatal cerebral birth defect that paralyzed the left half of her body, so she walks with a slow but pronounced limp and never speaks, though she is actually a genius, a whiz at on the spot computation and a big fan of Emily Dickinson and palindromes. Her often harsh perspectives offer an intriguing balance to the versions of events as conveyed by the five year old, the tomboy twin, or the self-absorbed pageant princess.

The book traces the four daughters across most of a life span, but I found the last few hundred pages not as compelling as the actual section of the novel specifically focusing on events in Kilanga itself. The hate the mother demonstrated for the father in the first ten pages of the novel actually frightened me a bit initially--I looked at the thickness of the book and worried I might be in for several hours of intense man-bashing. However, as I persevered and got caught up in the narrative and the plot moved along, I grew to appreciate where that vitriol came from.

The book is successful at helping outsiders understand the complexity that is Africa and the sincere admiration Kingsolver feels for it. I am glad I recently read Howard W. French's "A Continent for the Taking," a work of non-fiction that reviewed the various coups and shifts in the government of the Congo after the Belgians left, so that I recognized some of the political factions and leaders discussed. And there are some secondary characters--such as Anatole, Mama Mwanza, or Brother Fowles--who made a very strong and positive lasting impression on me.

This is a true work of literature, in that it not only offers entertainment and aesthetic pleasure, but it teaches without being didactic; it makes the reader ponder some of life's great mysteries; and it is illuminating in describing a world few modern American readers will know. I am a better person for having read it. I can see why it became a favored selection for book club discussions....less

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Anna rated it:

(review of isbn 0060786507)

07/29/07

The Poisonwood Bible is incredibly good for many reasons. Advancing through the lives of a family of Georgian missionaries surviving in the Congo, Kingsolver twines her story with the thoughts and perspectives of each of the women. Rachel, the oldest daughter, a princess no matter her setting. Leah, middle child and twin, who is intelligent and level headed. Adah (Hada), the other twin, lopsided and backwards reading, she is far more intelligent than anyone would guess. Ruth May, youngest at 5, ...more The Poisonwood Bible is incredibly good for many reasons. Advancing through the lives of a family of Georgian missionaries surviving in the Congo, Kingsolver twines her story with the thoughts and perspectives of each of the women. Rachel, the oldest daughter, a princess no matter her setting. Leah, middle child and twin, who is intelligent and level headed. Adah (Hada), the other twin, lopsided and backwards reading, she is far more intelligent than anyone would guess. Ruth May, youngest at 5, with abundant energy and golden ringlets. And last but not least, Orleana, victim in the way women have always been victims. Through their eyes we see the pain we know all to well. The pain of being the outsider. The pain of adaptation. The pain of being an American abroad.
Though the family goes through innumerable hardships, it is the simple things that stuck me most. The peace between the violence, the realization that children’s play is practice for survival, the acceptance and joy at not being included as one of “them,” the beauty of the natural surroundings, are what make this sad novel oddly joyous. It quickly turns from being about a self righteous man, so unwilling to bend that he breaks, to coming of age and disillusionment with the “peace makers of the west.”
America likes to intervene. As the women of this story grow and separate, a political reality is playing out in the background. America decides the new president is a communist, and for the good of its people has him taken out. The new leader put in his place is friendly to the U.S. government, ensuring lucrative mining deals and easy trade. All too quickly the people of the Congo begin to suffer the harshness of a tyrant; all too quickly they begin to starve.
“There is nothing about the United States I can really explain to this child of another world” (pg 441). That we should have so much and deny others what little they could hope for, is a horror for which I have not the words. A little African boy is brought to an American grocery store and is stunned by the selection. Why would you need so many different toothpastes? It’s unfathomable.
I finished this book in a bout of frustrated tears. It seems like every year I learn of another country our government has destroyed, another culture we never took the time to understand. Kingsolver does an amazing job and winding through her story overwhelming feelings of shame and displacement. She takes global politics and makes them painfully intimate, while at the same time recognizing the absurdity in that.
But then that is just one of the stories told. It is the viewpoint of just one of the daughters. Through the others you can see innocence, ignorance, and self discovery. She shows that the world is as complicated as a single family and that there is never only one perspective.
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Steve rated it:

(review of isbn 0060512822)

07/22/08

Read in December, 2007

I came to this book with The Bean Trees still fresh in my mind, confident that I would enjoy it thoroughly. I found it a very different kind of novel, in many respects (e.g., the alternating voices of multiple narrators, the very different locale (the Belgian Congo instead of the American Southwest), and the author's increasingly intrusive political message). While I adapted to the changes and got through to the end, it was not the enjoyable experience I'd hoped for. I understand that for...more I came to this book with The Bean Trees still fresh in my mind, confident that I would enjoy it thoroughly. I found it a very different kind of novel, in many respects (e.g., the alternating voices of multiple narrators, the very different locale (the Belgian Congo instead of the American Southwest), and the author's increasingly intrusive political message). While I adapted to the changes and got through to the end, it was not the enjoyable experience I'd hoped for. I understand that for the author it was a more ambitious undertaking and acknowledge that pushing the limits on one's craft is the right thing to do. However, in such cases there's the risk of attempting more than can be successfully done.

Like The Bean Trees, this one celebrates the virtue of personal loyalty. That aspect of it comes through loud and clear. Drawing characters like Anatole, who are more than plausible, is one of Kingsolver's strengths. Another is her ability to get the most out of our language in telling a story. After reading this, I think Kingsolver should stick with what she does best.

In trying to get my arms around what I dislike about this book, I'll just say it began with mounting frustration over the helplessness of the mother and her daughters in the unspeakable situation created by Rev Price (who, we eventually learn, suffered from an untreated mental illness/brain injury).

On top of this was laid a very biased explanation of African history. Both the UN and the French government concur that the Eisenhower administration did NOT have a hand in the assassination of The Congo's first elected leader, as Kingsolver charges. On the contrary, Lumumba was deposed by a political rival, Kasa-Vubu, and he suffered what likely would have been the other guy's fate had the coup not succeeded. I'm sorry it suits Kingsolver's purposes to imply a parallel between her deranged character Rev. Price and the country he came from as the common source of the turmoil described here, because this fictional work is likely the only input many readers will ever have on the subject. Then, at the end of the book, two of the grown daughters are leading peaceful lives across the borders of Angola and the Republic of Congo, two countries with equally atrocious Marxist rule that the author completely ignores. This is no way for anyone to get their history.

Ok, one other gripe, now that I've gotten myself worked up: One of the Price daughters is nonverbal and presumably suffers from CP or something similar (i.e., congenital brain injury). Once she's grown she gets a little advice from a friend and performs some therapy upon herself and -- voila! -- she's cured. And not only cured but in short order a graduate of medical school. As the parent of an adult with a congenital brain injury, I truly hate to see anyone pretend that such things work out that easily.

In short, I liked Barbara Kingsolver a lot more before I picked up this book....less

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Caroline rated it:

(review of isbn 0060786507)

11/14/07

bookshelves: fiction, read-in-2007

Read in November, 2007

This book was fascinating for a variety of reasons for me. Not only is it set in the jungles of Congo, but the structure really sucked me in so much more than a lot of books. Barbara Kingsolver obviously spent a lot of time researching this book (according to the P.S. text, a couple of decades)--there's a huge list of references used, and the details within the text made me feel almost as if I'd actually been to a little town deep within the jungles of Congo.

Kingsolver had a very nice variet...more This book was fascinating for a variety of reasons for me. Not only is it set in the jungles of Congo, but the structure really sucked me in so much more than a lot of books. Barbara Kingsolver obviously spent a lot of time researching this book (according to the P.S. text, a couple of decades)--there's a huge list of references used, and the details within the text made me feel almost as if I'd actually been to a little town deep within the jungles of Congo.

Kingsolver had a very nice variety of character perspectives, rather than telling the story all from one person's point-of-view. All of the daughters have very different voices, as well as the mother. Leah is the most trusting of her father's preaching, and for a good chunk of the novel spends her time doting on her father and not really realizing how wrong he was on a lot of things. Rachel gets fairly annoying at times, with how stuck-up she can be, but in the end I did like her for her honesty. Adah, the "twisted child," is very poetic and I found myself looking forward to her passages the most, with her play-on-words and general pessimistic take on the whole situation. Ruth May felt a lot like a filler character at times, although in the end I did appreciate her innocent take on everything.

I actually learned a few things about the Congo by reading this--it's not an area I knew much about (just generals that are commonly known, like the diamond trade), so it was a bit of a history lesson mixed in with a very interesting story.

I was a bit iffy of the final 150-ish pages, where it seemed like the story was over...but it kept going. In the end, I was really glad Kingsolver decided to do the rest of the story in the way she did--in those 150 pages, she covers about 30 years of the after-effects on the family. You never get the full story of what happened to certain characters, but in a time of turmoil like that you wouldn't in reality...so it works. It's pretty interesting to see how much some of the daughters changed after the horrible failure of their father's mission, and how very little one daughter changed. It turned into more than a story of a failed Baptist preacher attempting to convert the members of a little Congolese town, but a story of the long-reaching effects of one man.

Definitely a powerful book, and I'm so glad I picked it up on a whim! It was slow-going most of the time (it took me much longer to read this than I expected--more out of savoring it than it being a difficult read, because it was definitely easy yet poetic language), but it was definitely worth the effort....less

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Amy rated it:

(review of isbn 0060786507)

07/30/08

Read in July, 2008

This novel portrayed the struggle of an American, Christian family to survive in the poor, politically unstable former Congo. Each character represented a different value system:

-Rachel was the Westernized, materialistic primadonna.
-Adah was the depressed, self-described “deformed,” cynical poetic intellect.
-Leah was the most complex, least one-dimensional character who transformed from a stout believer in her fathers’ radical Christianity to an atheist hippy-type who marries a C...more This novel portrayed the struggle of an American, Christian family to survive in the poor, politically unstable former Congo. Each character represented a different value system:

-Rachel was the Westernized, materialistic primadonna.
-Adah was the depressed, self-described “deformed,” cynical poetic intellect.
-Leah was the most complex, least one-dimensional character who transformed from a stout believer in her fathers’ radical Christianity to an atheist hippy-type who marries a Congolese man and renounces Westernized life. She was given the lengthiest, most preachy passages, so is probably the closest representation to Kingsolver’s own opinion.
-Ruth May was pure, unbiased innocence. Her cute, childish observations were often comic relief from the weightiness of the other voices, but unfortunately she was the one to fall victim to the climax of cultural clashes.
-Orleanna was the grieving, abused mother and wife.
-Reverend Price was the evil, radical, imposing Christian who would rather preach the word of God than save his own family or help those around him.

These characters with their unique personalities are not unlike any family one would have seen in America in the 60s or even today, and it is through each of their paradigms that we learn about how an unruly climate and environment leads to poverty which leads to political instability.

Like a sandwich, the best part of the novel was the middle, as the main conflict unfolded and eventually played out; for example: Tata Ndo’s awkward marriage proposal to Rachel, the futile church congregation using the newly learned principle of democracy to interrupt Reverend Price’s sermon to vote to reject Christianity, the ant attack on the village, Ruth May’s eventual death by snake bite, and Orleanna finally dragging her daughters out of there. (I apologize if these are not in chronological order, I do not have the book in front of me.) The beginning was a little slow as I got used to the different voices, but when I did, the pace picked up as the story unfolded. In the final Exodus section, I was eager to find out what happened to each of the characters, but it seemed like Kingsolver used much of it to preach her political views/commentary, mostly through Leah’s voice and actions - i.e. choosing to leave America to return to the former Congo, and despite the poverty, raise her family there and support her revolutionary husband Anatole. I felt like the novel could have successfully concluded sooner after they left the Congo. Nevertheless, this novel is just one more testament to the human tragedy and suffering that occurs as the West forces its ideology and power upon third world countries for profit under the guise of salvation.
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*rob* rated it:

(review of isbn 0060175400)

09/10/08

Read in August, 2008

i wasn't very drawn in for the first few chapters until i reached the first chapter from adah's point of view. then i remembered: oh yeah, this is a good author, and the dynamics between these people are gonna be complex, interesting, heartbreaking, and maddening.

well now i'm finished, more than a month later. man did the ending drag on. it's not that the book is unusually long (500 pages or so?), but it's *unnecessarily* long. i compare it to the movie magnolia, which i really ...more i wasn't very drawn in for the first few chapters until i reached the first chapter from adah's point of view. then i remembered: oh yeah, this is a good author, and the dynamics between these people are gonna be complex, interesting, heartbreaking, and maddening.

well now i'm finished, more than a month later. man did the ending drag on. it's not that the book is unusually long (500 pages or so?), but it's *unnecessarily* long. i compare it to the movie magnolia, which i really liked, and about 3/4 of the way through it seems to come to a natural concluding point, so that every minute after that (and there are many more minutes in the movie, many more pages in the book) has the effect of being toothy or pretentious.

but aside from that, i've decided that i like this book, because of the complicated characters. they may seem--at first glance--undeveloped and full of judgement of one another. it's not easy to pick a protagonist, because the author develops empathy for each of them (well, much less so for the one living in and supporting aparteid south africa), and i liked that point because it supports my belief that people are neither good nor bad, and i certainly am not one capable of judging that. i fell into that trap a few times with each of the characters, but was pulled out of it with further information and perspective. for example--and my favorite paragraph in the book--[spoiler warning - stop reading here:] Orleanna is reflecting on her marriage and life with an abusive man, and i found myself encouraging her to leave him, cursing her for not, and judging her, until this paragraph:

I didn't set out to leave my husband.  Anyone can see i should have, long before, but I never did know how.  For women like me, it seems, it's not ours to take charge of beginnings and endings.  Not the marriage proposal, the summit conquered, the first shot fired, nor the last one either--the treaty at Appomattox, the knife in the heart.  Let men write those stories.  I can't. I only know the middle ground where we live our lives.  We whistle while Rome burns, or we scrub the floor, depending.  Don't dare presume there's shame in the lot of a woman who carries on.  On the day a committee of men decided to murder the fledgling Congo, what do you suppose Mama Mwanza was doing?  Was it different, the day after?  Of course not.  Was she a fool, then, or the backbone of a history?  When a government comes crashing down, it crushes those who were living under its roof.  People like Mama Mwanza never knew the house was there at all.  Independence is a complex word in a foreign tongue.  To resist occupation, whether you're a nation or merely a woman, you must understand the language of your enemy.  Conquest and liberation and democracy and divorce are words that mean squat, basically, when you have hungry children and clothes to get out on the line and it looks like rain.

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Rebecca rated it:

(review of isbn 0060786507)

05/29/08

Read in May, 2008

recommends it for: People interested in Congolese history

I read "The Poisonwood Bible" for two reasons: Because I've always wanted to read a Barbara Kingsolver book and I am intrigued by secular takes on Christianity in modern-day writings.

I just finished it today. It is the story of a missionary family's trek to the Congo, told through the eyes of the four daughters and their mother. The father is a misguided preacher who is trying to escape past demons by force-feeding Christ to a culture that he has neither researched nor desires to u...more I read "The Poisonwood Bible" for two reasons: Because I've always wanted to read a Barbara Kingsolver book and I am intrigued by secular takes on Christianity in modern-day writings.

I just finished it today. It is the story of a missionary family's trek to the Congo, told through the eyes of the four daughters and their mother. The father is a misguided preacher who is trying to escape past demons by force-feeding Christ to a culture that he has neither researched nor desires to understand (the name of the book is a reference to his misuse of the native language -- so instead of calling the Bible something holy, he's referring to it as a poisonous tree).

All in all, I am glad I read the book -- the discussion of the Congo's tumultuous history and the commentary on how the United States and various European nations have tried and failed to control something so wild and free was very interesting. It is a theme I saw repeatedly play out in this book -- when people/nations are unwilling to take the time to understand where others are coming from (be it individuals or people groups), the result is long-running anguish, regret and the destruction of lives and families. The writing can be very good -- the death of one of the daughters (which is disclosed early in the novel, although she is not identified) had me literally weeping over this book.

That all said. There were parts of the book that dragged for me -- and the whole catalyst for why these four girls and their mother were transplanted to Africa (a highly controlling husband/father) was never completely resolved to my satisfaction (he sort of disappears in to the jungle halfway through the book, never to return).

From a Christian standpoint, I was also disappointed in how missionaries were generally portrayed -- self-seeking, greedy and Bible-thumping morons who were either frothing at the mouth or couldn't get out of the country fast enough when the going got tough. There were also doctrinal errors (I spent several years as a Baptist and I never attended a church that believed baptism was a necessary ticket in to heaven -- quite the contrary, actually).

It would have been a fascinating foil to have a truly Christ-focused, God-seeking missionary family in these people's midsts ... while I appreciate how the only "good" missionary in this book didn't completely reject God, his buffet-style approach to what he accepted/discarded about the Bible was disturbing. Yet it was clearly held up as the preferred example for the rest of characters in the book....less

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Mikejencostanzo rated it:

(review of isbn 0060786507)

01/25/08

Read in June, 2006

I began reading this book with hesitancy and a good portion of discernment. It had been recommended by a non-Christian co-worker as a good book for me to read since "you want to become a missionary." I'm really glad I read it though. There are a number of things I really appreciated about the book.

I really liked how the author, Barbara Kingsolver, told the story through the eyes of each of the characters. She was ab...more I began reading this book with hesitancy and a good portion of discernment. It had been recommended by a non-Christian co-worker as a good book for me to read since "you want to become a missionary." I'm really glad I read it though. There are a number of things I really appreciated about the book.

I really liked how the author, Barbara Kingsolver, told the story through the eyes of each of the characters. She was able to pull off a consistent and believable use of a different storytelling voice for each individual. This is something that, if done poorly, could result in a book that is a total nuisance to read. But when done well, as in this case, it sweeps the reader along into the hearts and minds of the characters.

I felt like Kingsolver captivatingly addressed the concept of mission effort gone awry. I'm glad I had the chance to read Kingsolver's work, because I think it captures the misgivings that many of my non-Christian friends have when they think of "Christian missions." As an example of this, my husband Mike can recount the conversation he had with a co-worker where the guy he was working with got kind of offended at hearing Mike's interest in missions: "What gives you the impression that you can just go over and tell the Japanese people to believe in your God?"

Kingsolver captures some of the concerns & misunderstandings of modern missions that our friends may feel as they hear our interest in missions.

Kingsolver's descriptions also ring true with some of the crazy foibles that have been recounted in true missions history. When I took a missions course called Perspectives <www.perspectives.org> the unit on "The History of Missions" was particularly eye-opening. Kingsolver is not just pulling these ideas out of thin air. There have definitely been some crazy abuses of people and culture -- some gross insensitivities displayed by some missionaries of the past.

One more thing I enjoyed about this book was the sometimes humorous, sometimes sobering pictures and impressions that it left in my mind. Archetypes of sorts, that I will carry with me in the future. Whenever I pack to go overseas, I will probably always think about piling on 15 layers of clothing, stuffing small kitchen appliances in my bosom, and boxes of cake mix in my coat pockets as I board the airplane.

-Jen...less

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Alana rated it:

(review of isbn 0060786507)

03/05/08

bookshelves: fiction, historical

Read in March, 2008

Missionary Nathan Price takes his wife and four daughters into the heart of the Congo in the late 60s. Despite political upheaval and resistance from the native population, his fierce determination to save souls in the jungle never wavers once, even when his unbending ways alienate all those around him. The novel is told by the daughters in alternating chapters with an occasional chapter narrated by the mother. Each of the voices is distinct and recognizable, but the characters bothered me. Rach...more