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The Poisonwood Bible

By Barbara Kingsolver

(85)

| Paperback | 9780571201754

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Book Description

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 aboContinue

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. So when Barbara Kingsolver sends missionary Nathan Price along with his wife and four daughters off to Africa in The Poisonwood Bible, you can be sure that salvation is the one thing they're not likely to find. The year is 1959 and the place is the Belgian Congo. Nathan, a Baptist preacher, has come to spread the Word in a remote village reachable only by airplane. To say that he and his family are woefully unprepared would be an understatement: "We came from Bethlehem, Georgia, bearing Betty Crocker cake mixes into the jungle," says Leah, one of Nathan's four daughters. But of course it isn't long before they discover that the tremendous humidity has rendered the mixes unusable, their clothes are unsuitable and they've arrived in the middle of political upheaval as the Congolese seek to wrest independence from Belgium. In addition to poisonous snakes, dangerous animals, and the hostility of the villagers to Nathan's fiery take-no-prisoners brand of Christianity, there are also rebels in the jungle and the threat of war in the air. Could things get any worse?

In fact they can and they do. The first part of The Poisonwood Bible revolves around Nathan's intransigent, bullying personality and his effect on both his family and on the village they have come to. As political instability grows in the Congo, so does the local witch doctor's animus toward the Prices, and both seem to converge with tragic consequences about halfway through the novel. From that point on, the family is dispersed and the novel follows each member's fortunes across a span of more than 30 years.

The Poisonwood Bible is arguably Barbara Kingsolver's most ambitious work, and it reveals both her great strengths and her weaknesses. As Nathan Price's wife and four daughters tell their story in alternating chapters, Kingsolver does a good job of differentiating the voices. But at times they can grate--teenaged Rachel's tendency towards precious malapropisms is particularly annoying (students practice their "French congregations"; Nathan's refusal to take his family home is a "tapestry of justice"). More problematic is Kingsolver's tendency to wear her politics on her sleeve; this is particularly evident in the second half of the novel, in which she uses her characters as mouthpieces to explicate the complicated and tragic history of the Belgian Congo.

Despite these weaknesses, Kingsolver's fully realised, three-dimensional characters make The Poisonwood Bible compelling, especially in the first half when Nathan Price is still at the centre of the action. And in her treatment of Africa and the Africans she is at her best, exhibiting the acute perception, moral engagement and lyrical prose that has made her previous novels so successful.

Critics

  • The Poisonwood Bible

    This is a brilliant novel. It is intense, powerful and complex and deeply affecting. It is also very disturbing. I found watching the characters painful progress, waiting for the inevitable and hoping that they would somehow survive did not make for ... (read full critics)

    bookgroup published on Mon, 13 Sep 2010

  • The Poisonwood Bible By Barbara Kingsolver

    Barbara Kingsolver was a little girl of seven when she and her family left their Kentucky home to spend two years in the Congo. When she returned, the world looked totally different to her. "I understood the way we lived in my little corner of Kentuc ... (read full critics)

    bookpage published on Sun, 12 Sep 2010

13 Reviews

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  • 2 people find this helpful

    Received this as a gift, the tag 'recommended by Oprah' first made me want to put it on the shelf and forget it. Congo, missionary life, not really subjects I would seek out by myself. But this book truly fascinated me, and I learned a lot. Was especially taken in by little Ada.

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    Sengaia said on Apr 27, 2009 | Add your feedback

  • 1 person find this helpful

    What I like about Barbara Kingsolver's books is her writing and storytelling. Her descriptive narrative flows and she delves into her characters and their settings. Not only do you learn the family history but also the history of the country where the book is set . I found the subject quite diffi ... (continue)

    What I like about Barbara Kingsolver's books is her writing and storytelling. Her descriptive narrative flows and she delves into her characters and their settings. Not only do you learn the family history but also the history of the country where the book is set . I found the subject quite difficult as I find stories concerning devout religion where it ends in family hardship quite distressing to read. Nathan Price for all his devout, Baptist evangelism does not live his life as a true Christian. He is extremely hard on his family, believes his word is the word of God and does not listen. Therefore he leads his family into difficulties, danger and poverty without a thought. Orleanna, the mother has a tough time learning the ways of the Congolese, bringing up her daughters, trying to keep them from danger while her husband goes out preaching and comes home expecting to be waited on hand and foot.
    We are given to understand that Nathan has changed on his return from the war and perhaps it is the fact he has seen and lived through terrible things that makes him so devout.

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    Booketta said on Apr 10, 2011 | Add your feedback

  • 1960. A white family of 6 moves from the state of Georgia USA to Congo for the greatness of God.

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    jelabino said on Jul 31, 2011 | Add your feedback

  • Wow

    One of the most profound novels I have ever read. I could not put it down. Beautifully written. I read this book 6-7 years ago and have yet to find a book nearly as good.

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    Nicole said on Dec 9, 2008 | Add your feedback

  • Very good book, though I lost interest in the last 1/3rd or so. The first chunk of it was very interesting.

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    Deanna Kyre said on Sep 18, 2008 | Add your feedback

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