The Poisonwood Bible

By: Barbara Kingsolver

Narrated by: Dean Robertson

Length: 15 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

“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.

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)

One of my all time favotites!!

This makes 4 times I have "read" this book and everytime I glean something new. This book speaks to leadership, parenting, and relationships! The narrator does an amazing job! Just LOVE it!!

Deep thoughts about Culture and religion .

Would you listen to The Poisonwood Bible again? Why?

Absolutely. It is deep, thoughtful and full of reality. I loved learning about the Congo and experiencing what it would be like to be in a missionary family.

What other book might you compare The Poisonwood Bible to and why?

I really can't compare it to anything, it is quite unique.

Have you listened to any of Dean Robertson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I will definitely look for some to read.

If you could rename The Poisonwood Bible , what would you call it?

"After the Congo" "The Missionary"

Excellent book

Some reviewers complained about the narration, but I thought it was just fine. The narrator doesn't completely change character like some of the more amazing narrators I've listened to, but she does give different voices to the women, and I enjoyed her performance.

One of the best books I've "read" in a long time. Deserves its acclaim.

The beauty of this book far outshines it's flaws

Any additional comments?

The Poisonwood Bible is one of those gems in which absolutely wonderful writing (vivid, poetic, distinctive, but not at all taxing) meets great narration - subtle, understated, but full of feeling and understanding of the characters. As I got to know those same characters it became easy to distinguish between protagonists even if I missed a character switch, by both the writing and the narration.The crowing glory of this book is the author's incredible gift of observation, as well as her ability to translate her observations into such fresh and powerful language. And so the human condition is once again revealed to be utterly tragic and utterly comical. She had me, unexpectedly, in stitches many times, laughing so hard that I had to hit the pause button so as not to miss anything. (Perhaps I found certain things particularly funny because, having lived many years in Africa myself, I recognized so many of her insights as profoundly true and absurdly humorous.) She also had me, not unexpectedly, blinking away tears here and there... and she made me long for things, and appreciate things, and she made me angry and engaged.I learned something, too, some things I did not know about the dire political goings on that made such a mess of the Congo. I recommend this book wholeheartedly for all of the above.The reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 for performance is that I found it a little confusing and annoying that there was never any space between the end of one POV chapter and the beginning of the next. It was very easy to miss the switches. A production flaw, I think.And the reason I gave the story only 4 stars is because Miss Kingsolver overshot the end of the book by quite a bit. The first 3/4 or so of the book are really wonderful, the rest is, IMHO, utterly superfluous and drags on for no particular reason. Not only does that last part contribute nothing much to the story, it loses the magic, the keen insights, the powerful imagery etc that wowed me, and the characters suddenly become flat and grow no further even though they age in leaps and bounds. It's quite odd, really.BUT never mind the end. The bulk of the book is all good things and completely makes up for any flaws. It will be a credit well spent.

Wonderful Literature

Kingsolver writes some of the most beautiful prose being created in these times.From descriptions of the primeval African forests to mundane details of home life, she weaves in the political background with wit and compassion, showing how it affects the everyday lives of ordinary people. In the Congo, she let's us see through the eyes of 5 uniquely perceptive women/girls dragged along at the mercy of a horribly insensitive husband intent only on bringing Christ to the dark, ignorant heathens.What first seemed like a total tragedy became a rich, vibrant experience profoundly affecting each ones life, but later included tragedies that were the natural outcome of actions completely beyond their control.
I was irritated by the narrators voice at first, because the rich language seemed distorted coming with a voice and accent like hers. Then, as the story progressed and she got into character with each voice, representing 5 southern, rural females of different ages with a fairly simple-minded upbringing, I started to appreciate the many nuances she brought to the reading.As the mother and daughters struggled in their own ways against the fathers' control and pathetic, single passion which only grew stronger and more fanatical with each stress and failure,their minds and characters developed so they were able to break free of his harsh, neglectful domination to save themselves before he went totally insane.I enjoyed the book from beginning to end, and though it was long, was disappointed when it finished.I can hardly wait to read the next one,"Lacuna"!

Great story.

It took me a little while to get interested in the book. At first, I was overwhelmed with the adjectives but after awhile they thinned out or I adjusted. The book is wonderful.

Life in the Congo in the 1960's as told by a missionary family struggling in the jungle

A fascinating depiction of missionary work gone wrong and the true lesions to be learned by the family as told through each of the females perspectives.
The story weaves in cultural differences and at times surprising deeper rooted similarities between religion, personal struggles and medicine. The time span covers from the 1960's through the 1980's and covers politics and history as seen and effected by each of the characters.
The story was captivating until the last quarter of the story where is seemed to drone on in perspectives as what appeared to be strong efforts to wrap things up while having so much more that the author wanted to communicate to the readers.
I did enjoy the story and learning the history of the Congo.

Loved it!

Would you listen to The Poisonwood Bible again? Why?

Probably not. It's really long. Perhaps if I went on a long road trip with someone who hadn't heard it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character is Adah. Her interesting way of seeing things and communicating as a child was fascinating and compelling to follow and her transformation as an adult was wonderful.I very much enjoyed Rachel has well. While she was not a particularly likeable she was always interesting and often a source of humor in a relatively serious book.

Have you listened to any of Dean Robertson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The end part went on a bit long. This story could have stood to be shortened a bit at the end.

Who was the most memorable character of The Poisonwood Bible and why?

The father! He was both scary and deeply interesting.

Page turner.

Great story. Does not disappoint. Didn't want the book to end. Will read her other books.

Incredible! Captivating!

I was 30 minutes in to listening and wondered how it had taken me so long to read this book. It has been a long time since I felt consumed by a book.