From the Bookshelf of 2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge…

The Poisonwood Bible

Barbara Kingsolver

Start date: September 1, 2024

Finish date: September 30, 2024

Discussion: November 2025 Buddy Reads

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What Members Thought

Jun 17, 2012 ╟ ♫ Tima ♪ ╣ ♥ rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2012, 4-stars, genre-historical-fiction

Basic Summary: The book is awesome, go read it.

What I love about Kingsolver's writing is that you cannot hear her voice in it. She puts life into the characters so much so that you wouldn't be surprised if someone told you it was not fiction, but an autobiography. Realistic, powerful fiction is definitely her forte.

Keeping with her style, each chapter is written from the point of view of one of the 5 Price women. This has been my favorite representation of this POV, so far. It was done so flawl Basic Summary: The book is awesome, go read it.

What I love about Kingsolver's writing is that you cannot hear her voice in it. She puts life into the characters so much so that you wouldn't be surprised if someone told you it was not fiction, but an autobiography. Realistic, powerful fiction is definitely her forte.

Keeping with her style, each chapter is written from the point of view of one of the 5 Price women. This has been my favorite representation of this POV, so far. It was done so flawlessly.

I have read a few other reviews that say the author has "an agenda" that she "doesn't mind slapping in our faces". To that, I say: pish, posh. Untwist your panties and relax a little. They were all American reviewers flitting on about how she was attacking America and bending the truths quite absurdly. Apparently, they forgot to read the parts were Belgium, France, Portugal (especially Portugal), etc were also called out for their parts. Oh yea..and the part about how this is a work of fiction. (I attribute the misunderstanding to Kingsolver's incredible ability to build real worlds out her text). The novel takes place largely in Africa, through the eyes of girls who were practically raised there - through the words of villagers who live there, etc. So, I don't find the Big Bad First World Country portions to be out-of-place in the slightest. If it were written in any other way, it would seem trivial.

Another praise for the author would be that she does not over-write her characters or their intelligence. She does not ever say, "this character is not smart, unlearned, naive" she shows it to you via the character's narratives and if you weren't paying attention, you'd miss the genius in it all together.

For example, the eldest Price daughter [Rachel] is not so great with words [much unlike her middle sisters] and frequently uses the wrong words during her POV chapters. 'Anomalous' for 'Anonymous', 'philanderist' for 'philanthropist', 'monotony' for 'monogamy', etc.
The youngest daughter, Ruth May [5 at the time the story begins] goes on about over-hearing talk about girls needing to have "circus missions" and how she wanted one. When in reality, it was forced circumcision.

Adah, another daughter [deformed twin] speaks largely in palindromes. Which gets really tiresome after awhile. Her character was the only one I thought was constantly changing in a not-great way.

All in all, I loved this book. I really loved how it ended. Not abruptly, but gradually. Covering 40+ years in its path.

I had a few favorite quotes to add to this, but the review got so long I decided against it.

...more

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Sep 04, 2013 Amanda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book was a solid five-star, up until the last 150 pages or so. At that point, it got far less about the stories of the family and far more of a political treatise. I confess, I skimmed a lot of the ending, simply because I was reading the book for the story, not the politics. Over, though, a great book.

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Dec 28, 2012 Sofia rated it really liked it

Kingsolver always tells a good story and she doesn't disappoint with Poisonwood Bible. The characters are well developed and the storyline over 3 decades keeps you well interested. Personally, I wasn't that excited about the premise, but I ended up not wanting to put the book down. ...more

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