The Bean Trees is bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver’s first novel, now widely regarded as a modern classic. It is the charming, engrossing tale of rural Kentucky native Taylor Greer, who only wants to get away from her roots and avoid getting pregnant. She succeeds, but inherits a 3-year-old native-American little girl named Turtle along the way, and together, from Oklahoma to Tucson, … Tucson, Arizona, half-Cherokee Taylor and her charge search for a new life in the West.
Written with humor and pathos, this highly praised novel focuses on love and friendship, abandonment and belonging as Taylor, out of money and seemingly out of options, settles in dusty Tucson and begins working at Jesus Is Lord Used Tires while trying to make a life for herself and Turtle.
The author of such bestsellers as The Lacuna, The Poisonwood Bible, and Flight Behavior, Barbara Kingsolver has been hailed for her striking imagery and clear dialogue, and this is the novel that kicked off her remarkable literary career.
This edition includes a P.S. section with additional insights from the author, background material, suggestions for further reading, and more.
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Barbara Kingsolver is a master story-teller, her characters are so human. I read and re-read all her books and am looking forward to reading Pigs in Heaven, the follow-up to this.
Thought provoking.
I have recommended it to my friends!
The characters are so real and original, never read a story quite like it. The situations were unique and unusual. I loved how Turtle evolved into a somewhat normal child. Can’t wait to read the continuation of her life.
TOO liberal for me.
I read this years ago and remembered liking it a lot so I decided to read it again. I enjoyed it every bit as much the second time. Kingsolver is so readable.
A Kentucky girl with a single mom, leaves home in a barely functioning VW, headed west. In Oklahoma a problem with the VW releaves her of a good amount of her money to fix and at a beer joint where she gets a hamburger she is given a child wrapped in a blanket! She names the little girl Turtle because she grasps like a mud turtle. Ending up in …
I recently re-read Barbara Kingsolver’s first novel, The Bean Trees. A sweet story with some serious themes and some great language about the Tucson landscape. Definitely worth a read.
I gave this a 4 instead of a 5 because I didn’t think it was particularly well written. It’s a unique story, although not too plausible.
Beautifully written. Complex characters add depth to this unpredictable stiory. I recommend it highly.
Barbara Kingsolver makes her characters come alive; they are three-dimensional. You can feel their emotions. Her vocabulary is rich and her voice is unique. Try Poisonwood Bible. It is truly excellent, also.
Great
This was the first Barbara Kingsolver book I ever read – the beginning of a fabulous journey! She is one of my favorite authors and I am thrilled to read it a second time
I could not put this book down. I loved each and every character.
This was a book about character. The relationships between these characters.
LOVE LOVE
Anything by Barbara Kingsolver is worth reading.
Loved it and all her books.
Didn’t make it through chapter 1. Not my style.
I can see why Ms. Kingsolver is so popular. This is my first experience and her first novel. The characters are wonderful and make you want to get to know them further and care what happens to them. Delightful summer read.
Love all her books.
This book was a little preachy with respect to immigration but I loved the heroines voice and plucky attitude. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! It was cheerful and entertaining but still worlds above the typical vacuous “beach read”