Friday, July 26, 2013

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

From the Timely and Timeless book discussion group on July 23, 2013.

The conversation yesterday about The Poisonwood Bible was lively and engaging. We discussed the five females at the heart of the book and the effect that their father/husband played in dramatically affecting their life choices. While it was unanimous that he had his own set of challenges, he was the villain of the story. The four daughters were influenced by the experience of living in the jungles of the Congo and went on such diverse paths as the story progressed. There was a lot of irony in each of their lives. Adah, our most liked character "turned things around" on several levels. Rachel was able to exploit her own uniqueness, Leah seems to have connected most dramatically with the world she was thrust into. And Ruth May left it all in the jungle where they lived. Orleanna's choices throughout the book were questioned by our group. Being raised with the traditions of the deep south in the 1940's and 1950's, stepping off of the small plane into such an intensely intimidating environment certainly altered her world and how she would have to manage navigating her family through the experience. We felt varying levels of sympathy for the choices she made and how successful she was as a mother.
 
But in the end, the book was a vividly written work of art. Barbara Kingsolver's writing style is fresh with imagination and beautiful use of her writer's tools. Each character had a distinct voice. It was not hard to see mental pictures of the characters and their environment down to their every detail.  
 
While this book won't suit everyone's taste in subject matter, it is enormously interesting as a piece of literature. Appreciating that Barbara Kingsolver was writing in part from her own experiences of living in Africa, the novel felt authentic. Our group average rating for this book was 3.8 out of 5.  

Coming Up:

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake - at Los Tequilas at Noon
Copies of the book are available at the Peabody Public Library Circulation desk.  

"Those who carry the truth sometimes bear a terrible burden...

Filled with stunning parallels to today's world, The Postmistress is a sweeping novel about the loss of innocence of two extraordinary women-and of two countries torn apart by war.

On the eve of the United States's entrance into World War II in 1940, Iris James, the postmistress of Franklin, a small town on Cape Cod, does the unthinkable: She doesn't deliver a letter.

In London, American radio gal Frankie Bard is working with Edward R. Murrow, reporting on the Blitz. One night in a bomb shelter, she meets a doctor from Cape Cod with a letter in his pocket, a letter Frankie vows to deliver when she returns from Germany and France, where she is to record the stories of war refugees desperately trying to escape."
My best to you.
 
--Susan