The Poisonwood Bible
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.72 (567 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 159355950X |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 384 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-06-10 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
They carry with them all they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of itfrom garden seeds to Scriptureis calamitously transformed on African soil.This tale of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction, over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa, is set against history's most dramatic political parables.The Poisonwood Bible dances between the darkly comic human failings and inspiring poetic justices of our times. 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. In a compelling exploration of religion, conscience, imperialist arrogance, and the many paths to redemption, Barbara Kingsolver has brought forth her most ambitious work ever.
A terrible story, told beautifully. Whew! A terrible story, told beautifully. I struggled to start this book (I knew I wouldn't like the Reverend, I knew something horrible was going to happenmany, many horrible things, in fact), but once I began I couldn't stop. The best part for me was how the narrators changed - all the women in the story had a voice, and each was so deliciously different, I kept dipping my hand into the jar again to see what the next flavor of jelly bean would be like.An added benefit is that I thought the story was over, only to discover I was in fact only 60% don. Beautiful imagery Melanie D. Typaldos This is a beautifully written book with inspired prose and deep insights. It looks at Africa and Africans with open eyes and a sensitivity to their heritage and culture. It also examines the role of missionaries in Africa, some of whom are good and some terrible. It is not a book for the deeply religious who cannot stand to see their own beliefs challenged or to acknowledge that there are other belief systems out there that are held just as dearly by their followers.I would like to site some of my favorite passages.I could never work out whether we w. Hard to Put Down Carol This book started slow for me, but it soon began to capture my attention. The characters are well developed and very complex. The story is engrossingthe struggles of a white mission family in the Belgian Congo in the 1950's. It is told alternately by the wife and daughters of an pious but abusive husband and father. It follows the characters over several years and describes the impact that time in the Congo had on their lives as some return to the US and others remain in Africa through the rebellion and beyond.
Oprah Book Club® Selection, June 2000: As any reader of The Mosquito Coast knows, men who drag their families to far-off climes in pursuit of an Idea seldom come to any good, while those familiar with At Play in the Fields of the Lord or Kalimantaan understand that the minute a missionary sets foot on the fictional stage, all hell is about to break loose. And in her treatment of Africa and the Africans she is at her best, exhibiting the acute perception, moral engagement, and lyrical prose that have made her previous novels so successful. The Poisonwood Bible is arguably Barbara Kingsolver's most ambitious work, and it reveals both her great strengths and her weaknesses. From that point on, the family is dispersed and the novel follows each member's fortune across a span of more than 30 years. The first part of The Poisonwood Bible revolves around Nathan's intransigent, bullying personality and his effect on both his fami