book data
7968 ratings, 3.96 average rating, 485 reviews
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published
2002
by Rivages
binding
Paperback, 384 pages
isbn
2743609699
(isbn13: 9782743609696)
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 9180)
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avg 3.96
I was a bit disturbed that I could appreciate this book. While I have liked a lot of Kingsolver's other work, this particular book is centered around the sort of seriously damaged character that usually turns me off to a book. And had I read this in high school, or college, or maybe even grad school, I'm fairly certain I would have disliked it tremendously.
And yet... having read it when I did, I was able to identify with some elements of the what the character was experiencing, even if I d...more
And yet... having read it when I did, I was able to identify with some elements of the what the character was experiencing, even if I d...more
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Read in May, 2008
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Read in April, 2008
This is only the second book that I've read by Barbara Kingsolver, and I'm very interested in learning about her writing process. She has this infectious, cultural curiosity that drives her to learn anything and everything about a place and its people...even if they only exist in her mind. She creates an entire world of history, geography, lineage and folklore.
And every character is filled with so much wisdom and humor that I feel like I was given a sneak peak into Kingsolver's personali...more
And every character is filled with so much wisdom and humor that I feel like I was given a sneak peak into Kingsolver's personali...more
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"Animals dream about the things they do in the day time just like people do. If you want sweet dreams, you've got to live a sweet life." So says Loyd Peregrina, a handsome Apache trainman and latter-day philosopher. But when Codi Noline returns to her hometown, Loyd's advice is painfully out of her reach. Dreamless and at the end of her rope, Codi comes back to Grace, Arizona to confront her past and face her ailing, distant father. What the finds is a town threatened by a silent envir...more
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Read in May, 2006
In a letter to Codi, Hallie writes, "'What keeps you going isn't some fine destination but just the road you're on, and the fact that you know how to drive.'" This is not a love story as the back of the book may have you believe. Sure, people fall in and out of love within its pages, but this book is really about understanding oneself amid a lifetime of memories and secrets...the risks we take not only when we cheat ourselves, but when we find ourselves, too. I read this for the fir...more
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Read in January, 2008
This was a pleasant, "chick lit" kind of read and I can't, for the life of me," figure out why the community where I live chose it as a community read. The most I got out of this tale is a desire to visit Arizona. It's a nice story and I liked the central character and her boyfriend, but I fail to see any deep meanings which would resonate with the whole Midwestern county where I live. There's an environmental subplot that is amusingly and deftly handled, but it's not central to t...more
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This is the Kalamazoo Public Library's Reading Together 2008 book, and I would highly recommend it. It deals with family issues, Alzheimer's, environmental issues, political issues (specifically Nicaragua in the 1980's), and Native American issues, yet it is not an "issue book." It is a captivating story of a 30-something woman who returns to her small hometown and struggles with opening herself up to life. That may make it sound sappy, but it's not, because Cosima, our protagonist ...more
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This is my favorite Kingsolver novel, and I've re-read it several times, not because it's the best "literature" but because I loved several the characters and some of the imagery... I even named my cat after the main character's sister. Sort of. Anyway, it's readable in a day or two; it's a little preachy and the plot is contrived, but of great sentimental value to me. And the scene of Cody's aging father developing black and white photographs meant to resemble completely unrelated...more
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Read in July, 2007
This is a pretty good novel from the author of The Poisonwood Bible. It has some really beautiful writing, and quirky characters, but it a little bit slow moving. A lot on sisterhood, the American southwest, nature, changing and growing. The narrator (Codi) isn't as much of a risk-taker as her sister Hallie (just off to Nicaragua), but still has some interesting changes and issues to work out. Not too serious, there are definitely subtly humorous and light-hearted thoughts and scenes in this...more
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Read in February, 2008
Fabulous book! Loved the relationship of the sisters in this book. Made me want to snatch my sister up and keep her in my pocket.
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Read in November, 2008
Animal Dreams
Yet another Kingsolver masterpiece. Had I discovered this novel first (instead of Prodigal Summer), it may have been my favorite. The landscape is scenic in a tangible way; the characters are familiar yet intriguing; and the internal conflicts mesh with the external in a fluid way that makes the story come full circle and yet flow outward, into both the future and the past.
One thing I have noticed from having read all of Kingsolver’s work, now, is that she takes a kee...more
Yet another Kingsolver masterpiece. Had I discovered this novel first (instead of Prodigal Summer), it may have been my favorite. The landscape is scenic in a tangible way; the characters are familiar yet intriguing; and the internal conflicts mesh with the external in a fluid way that makes the story come full circle and yet flow outward, into both the future and the past.
One thing I have noticed from having read all of Kingsolver’s work, now, is that she takes a kee...more
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Read in September, 2008
This book started out unspectacular. By the time I got to the end, I had been shaken to my bones several times by the honesty and truth of what I was reading.
Favorite quotes:
"The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof."
"Awareness is everything. Hallie once pointed out to me that people worry a lot more about the eternity ...more
Favorite quotes:
"The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof."
"Awareness is everything. Hallie once pointed out to me that people worry a lot more about the eternity ...more
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Read in September, 2008
This is a lively book that packs in quite a few valuable observations about the nature of things. I particularly enjoyed the dialogue, which was very cleverly crafted and made me fond of all the characters because they said such wonderful things. For the most part, the characters were more realistically painted than those in other novels, and they reminded me of people who already exist and therefore I felt more compelled to care about their lives, especially Codi.
That said, this otherwise s...more
That said, this otherwise s...more
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Read in September, 2008
I have to use this book in the class I'm teaching in the fall. I didn't want to teach this book, but I wasn't given a choice. I dreaded it; I've always though that Barbara Kingsolver wrote glorified chick lit, though I admit, I have never read The Poisonwood Bible, which is supposedly a masterpiece of some sort. However, Animal Dreams is not only not a masterp...more
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Read in June, 2008
I've only just started this book (I'm midway through chapter 3), but I can already say I LOVE it. The last book I read was annoyingly light and coming from that to read Ms. Kingsolver's amazing prose has been like drinking that first glass of cool water when you are thirsty. I've never read any of her other books, but I picked this one up b/c I saw an interesting interview with her on PBS. So glad I did! The characters feel like real people in an equally real world. Her descriptions and analogie...more
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Read in September, 2007
I loved this book. Kingslover manages to write redemption stories that are both gentle and poignant. Probably my favorite theme in stories is the ever elusive journey home. She does this brilliantly. some Quotes, both from letters from Hallie to her sister Codi:
"What keeps you going isn't some find destination but just the road you're on, and the fact that you know how to drive. You keep your eyes open, you see this damned-to-hell world you got born into, and you ask yourself, 'What li...more
"What keeps you going isn't some find destination but just the road you're on, and the fact that you know how to drive. You keep your eyes open, you see this damned-to-hell world you got born into, and you ask yourself, 'What li...more
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Read in December, 2008
This is the story of a woman who goes home for the first time in many years. She has stayed away from home because she has too many sorrows that are packed up and kept there.
She and her younger sister were raised by their doctor father, who was never abusive, but raised them with strange rules and with little affection. As a result they were never part of the town, the school, or a real family. What they had was each other.
Both sisters are well educated, but one makes the most o...more
She and her younger sister were raised by their doctor father, who was never abusive, but raised them with strange rules and with little affection. As a result they were never part of the town, the school, or a real family. What they had was each other.
Both sisters are well educated, but one makes the most o...more
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Read in August, 2008
so I'm trying out this author again... more skeptical this time.. but it's not lookin good for me and Barbara.
half way through and I think everyone I know should read this book, it's so great!
this book came my ways at a very relevant time and it is among my most favorites now. I loved the story, it sucked me in. I was reminded of The Master Butcher's Singing Club because of the feel of the town. Also because the main character, a woman that returns to the small town where she grew up to ...more
half way through and I think everyone I know should read this book, it's so great!
this book came my ways at a very relevant time and it is among my most favorites now. I loved the story, it sucked me in. I was reminded of The Master Butcher's Singing Club because of the feel of the town. Also because the main character, a woman that returns to the small town where she grew up to ...more
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Read in July, 2008
Such a beautiful story! I think Barbara Kingsolver creates such a sense of place in her writing. Some of my favorite passages: "What keeps you going isn't some fine destination but just the road you're on, and the fact that you know how to drive. You keep your eyes open, you see this damned-to-hell world you got born into, and you ask yourself, 'What life can I live that will let me breathe in & out and love somebody or something and not run off screaming into the woods?'" (p. ...more
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