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Homeland and Other Stories
With the same wit and sensitivity that have come to characterize her highly praised and beloved novels Animal Dreams and The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver gives us a rich and emotionally resonant collection of twelve stories. Spreading her memorable characters over landscapes ranging from northern-California to the hills of eastern Kentucky and the Caribbean island of St.
...moreHardcover, 244 pages
Published
June 28th 1999
by Buccaneer Books
(first published 1989)
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AJ Griffin
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
blue-collar democrats, people with decent attention spans, and of course Andrew Jackson
Recommended to AJ by:
the word of God, through my mother
Leave it to my mother. Every time I get to the point where I've almost relegated her to the lands of the unenlightened, she pops out of the woodwork and shows off a surprising amount of taste; for a Baptist minister who proudly voted for George W. Bush and thinks Carrot Top is funny, my mom occasionally knows what's up. Homeland was an Easter gift, buried between chocolate bunnies and "inspirational" literature meant to soothe what she sees as my wayward soul. Like a lot of her gifts, ...more
Again, another leap of faith I took on a Barbara Kingsolver piece. Not usually a short story reader but I had to try. Not my favorite of hers but just as satisfying as her other works.
What I found most amazing about this collection of short stories was how raw and loud her political and social voice came through in these stories. More so than her novels. This would make sense since one has less time in which to lull the reader into a sense of what you the writer are trying to s...more
What I found most amazing about this collection of short stories was how raw and loud her political and social voice came through in these stories. More so than her novels. This would make sense since one has less time in which to lull the reader into a sense of what you the writer are trying to s...more
I was so conflicted about how to rate this book: some of the stories were definitely 5 star quality, while others I would rate at a 2 or 3.
In the end, I decided that the great stories outweighed the meh stories, and so it got four stars.
The title story, "Homeland" is extrememly good, although my favorites were "Covered Bridges" and "Rose Johnny"
A theme of these stories is an "incomplete" or sort of abrupt ending. At first, this bothered m...more
In the end, I decided that the great stories outweighed the meh stories, and so it got four stars.
The title story, "Homeland" is extrememly good, although my favorites were "Covered Bridges" and "Rose Johnny"
A theme of these stories is an "incomplete" or sort of abrupt ending. At first, this bothered m...more
The thing about the stories in this selection is that they're realistic and somewhat powerful, but ordinary. They're about everyday things like raising a child as a single parent, or having a mediocre affair. I suppose the story about the union woman was unusual. Kingsolver does a great job as always with creating unique voices.
None of these stories had the compacted, atomic-bomb sort of latent energy that I expect from top notch short stories, which was unfortunate. They're all dece...more
None of these stories had the compacted, atomic-bomb sort of latent energy that I expect from top notch short stories, which was unfortunate. They're all dece...more
Alina
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
those who can pick up on the subtle things
I recommend this to those who can pick up on the subtle things as many of these stories are more impressions or snapshots of life -- what people are like, how they feel, what they want, etc -- rather than big, exciting plots.
This book was lovely. I could relate to every single character in this book, be they young, old, man, woman, happy, miserable, and so on. Kingsolver's writing is so poetic while conveying such REALITY. I am full of admiration for her as a writer and have yet to f...more
This book was lovely. I could relate to every single character in this book, be they young, old, man, woman, happy, miserable, and so on. Kingsolver's writing is so poetic while conveying such REALITY. I am full of admiration for her as a writer and have yet to f...more
A very interesting collection of short stories that introduce the reader to women in a variety of situations and at various stages of life. Kingsolver has a fine ear for dialog and seems able to dive straight to the heart of all manner of issues that confront our understanding of what it means to be a woman. Each of these women proves heroic in some small way and her remarkable ability to draw us into the story is on brilliant display. This reader came to care about each of these women in some f...more
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Cette expression évoque la période d’exode que connurent les Cherokees fuyant le général Winfield Scott. La grand-mère de la narratrice lui racontera cette histoire et bien d’autres souvenirs, personnels ou transmis de générations en générations, faisant ainsi vivre un monde qui n’existe plus. Et c’est bien là le souci… L’air de rien, dans une ambiance poétique, le récit nous fait toucher du doigt un monde révolu que la société essaye de ressusciter avec des villages indiens montés de toutes piè...more
While I'm not a huge fan of short stories, if the author is Kingsolver they're going to be good. These particular tales revolve around the theme of family. Especially good was "Bereaved Apartments', about an elderly woman with antique treasures who thinks someone has broken into her home over 100 times and damaged or stolen her belongings. Kingsolver doesn't really resolve (no pun intended)her stories so much is left up to the reader to imagine. Sometimes I like that, and sometimes I wa...more
Glad to return to an older Kingsolver book. Fine stories all, set in places like CA, Kentucky and St. Lucia. Mostly female protagonists and narrators. Mostly about complex women of various ages who face up and 'fess up to challenge and change. Especially liked "Blueprints," "Bereaved Apartments,"Jump-up Day," and "Why I Am A Danger To The Public." I love the way K. weaves in place, time, nature, and the ties that bind us despite our differences.
So excited to see how this goes... is Barbara Kingsolver even capable of short stories?
Wonderful characters, not surprisingly. Is it weird to say that my biggest complaint was that I would get to love the characters then on to the next story? Sorry, Barbara, but you do that to me. Every story was so unique, I really enjoyed each. The main characters were pretty much always women (no surprise there). But I still feel weird reading short Kingsolver stories. There was this one very small...more
Wonderful characters, not surprisingly. Is it weird to say that my biggest complaint was that I would get to love the characters then on to the next story? Sorry, Barbara, but you do that to me. Every story was so unique, I really enjoyed each. The main characters were pretty much always women (no surprise there). But I still feel weird reading short Kingsolver stories. There was this one very small...more
I listened to this book as a Chivers audio book and I didn’t think it was well-suited to listening. The short stories were fairly long, but since it was an audio book I had no sense of how long each story was and how far along I was in it. Also, there was no substantive pause between stories, so you didn’t get the natural resting period you would normally allow in a book of short stories. This was one audio book where I would have liked to have music between sections (and I don’t usually like th...more
Subtlety is Kingsolver's strength, and she does it especially well in short stories. I didn't care for all the stories in this collection, though all were enjoyable. It particularly appealed to me because Kingsolver chose to concentrate on people in small towns, and she must have lived in one herself, because her detailed nuances of personalities and relationships were completely accurate. My favorites were the title story, Islands on the Moon, and Why I am a Danger to the Public.
This is a compilation of short stories that were on an audio cassette. Each story is told from a woman’s view point. They cover such things as a single mother with a child who wonders about her father; a woman who is having trouble communicating with her live in common law husband and what brings them closer, plus other women related such stories. I liked the stories because Kingsolver is an excellent writer. She cuts right to the thread of life, with nothing fake. I feel I am a better man-h...more
Kingsolver started out with a bang in this collection of short stories. There are parallel's among stories, reoccurring characters, and complementary themes. But some of the later stories just drag on, with seemingly unrelated themes - it feels that they were tacked on to make the book a decent length. Oh well. It's still worth reading, even if you only read the first few stories.
The more Kingsolver I read, the more I appreciate her words and feel inspired to put my own down on paper. This collection is obviously some of her earlier work, as a few pieces end rather abruptly and inconclusively. The evolution of her writing is evident, although I still find her non-fiction more compelling, fluid, and mesmerizing than her fictional contributions.
Loved several of the stories, especially the last two "Rose Johnny" and "Why I am a danger to the public" Well worth the effort and the stories hold up well over time.
Oh, also loved "Bereaved Apartments" had never heard that term for a duplex before, great story.
Jump Up Day makes you think.
Islands on the moon is so real I think I know these people.
Oh, also loved "Bereaved Apartments" had never heard that term for a duplex before, great story.
Jump Up Day makes you think.
Islands on the moon is so real I think I know these people.
Just the kind of prose I like. I loved every single one of these short stories, and recommend them to everyone. Everyone! The writing in these stories is insightful and intimate in an almost creepy way, like someone you just met who already knows everything about you because they scoured through your facebook profile. I mean this in a good way.
This is a little gem. I have the audio tape version and for those of you who don't know the author reads all of her own audio books. I have read a lot of her books this way and think this book is particularly well suited for audio. The authors voice is lovely and she reads with a sense of love for her characters.
Starting out the stories, I really loved it. Kingsolver's characters seemed so relatable and real. But then I hit "Stone Dreams" and I absolutely hated it. (Goodbye 4 star rating.)
In my opinion, the best story was "Bereaved Apartments." It was well put together and sad in a sentimental way. The last few stories really dragged for me.
In my opinion, the best story was "Bereaved Apartments." It was well put together and sad in a sentimental way. The last few stories really dragged for me.
These stories are 20 years old, but they have held up well. Kingsolver is especially good at capturing relations between mothers and their children. But my favorite story was "Blueprints," about a no-longer- quite-so-young couple who are on the verge of falling out of love with each other.
The breadth of Barbara Kingsolver's work continues to amaze me. Some of the stories in this book were just ok, but many of them blew me away with how powerful they were. This book is about relationships and the struggle to overcome the ongoing dialogue going on in our head and daring to reach out and risk everything and authentically engage.
Maybe it is only me, but I found most of the stories confusing. I wasn't clear when the writer decided to use the first or the third person.
I liked the setting and there were nice descriptions.
I didn't feel that the characters were differentiated or that the plot was that character-driven. The characters didn't seem to portray subjects that were transcultural.
I liked the setting and there were nice descriptions.
I didn't feel that the characters were differentiated or that the plot was that character-driven. The characters didn't seem to portray subjects that were transcultural.
HomeLand by Barbra Kingsolver is a compilation of her short stories each with a strong message. Much of these stories were about people living their life's who have come into a problem or are living in a rut, she shows the troubles individuals go through in everyday life.
Kingsolver is one of my favorites. Always beautiful, always careful and purposeful with what she says and how she chooses to say it. I always want to be reading her work outside under a beautiful tree with that feeling of nothing to do that day but read and read.
This is a selection of short stories. Each one explores a different set of values and their associated dilemmas.
The author has the uncanny ability to get us involved in the character's life in just a few paragraphs.
Very poignant and deeply thoughtful.
The author has the uncanny ability to get us involved in the character's life in just a few paragraphs.
Very poignant and deeply thoughtful.
Good book, the stories are not dramatic or action packed. Instead, time is spent developing the character, and each has a subtle, life changing or life realizing "ah ha" moment. It reminds me that "home" has a different meaning for everyone, but we all find that home is where our heart will always be.
Wonderful lucid and engaging stories by the remarkable Kingsolver. She combines insight and translucent writing to create memorable characters and situations. Some stories of course resonate more than others. My favorite of all these is Blueprints.
Though I still maintain that short stories aren't my thing, these were surprisingly good. My main complaint is that I wanted to keep hearing about the characters, not to let them go after a scant 20 pages.
Barbara Kingsolver is my favorite modern author, but this collection of short stories didn't do it for me. I just didn't LIKE most of the characters. They were well written. They seemed like real people, for the most part. I just didn't connect with them--I was frequently impatient or annoyed. So now I no longer mind that my jr. year college roommate's dog chewed up my copy. I've been irked for years that my roommate never replaced the book, and now I am glad I didn't bother to buy myself ...more
I liked reading this, but it's not one of my favorites of her books because it's a little uneven. There are a few stories that are completely compelling - the story about the couple deciding whether they want to have children just haunts me - but there are one or two that barely held my attention.
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Barbara Kingsolver is an American novelist, essayist, and poet. She was raised in rural Kentucky and lived briefly in Africa in her early childhood. Kingsolver earned degrees in Biology at DePauw University and the University of Arizona and worked as a freelance writer before she began writing novels. Her most famous works include The Poisonwood Bible, the tale of a missionary family in the Congo,...more
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“Children can be your heartache. But that doesn't matter, you have to go on and have them . . . it works out.”
—
5 people liked it
“As I looked at her there among the pumpkins I was overcome with the color and the intesity of my life. In these moments we are driven to try and hoard happiness by taking photographs, but I know better. The improtant thing was what the colors stood for, the taste of hard apples and the existence of Lena and the exact quality of the sun on the last warm day in October. A photograph would have flattened the scene into a happy moment, whereas what I felt was rapture. The fleeting certainty that I deserved this space I'd been taking up on this earth, and all the air I had breathed.”
—
1 person liked it
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