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)

View from a Christian . . .

This is a powerful, gut-wrenching story of a Baptist missionary family in the late '50s and 1960s who leaves Georgia to minister in the Congo. It is unvarnished, portraying the "hell and brimstone" preacher from the south and his prim and proper family, just like many we all have seen before . . . especially back in that era. That's the times I grew up in. That's about the time that I met Jesus myself, in a little country church, in Kentucky. I met Him, but for one reason or another, the people in that church were just like the Price family. So, being a child, I equated those people with my savior, Jesus, and it wasn't long before I was gone. The Poisonwood Bible is one of the best books that I have ever listened to. I grew to love Orleana, Rachel, Adah, Leah and little Ruth May. I loved them each individually and as a group of women with which I could identify in so many ways. Orleana's description of the special love between a mother and her youngest child was an "Ah ha" moment for me. I never knew the history of the Congo before this book, and I'm, once again, saddened that big and powerful governments, like our own take it upon themselves to dominate and steal from countries like Africa, just because they can. In the entire story . . . and it is a STORY . . . I am sad that no where along the way did Nathan Price take the opportunity to do what a real Christian would do . . . there, I've said it . . . Our God cannot work, will not work unless we can humble ourselves and call upon His holy name . . . He is the maker of heaven and earth . . . not us . . . Nathan Price could not bring salvation to the Congo . . . he couldn't even bring love and mercy into his own home . . . Jesus is first and foremost love and mercy . . . The first opportunity that Nathan had to fall on his face to God in this book was when he learned that the villagers would not submit to baptism in the river because the little girl had been eaten by an alligator . . . Did Nathan's heart soften? When Nathan's own plans were not panning out, did he cry out to God and say, here I am Lord, what would you have me to do? Did he weep with those who weep? Did he toil in their fields? When Nathan's five year old daughter died, his first response was, "She wasn't baptized." Any Christian knows it's not baptism that saves you . . . This book is a great book for Christian Bible study on many levels . . . including a women's study. When Leah is protected by the sisters in the convent while her husband is in prison in Africa, it is evident that Christians are working for good in that country. Not to mention that her husband originally learned to read and write from missionaries . . .

very enjoyable

I loved this book, it took over every spare bit of my life whilst listening to it. The Congo part was interesting and enticing after Congo i believed it lost some interest and intrigue. I loved the narration,and the personalities portrayed. Plus it was a great learning tool about the Congo and the politics of which I knew nothing about.

A Great Surprise!

If you have a look at my Goodreads shelves, you’ll see I am drawn to stories of all kinds set in cities and places I’ve visited… and they do not include Africa! (Aside from the touristy version of Morocco).

I have never been to The Congo, I have no desire to go, and I can’t imagine liking anything about it, therefore I was very reticent to read a story set there. I really didn’t think I’d enjoy it but boy was I wrong! It was SO INTERESTING; a page turner! Yet, I have to say that most of what made it so compelling was not just the setting, but the people in the setting.

The individuals depicted in the story (a woman and her 4 daughters dragged to Africa by her stubborn, misogynist, small minded, evangelical Baptist missionary husband out to save the world) were sympathetic, relatable, highly entertaining and even quite funny at times; it was a pleasure to read about their lives and follow their individual and incredible adventures of being uprooted from their comfy easy home in the USA and plunked down in the village of Kilanga in the Belgian Congo.

I was glued to the story until they left Kilanga; they were there from 1959 to 1961. After that, the book gives us glimpses of the women’s lives and how they all “turned out” all the way until 1990… it was good, but didn’t have the same vibe as the first part of the story; it didn’t hold my attention as much.

Contrary to many comments on the Audible site, I loved the narrator and I thought she added a lot of life to the story! Could it be because I regularly listen in fast forward? Did that make a difference? I don’t know, but I thought she was excellent.

Beautifully Done

The Poisonwood Bible has what so many books are missing and that is the writer's unique ability to create art through words. The character's in this book were comical and loveable. The reason that I haven't rated it less than perfect is because the narrator and the book were not made for each other, but still one of my favorite books yet.

Wonderful writing!

Wonderful writing! This should be a must read for missions work. A cautionary tale. I will be back for more Kingsolver books.

Blown Away

This is my favorite book so far in my life. Never have I encountered such an important story so beautifully written. Everyone should read this book.

My new favorite book of all time.

I was so engaged with this book that I listened two times in a row, then purchased the paper back. The Price family ladies, tell it like it is. This book is filled with historic fact, yet pulled at my heart strings like no other book I have ever read. I have traveled to West Africa several times during my life and the Price family trip to the Congo, pulled at my heart strings. This book is ahead of it's time as far as, "cultural IQ", goes. The author does a wonderful job illustrating that while there is a great separation between cultures, there are heartbreaking beautiful moments where the village bonds over grief and hardships. The reader can clearly see how the best of intentions can be harmful and how helping hurts if it is one sided. I enjoyed following the Price ladies into their later years, seeing how their experiences in Africa marked each of them in different ways. -Karen

Really excellent book

it's not only educational about the Congo, but beautifully written as well. highly recommend it!

Kingsolver's Opus to date

What did you like best about this story?

Blistering irony, that will make you want to listen for a few minutes, and then pause to think it over. I move from laughing to tears in just a few sentences.

The pacing of the story is excellent, and moves the reader quickly along.

The ever changing perspective, from the voice of each of the females in the book creates a multitude of differing points of view.

This is my second time to listen to the book, and I still recommend it with our reservation.

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

The Reverend's Folly

Great Read!

Where does The Poisonwood Bible rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would rank it 5 on 1-10 scale

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed getting to know each character on a personal level.

Which character – as performed by Dean Robertson – was your favorite?

My favorite character was the mother. She had nerves of steel.

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

The father because of his self centered delusions.

Any additional comments?

Long book but great from beginning to end.