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)

Beautiful story!

I struggled through the first thirty minutes, and then, BAM! I couldn't get enough. Beautifully written and beautifully narrated.

Poisonwood Bible

I enjoyed the richness of this novel. It is a moving portrayal of the relationships between a mother and her daughters, between sisters. I enjoyed the characters. I also liked its magical description of central Africa and its portrayal of an important time in history. A time that is not well-known to Americans, yet nevertheless one in which the US played a key role. It has made me interested in learning more.

The book is being read not preformed.

I read Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver and really liked it. She narrated it herself. Unfortunately, this narrator is just reading the book and not performing the book. And, it sounds like she is in a hurry to finish it. It's almost like I am attending a story time at the library and the reader needs to get through it before the time ends.
I like the story though. I just wish Barbara had read it herself.

A must-read for your book club

A beautifully-written book with artful prose, character development, narrative structure and historical context. Yes, the last third of the book became more didactic and tended to overdo the repetition of some topics/key themes. Kingsolver clearly had her perspectives on politics and religion. But overall, this was a great read.

Breathtaking

I love everything I have read of Barbara Kingsolver and this book was no exception. I was so emotionally invested in the story that at times I would have to turn it off so I could come down to earth for a bit. The narrator was wonderful and brought the characters to life...although I can't help but wonder how Barbara would have performed it. This story is stunning and heartbreaking and as usual so much more. This one will be on repeat for sure.

0.75 speed did the trick. Try it!

I didn’t care for the narrators speed, where it didn’t fit the character much at all. I would bet money that they sped up that voice now that I’ve listened to it at 0.75 speed. Now she sounds like a southern woman not in a huge hurry to spit the story out. Perfect amount of drawl, and at a speed that I can better absorb and appreciate the detailed prose, too. I’m still listening with 10 hours left, so may update this review later, but wanted to share the possible trick to help others in the meantime.

Completely Captivating

How often do you pick up a book and are compelled to chew your way through it like a swarm of jungle ants? This is the book you’ll want eat alive. Never mind the exceptional narrator whose voice and personalities perfectly fluctuate with each character, but the plot flies bye it’s such a piece that you can’t stop listening. This is a triumph of literature and performance.

BRAVO!

It is brilliantly orated. I’ve read this book in the past a couple times and it never gets old. I always find something more profound than in a previous read. - and it has been my favorite book for a couple of decades. I recommend it to everyone. I first read it when it was on Oprah’s Book Club.

It was as vivid in my mind as the first time that I read it. My heart rate increased at the same moments.

Wonderfully addictive-

Makes you feel and makes you think

Loved it.
It took me some time to get involved with the figures. But it then became a pure joy. I was all in

Tour de Force, if there ever was on.

This is my third or fourth time reading of this marvelous book. I may have even reviewed it before; if I haven't it's time I did. Barbara Kingsolver is just a wonderful writer. Her prose takes takes my breath away and satisfies.

I read The Poisonwood Bible when it came out in the late ''90s and never really stopped. The narrator, Dean Robertson, does wonderfully well with the accents and characterizations.

Just a few words as about the narration itself. The story is told by 5 female characters. Each character provides several well spaced chapters, and it is in the words and thoughts of these five souls that the story unfolds. Going back and forth between them is exciting and again, deeply satisfying.

It seems that Dean Robertson, the narrator, does all of it. Remarkable and Bravo! I also highly recommend the epigraph. B.K. knows how to wring one's heart ... in the best of ways. JBS