The Poisonwood Bible in Crazy Challenge Connection

Jul 19, 2009 Gaijinmama rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, bees

This is an amazing story. Fiction with a bibliography, what's not to love! A Southern preacher with a major Messiah-complex drags his family to Africa in the late 1950's. His 4 daughters and their mother tell their story, and the sections each one narrates are told in her unique "voice" . I always admire how a gifted writer can speak in a completely different way for different characters, similar to the way a talented actor is completely different in each role. I also love that this book focuses ...more

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Oct 17, 2008 Book Concierge rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: africa, own, book-club, nature, religion, culture, literary-fiction, concierge, strong-women, women-writers

A very different book from her previous works. Here she mines her own childhood for material. A Baptist missionary takes his family (including a disabled child) to the Congo with some predictable (and some NOT so predictable) results. A VERY good book and great book club discussion.

Second read: June 10, 2001 for my second book club
We discussed family dynamics, representations of the "ideal" African, choices made in desperation

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May 22, 2008 Sue rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: late-20th-century

The story is told in different voices and I liked how the mother and each daughter had their own personality and way of speaking and thinking. Rachel was especially fun with her malapropisms, and Adah was fascinating. The story was sad and hopeful at the same time, and the biblical references and symbolism were creative and interesting. The author definitely showed the clash of cultures between the American missionary family and their African hosts. It was interesting to see how each adapted or ...more

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