This is a phenomenal book. Set in Tennessee,in Appalachia, it is the story of the disruption caused by a monarch butterfly community that is misplaced from Mexico to a Tennessee mountain. The story is narrated through Dellarobia Turnbow. She is a high school graduate whose education was interrupted by a premarital miscarried pregnancy, followed by marriage and 2 children. She is married into a family of sheep breeders who do not accept her, and to their son who is not her intellectual equal. She accidentally discovers the displaced monarch community occupying the fir forests above her house, while on a tryst. The book describes the social, environmental and scientific ramifications of the butterfly relocation. Along the way, Ovid Byron, a butterfly biologist arrives and rekindles in Dellarobia an academic interest in learning which had been dormant since high school. All this and much, much more, including family politics, insight into how a child sees the world and sympathy for every one. Also, there is the amazing biology and life cycle of the monarchs and interpretation of how global warming is affecting this planet.
There is description of the press distortions of events and the effect of Dellarobia suddenly being a celebrity.
This book is definitely a romantic book, in that everyone is seen through rosy and sympathetic filters. For instance, I have not run into any young mothers who have the innate intelligence, inquisitiveness, imagination and thirst for knowledge attributed to Dellarobia. On the other hand that is the charm which makes you enthralled with her.Also, as a doctor and scientist, I have yet to know anyone with the purity of motive and idealism of Ovid Byron, but I would like to think they exist. This is the best book I have listened to on books on tape and it is read lovingly by its creator,

The lightness and humor in the story. Liked least - the surprise attack of environmentalist "speech-ifying", that made the story seem as if it transitioned from a light and airy sailboat ride to being imprisoned on a stranded oil barge.

The professor's wife, because of the author's skill in describing a character so well that it seemed almost as if she could have walked off the page into real life.

Dinner with the professor.

Yes, but only if the preaching were excised in its entirety. If an author feels that she has a good story with a good message, why does she feel the need to pause and batter the reader with the message?

The author's reading of her work is better than most of the professional readers the audiobook companies employ.

I grew up near the area represented in this story, and could vividly picture real people in these characters' situations. The pace of the story was not too fast, not too slow, just as life in rural Tennessee can be.

I appreciated that each character had flaws and strengths; this kept each of them important to the story.

The central character, Dellarobia was my favorite character. She evoked sympathy as well as respect, as she managed her family and herself in a less than friendly situation.

The author/narrator did a good job of making Cub seem to be the affable, immature, little boy inside a man's body. But she also made him likeable in her slow way of speaking his lines.

I was definitely engaged in the story; I listen to audiobooks when I run, and wanting to hear the story helped motivate me to go out even on the cold, raw days!

Being from Kentucky, I thoroughly enjoyed the authenticity of the accent and narration of Barbara Kingsolver. She captured the tone and nuances of the language so exactly that the dialogue was an accurate protrait of the area. Aside from the environmental issues, her portrait of the lifestyle and attitudes of rural southern communities was pitch perfect. The exploration of all the lives of the people there put the difficulties of conveying the critical environmental dangers in full view.

Better might be difficult to discern. I might have read it with a Tennessee accent in my mind if reading, but Barbara wrote the words so the full intent of the phrasing came through beautifully.

The Language of Flowers. The main characters in both books had troubling childhoods with little parental supervision hence they had to work much harder at making the relationships in their lives work.

Hester was a favorite because her sarcasm gave her just the right piss and vinager to make her personal confession near the end seem real and sincere.

Ovid was to me the figure who stood out. An educator, devoted to his "flocks of subjects" was so very dedicated to his work and wife that he never even noticed that he was the source of much adulation.

Loved having this book read to me by the author. I would love it if more authors has the voice to do it.

The writing is pitch perfect. The characters are so well painted. You can hear their voices. They are real - not villains or heroes, but people struggling to do their best, given their live's struggles. As always, Kingsolver weaves these individual perspectives against a backdrop of the social, environmental and political aspects of climate change - allowing us, through fiction to see the potential losses heading our way.

In some ways, this is one of her sadder stories. But she brings hope into the picture as well, and a touch of redemption too.

Normally, I'm wary when an author reads their own work, but she did an amazing job bringing her story and characters to life.

Ultimately, a very satisfying listen!

I am a fan, I'll admit it. Barbara Kingsolver never fails to satisfy. She writes elegant and insightful prose. I always learn something from her books--this time it is global warming, climate change, and monarch butterflies. And, she creates characters who become real people that I care about deeply. Kingsolver is a decent narrator.

Engaging, Enticing, Entertaining

Preston, a sweet child. I loved the Christmas watch. And the protagonist, who shown saintly restraint with Hester.

Barbara's voice was perfect for the Appalachian region of the setting. Of course, she knew what she wanted to convey and she is an excellent reader.

Yes, but that was impossible for me.I could not wait to get back to it at the end of the day.

Lovers of Barbara's earlier fiction will find this story more in the vein of Prodigal Summer and even Poisonwood Bible. I think Barbara is a solid writer with an engaging way with language, but I think she may want to consider a pen name for her more esoteric works like Lacuna.

Unexpected depth of characters, amazing science woven in, typical Kingsolver magic! The author's reading of her own work is impeccable. She voices the soul of her characters.

I have enjoyed each of Barbara Kingsolver's novels. I usually read them in book form. This is the first that I listened to via audible. When I listen to books from my favorite authors, I usually don't enjoy them as much as when I read them. In this case, I absolutely enjoyed listening to the book. I listen during my one hour commute each way to and from work. I couldn't wait for the next car ride to continue Flight Behavior.