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The Poisonwood Bible

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The Poisonwood Bible

By: Barbara Kingsolver
Narrated by: Dean Robertson
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About this listen

“A powerful new epic... [Kingsolver] has with infinitely steady hands worked the prickly threads of religion, politics, race, sin and redemption into a thing of terrible beauty.” - Los Angeles Times Book Review

The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it - from garden seeds to Scripture - is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family’s tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.

The novel is set against one of the most dramatic political chronicles of the twentieth century: the Congo's fight for independence from Belgium, the murder of its first elected prime minister, the CIA coup to install his replacement, and the insidious progress of a world economic order that robs the fledgling African nation of its autonomy. Taking its place alongside the classic works of postcolonial literature, this ambitious novel establishes Kingsolver as one of the most thoughtful and daring of modern writers.

©1998 by Barbara Kingsolver. (P)1998 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Emotionally Gripping Tear-jerking

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Critic reviews

"Haunting...A novel of character, a narrative shaped by keen-eyed women." (New York Times Book Review)

"Beautifully written....Kingsolver's tale of domestic tragedy is more than just a well-told yarn.. Played out against the bloody backdrop of political struggles in Congo that continue to this day, it is also particularly timely." (People)

"The book's sheer enjoyability is given depth by Kingsolver's insight and compassion for Congo, including its people, and their language and sayings." (Boston Globe)

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the narration needed to be clearer in her separation of the voices involved. because the narrator did not change her voice it was difficult to separate who was narrating at any one time.

poisonwood bible

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Really brilliant story, set in real historical events. Disapointing quality of the audio though, which sounds really odd.

Great story, poor recording

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... this book is for you...& if you haven’t inhale every word, colour, scent and delight. Tragedy and loss, political unrest are intermingled with a vine from the Congolese rain forest; let it wrap its tendrils around you.

If you’ve ever been to Africa...

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Possibly quite a slow read as the wording can be a bit dense but well worth it, the nuisances of this book were beautiful and interesting, I can honestly see this book becoming one of my all time favourites. It's a story that has held with me, I continue to think about and muse over it even well after reading.

Wonderful story brilliantly read

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I totally loved this story. it was little women with a political edge. the characters telling their own story made them real with all their own voices and each one I related to and had sympathy for.. the situation in the Congo was well told and sympathetic and insightful, interesting as i hadnt know much about itl. I liked that it followed the family way after too without one of those open endings. A page turning interesting read. the narrating was a little fast to begin with but it actually kept the pace going and I got used to it.

excellent

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A well-researched, beautifully written story of an American family who move to the Congo to be missionaries.

brilliant

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It's an education. Brilliantly narrated and every bit as good as reading the book itself all those years ago. So thought provoking....... Highly recommended......

Just as brilliant as all those years ago

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She’s an astonishing writer and I carried on listening to hear her lovely sets of prose. It does meander a bit, however is worth a listen as the reader gets invested in this family in the Congo and wants to know how they do!

Sublime writing. Meandering story

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This is a great book, but I found some aspects of the audio version off-putting, so I ended up getting a print copy as well. The narrator seemed too rushed, and failed to differentiate between the various voices. Plus, I couldn’t check back on things easily, as the individual mini chapters (within the book Parts) weren’t listed in the audio version.
The brilliant storytelling and descriptions of Africa transported me to the Congo, and the first half was compulsive reading/listening. Somehow the second half, after the crucial turning point, was less absorbing and seemed to be stretched out for too long.
The characters were vividly drawn although at times I felt the young girls’ philosophical observations (apart from those of the more shallow Rachel) seemed impossibly mature and earnest for their years - and at those points they felt more like symbols of certain truths or points of view than real characters.
A powerful, not-to-be-forgotten read though.

Engrossing, moving, but too long.

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This is a compelling, multi-layered novel. It tells the story of Nathan Price, a bigoted Baptist minister who takes his wife and four daughters away from the comfort of their American home to the diseased and famine ridden Congo. This move eventually leads to tragedy and to the break-up of the family. Although sad in parts it's not a heavy listen - it's hard to put down as it's written with great humour, particularly the passages relating to the eldest daughter Rachel with all her Malapropisms.
My only criticism is that the author spent far too long expounding her political views in the last quarter of the book. Those views of the ignorance of imperialism speak for themselves through the story. Aside from that, well worth the read, thought provoking and interesting from the historical perspective.

Compelling

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