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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Did not enjoy.
I read this many years ago, but I’ll always remember it because it matched what my father used to say about missionaries who go into cultures where interfering is not in the best interest of the people.
Powerful and haunting story about the dangers of imperialistic thinking.
It’s been ages, but unforgettable. I haver recommended it which says a great deal.
Excellent analytical shocking
Barbara Kingsolver became one of my favorite authors when I heard her interviewed on “Fresh Air” as I was listening to NPR in my car. I couldn’t wait to get to a bookstore and buy her books, all of which I have loved.
Barbara Kingsolver is an excellent writer and I love her books. I read this a while ago and I don’t remember what caught me the most, only that I loved it. Well written.
I know this was one of Kingsolver’s highest rated books, but I really liked her earlier books better.
One of the great books of our time by a master storyteller.
I finished this book in tears, for it was my story, too. My hellfire and brimstone Baptist preacher father did not take his family to Africa, but to a mission in the wild west of pre-World War II America. I grew up experiencing my own brand of poisonous snakes, river baptisms, strange foods and family tragedy. I am thankful that Ms. Kingsolver’s …
Memorable and engaging.
Barbara Kingsolver’s greatest book. Every character speaks with SUCH a distinctive voice. This is a book like no other. Don’t miss it.
Great book!!
Barbara Kingsolver’s books are fascinating from start to finish. She takes you all over the world with people of all sorts, mostly female and wholly developed, no “cardboard cutout” heroines or any of that. The emphasis isn’t just on the characters but also on the way they relate to each other and their circumstances … and the tension is …
A Great American Novel. This is beautifully written with unforgettable characters, but it’s so much more. It should be required reading for anyone who lives in America or Europe and bitches that he or she is “broke” because he/she can’t afford a new car or HBO.
I have read and enjoyed most of Barbra Kingsolver’s books but continue to think that this is her best!
liked it
I loved this book, the characters get into your head. It stays with you will be read more than once
I read this book on my first trip away from my baby as I flew overseas to a family wedding. I cried the entire trip across the ocean. The novel is engrossing, dark, and tragic. Make sure you are emotionally in a place where you can handle the material.
I really liked it.