Rating: 3.3.3 - This is a rough estimate on the rating because I haven't read it for a while. It's also probably an overestimate as it may be more like 2.2.2 but I don't want anyone who picks it up to be surprised if I'm not remembering well enough. I think it would be PG-13 if it were a movie.
Recommended audience: Mature teens to adult
Category: Historical with some romance
5 Stars
This story begins in 1959 when a minister takes his wife and four daughters to the Belgian Congo where, in his view, he plans to save the heathens and savages from themselves. The story is told in first person accounts by each of the daughters and their mother. This book is beautifully written. I was so impressed by Barbara Kingsolver's abilities as a writer. I know some people have had a hard time getting into this book but I think it is totally worth the effort. Warning: This is not a cheery book. Read it for the beauty of the writing, the knowledge about African history you will learn, and perhaps a new appreciation of other cultures, customs and traditions that you may not have ever thought about.
4 comments:
I concur with this review.
(By the way, as your BCS-Book Club Sister- I would like to suggest that you add a hit counter to your blog... They are free at sitemeter.com and they keep daily averages and tell you where the hits are coming from,etc. Really cool.)
Thanks, Julie. I did actually put one on yesterday. It's at the bottom of the page. Maybe I should move it to the top. It's kind of depressing though when there are only 2 hits. But thank you for those 2 hits. :)
I just noticed this link on your sidebar. This is one of my top 5 favorite books of all time! I've read a few others by her, but none are quite as good as this one, and at least one of the others has more sexual content than I was looking for. I think it was Prodigal Summer, and I stopped reading it 1/3 of the way through.
I absolutely LOVE this book. It is one of the best books I've read in a while. Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors. She has also written a few other great books that I have read and highly recommend. "The Bean Trees" is another big favorite as well as "Animal Dreams" and then there was a sequal to the bean trees but I can't remember what it was called.
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