Another book with lots of hype that I was extremely excited to read.

The Poisonwood Bible is about a family of the church who move to Africa to mission and try to build a church. With four girls to take care of, the parents find themselves in dire circumstances over and over again. The mother wants desperately to take her children away, while her husband won’t leave the people to sin and die.

While it was a very interesting to see the evolution of the characters and the different female perspectives, I was not as impressed with the story in the end as I had hoped. The diversity of characters, their points of view, growth and separate lives were intriguing and that was probably my most favorite part more than anything else.

It was also interesting reading the story through only the eyes of the female characters and not from any males. Overall I was glad I read the story, but it didn’t seem as great as it was made out to be.

Another of my favorite books of all time is The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. I was first introduced to her my junior year of high school when reading her other novel The Bean Trees. I enjoyed the book and wanted to explore more of her work when I discovered The Poisonwood Bible. This novel about the hardships of missionary life in the Congo is not my usual kind of book. I tend to stay away from novels that contain politics or matters of religion, but this book is a different story.

Written from the different perspectives of each family member, Kingsolver's novel illuminates the extreme difficulty of living in an unfamiliar land and delivering a message to a people who have no interest in listening. It shows how each character is changed by this profound experience and the power of conflict and politics on people. Issues of religious differences, physical responses to living in the jungle, and political upheaval create much discord in the novel.

This is another beautifully written novel that actually somewhat changed my outlook on life. I didn't know much about the world in high school, but this novel began my interest in the world around me, my thoughts on government and politics, and how we should deal with other cultures (whether to interfere in their issues or leave them alone--the anthropologist in me says leave them alone!!). I ended up doing a lot of research on the conflict in the Congo region and writing a paper for the National Peace Essay Contest.

Some of my favorite quotes from this book:
"This forest eats itself and lives forever."
"We can only speak of the things we carried with us, and the things we took away."
"When I finish reading a book from front to back, I read it back to front. It is a different book, back to front, and you can learn new things from it. It from things new learn can you and front to back book different is it?"

And after all of the harsh realities and devastation in this book, I somehow want to go to Africa more than ever. ( )

Wow. I just finished reading this, and need to mull it over a bit.

I'm only scratching the surface here, but it is at the outset the story of a missionary family in the Congo as told through the mother and four daughters.

It was fascinating how the girls ultimately turned out. And I was thrilled the mother finally (FINALLY) found the determination to leave her abusive and somewhat insane husband.

I wish I could review as richly as this story is told; my words don't do it justice. If you are interested in the recent history of Africa, READ THIS. ( )

This book was recommended to me many years ago by a beloved English professor, Dr. Ottilie Stafford. Through the years, I have dabbled with it and put it down. It's a long read, but once I fully embraced the read, I began to enjoy the journey. Don't read this book if you are looking for a soft, sweet look at the missionary experience. This book shows a harder reality, with a Pastor who lacks compassion for his wife, daughters, and congregation.. If you are looking for a book that will challenge your thinking and demand examination of issues AND if you are committed to a long read, pick it up. You will find some beautiful language and an opportunity to broaden your world view. ( )

One of my all-time favorites. ( )