by Barbara Kingsolver
So maybe I should've debated long and hard about what book to review first. I didn't. Funnily enough, this isn't even representative of most of my reading choices. Maybe it's time to change that, because The Poisonwood Bible is a wonderful book.
The story takes place largely in the Congo, starting in 1959, and covers a span of about 30 years. It tells the story of a missionary family: Georgia housewife Orleanna Price and her four girls Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May, led by their fiercely obsessive preacher father, who leave their small town of Bethlehem, Georgia for the perilous beauty and hardship of the Congolese jungle. There the unyielding Nathan Price strives to bring a village full of poor Africans unto God's light, but at some cost to his family. With alternate undertones of adventure and regret, the five women take it in turns to tell their story of blunders and tragedy. For me, the five different narrative voices made the book compelling because it developed all the main characters--and their very different personalities--extremely well. Though the main focus of the book is the story of the Price family, the fascinating history of the Congo is also neatly incorporated. Against a backdrop of jungle isolation and, further out, political unrest, the Prices come to understand their African neighbors, cope with family tragedy, and reshape lives that can never be the same.
For: adults and teens
Genre: historical fiction
Content rating: 4/5 Mention is made of some sexual affairs but not explicitly in any way. There is also occasional profanity.
My enjoyment: 5/5
So maybe I should've debated long and hard about what book to review first. I didn't. Funnily enough, this isn't even representative of most of my reading choices. Maybe it's time to change that, because The Poisonwood Bible is a wonderful book.
The story takes place largely in the Congo, starting in 1959, and covers a span of about 30 years. It tells the story of a missionary family: Georgia housewife Orleanna Price and her four girls Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May, led by their fiercely obsessive preacher father, who leave their small town of Bethlehem, Georgia for the perilous beauty and hardship of the Congolese jungle. There the unyielding Nathan Price strives to bring a village full of poor Africans unto God's light, but at some cost to his family. With alternate undertones of adventure and regret, the five women take it in turns to tell their story of blunders and tragedy. For me, the five different narrative voices made the book compelling because it developed all the main characters--and their very different personalities--extremely well. Though the main focus of the book is the story of the Price family, the fascinating history of the Congo is also neatly incorporated. Against a backdrop of jungle isolation and, further out, political unrest, the Prices come to understand their African neighbors, cope with family tragedy, and reshape lives that can never be the same.
For: adults and teens
Genre: historical fiction
Content rating: 4/5 Mention is made of some sexual affairs but not explicitly in any way. There is also occasional profanity.
My enjoyment: 5/5
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