The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it—from garden seeds to Scripture—is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one … epic of one family’s tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.
The novel is set against one of the most dramatic political chronicles of the twentieth century: the Congo’s fight for independence from Belgium, the murder of its first elected prime minister, the CIA coup to install his replacement, and the insidious progress of a world economic order that robs the fledgling African nation of its autonomy. Against this backdrop, Orleanna Price reconstructs the story of her evangelist husband’s part in the Western assault on Africa, a tale indelibly darkened by her own losses and unanswerable questions about her own culpability. Also narrating the story, by turns, are her four daughters—the self-centered, teenaged Rachel; shrewd adolescent twins Leah and Adah; and Ruth May, a prescient five-year-old. These sharply observant girls, who arrive in the Congo with racial preconceptions forged in 1950s Georgia, will be marked in surprisingly different ways by their father’s intractable mission, and by Africa itself. Ultimately each must strike her own separate path to salvation. Their passionately intertwined stories become a compelling exploration of moral risk and personal responsibility.
Dancing between the dark comedy of human failings and the breathtaking possibilities of human hope, The Poisonwood Bible possesses all that has distinguished Barbara Kingsolver’s previous work, and extends this beloved writer’s vision to an entirely new level. Taking its place alongside the classic works of postcolonial literature, this ambitious novel establishes Kingsolver as one of the most thoughtful and daring of modern writers.
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This may be Kingsolver’s greatest book although I love them all. It is often funny but also very thought provoking. Great book club book as it leaves you thinking long after you’ve read it.
I had read this book when it first came out and really liked it. Saw it at a discount and decided to re read.
Glad I did because I had forgotten many details. Good storyline with interesting characters. Worth reading.
Loved this book. It is well written about characters that you care about.
One of the best books i’ve read. And I have read thousands. It would be on my list of top one hundred books.
Masterfully written, possible the best novel of the 21st century! Definitely Kingsolver’s best!
Love this book! The characters are well developed, and I could easily picture the villages and village life. The switching each chapter between the women would have normally bothered me, but each character was so interesting that I loved “hearing” each person’s stories. (I originally bought this book at a used book store, but liked it so much I …
Read a few years ago. A book that you will not want to put down.
About this family’s lives in the Congo, how the grow and survive.
I want to read again.
One of my all time favorites. It is a great look into a family of missionaries and their life in Africa. Would highly recommend it.
A gripping account of well meaning but ill prepared missionary family dropped in the Congo in the 60’s. A story and drama of religion, race, family, and relationships told in beautiful and descriptive language. I couldn’t put the book down. I’ve already recommended this book to my friends.
The books is a unique blend of a great story paired with a bit of a history lesson. Wonderful.
Just a fantastic book. I have been told that the audio book is great because you hear the pronunciation of the African words, adding to the enjoyment of the book.
Kinsolver is able to write in the voices of the women in the book… just a fabulous book… I actually may re-read it.. something I rarely do….
This is a book that will stay with you for a long time. Everything about it is wonderful, the characters, the plot, the story.
I have read this book at least 3 times over the years. Barbara Kingsolver is one of a kind!
Very thought provoking.
The Poisonwood Bible is the most authentic and brilliant of Kingsolver’s books to my mind, probably because I suspect some of it is tied to real events in Kingsolver’s own early life. Ambitious in its scope and depth, with deeply drawn characters who maintain their unique and consistent voice and personalities, the story is is deeply personal, …
I will never forget this book! I’ve never read anything like it and I don’t think I ever will again. The voices of this missionary family in the Congo is so real you forget that you are not there with them. Through their stories you feel almost every emotion humans are capable of and more. This book is just the BEST!
Everything Barbara Kingsolver writes is poetically magical.
Stupid, Horrible characters. Hated the book and everyone in it. It was loaned to me by a work friend about 10 years ago and for the life of me, I don’t know how I managed to finish it.
Loved loved loved every chapter
One of the best books I have ever read!