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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One of the few books that made me cry. It is one of the most memorable of Kingsolver’s books
Too real it stayed with me not in a good way
I read this book some years ago so I don’t remember everything about it. One naturally expects culture clash when white Christian missionaries arrive in the Congo and there certainly is that. Besides that, the family relationships are interesting and some of what they encounter are surprising to both the reader and the family.
One of my all time favorite books. I know a number of children of Evangelicals who grew up in Africa and somehow Barbara Kingsolver captured the insanity of the parents. Consequently, in a dark way, I found the book to be hilarious, albeit chilling at the same time. I loved the book so much that I have reread it a couple of times with no …
Powerful story about people in unfamiliar lands. Introspective!
I read this because the book had been recommended to me.
But I still do not know why????
I did not enjoy it, I found it boring.
Nothing appealing about it
I read it a second time to see if I had missed anything
Most authors write a story, but some paint an indepth image spread over hundreds of pages. Kingslover painted a true masterpiece with this book, however you will need to be patient and allow the image to take shape in its time. Definetly recommend!!!
A masterful book; one of my all time favorites!
It got very dry at times.
One of the best ever
Like all Kinsolver’s work, it is an amazing book.
I have liked and learned from every book of Kingsolver I’ve read ( I’ve read them all).
I did enjoy this book as it was beautifully written. The beginning was slow and at times I felt I was literally slogging through deep snow. The last half of the book was much better and I felt I was finally learning about the characters. It was very informative and I came away with a better understanding of what was going on in the Congo.
Everything she writes is wonderful
This was well written. I loved the underlying lessons and style of writing
This book started me on reading Kingsolver.
Best book, everyone should read this!
Unique and original in the format and story. This is not my usual genre, but it was good to reach beyond the norm
Probably my favorite book of all time.
Would not choose to read this book for a second time as I often do with books I enjoy. While I found the first 25% of the book absorbing, it was downhill from there for me. The author, as the story wound on, pontificated about her own political views to the detriment of the story. The story line became heavy to the point of being burdensome, …
The first half is okay. The second half though…… no freaking thank you