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Small Wonder  By  cover art

Small Wonder

By: Barbara Kingsolver
Narrated by: Barbara Kingsolver
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Editorial reviews

Those familiar with Barbara Kingsolver's work are aware of her distinctive literary voice. In the audiobook version of her most recent collection of essays, listeners are also treated to her actual voice, and the result is pleasing. With beautiful language and heartbreaking turns of phrase, Kingsolver reflects on the world community and one's individual role in it. The author's actual voice is as thoughtful and quietly strong as her written voice, lending a certain calm to her thought-provoking commentary. Hearing a brilliant author read her own work is rewarding in this case. No matter what one thinks about Kingsolver's worldviews - she loves her country and sees its flaws as well - this audiobook is timely and interesting.

Publisher's summary

In her new essay collection, the beloved author of High Tide in Tucson brings to us from one of history's darker moments an extended love song to the world we still have. From its opening parable gleaned from recent news about a lost child saved in an astonishing way, the book moves on to consider a world of surprising and hopeful prospects, ranging from an inventive conservation scheme in a remote jungle to the backyard flock of chickens tended by the author's small daughter.

These essays are grounded in the author's belief that our largest problems have grown from the earth's remotest corners as well as our own backyards, and that answers may lie in those places, too. In the voice Kingsolver's readers have come to rely on, sometimes grave, occasionally hilarious, and ultimately persuasive, Small Wonder is a hopeful examination of the people we seem to be, and what we might yet make of ourselves.

©2002 Barbara Kingsolver (P)2002 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Soulful and soul searching....A passionate invitation to readers to be part of the crowd that cares about the environment, peace, and family....A tantalizing peek into Kingsolver's world." (San Francisco Chronicle Book Review)
"This book of essays by Barbara Kingsolver is like a visit from a cherished old friend." (Publishers Weekly)

Featured Article: 45+ Quotes to Help You Make Peace with—and Take Charge of—Change


Reeling from change? Or ready to make some changes in your life? These wise words from authors just might give you the comfort or boost you need. Their words reflect the nature of change and the swirl of feelings surrounding it—from fear to exhilaration. In this collection, you'll find gentle reminders that change will keep happening and reassurance that you can handle it. When you face it and embrace it, change can enrich your life in unexpected ways.

What listeners say about Small Wonder

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Not much of a Wonder

This is a book of essays by Barbara Kingsolver in her attempt to come to terms with 9/11. There are several exceptional images and stories, including that of a missing child nursed by a bear in Iran and her own reflections on raising children in a hyper-consumer world at war. For those who love to garden, be a parent, or raise chickens, Kingsolver captures the beauty and importance of these passions poetically. The book can be a bit self-indulgent at times, with Kingsolver going on at length about her views of things. While some of the essays were repetitive and tedious in this regard, others made for excellent listening. If you are looking for a story, this is not the book for you. However, if you like Kingsolver's outlook and ethics about the world, you can hear her say it herself (she is the narrator) in her own erudite and passionate way.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Daring heart

Barbara opens her heart and lays it bare. Naysayers can easily take offence, but that is because they either don't want to face up to what is happening to us or don't care. I care, Barbara cares. Wonderful read with lots to think about. Her voice is mesmerizing.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

We can do more!

Very informative about ways to personally make positive changes in our environment and mitigate the damage we are doing to it. I feel the author is a bit self indulgent sometimes. I don't really feel men are to blame for everything, but if they are, women raised them. Maybe THEY should be doing something different.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
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Barbara's take on good global citizenship inspires

This beautiful collection of essays reads like instructions for living a reflective and just life. Her writing, as always, blends captivating imagery with moments of humour, alongside carefully dissected criticisms of our modern habits of over-consumption, war mongering, and reflexive intolerance of others different from us. I listened to this audio recording in July of 2017, and am amazed at her prescience and foresight from 16 years ago. Sadly her clarion calls have largely gone unnoticed or ignored, and loss of species biodiversity, perpetual war and conflict, and the destruction of the earth's natural resources remain large threats facing our species and others. I would love for her to revisit these issues today.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Adore.

I absolutely adore this thoughtful, compelling collection of essays on topics familiar to Kingsolver fans: the environment, farming, parenting, and being a responsible, thoughtful human being. There is such delight in the way she words things...

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Educators: please read

Barbara Kingsolver writes beautifully and movingly - particularly about the impact of the human race on our delicate environment.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

as relevant now as ever

I come to this collection for the first time, in early 2017, and find myself grateful for the truths it holds.
I hold these words in my heart, and on a loop in my head as each day seems to bring a new terror in our world. thank you for your grace and compassion

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Just Beautiful

Barbara Kingsolver is like a favorite teacher: smart, funny, clear, serious in all the right moments, always engaging, passionate, and a GREAT story teller. She makes learning fun and living even funner.

Don't ever stop writing please.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Celebrating small wonders

Thank you Mrs. Kingsolver, your book inspired me, made me cry, made me smile, made me nod in agreement, made me angry. Most of all it made me recognize small wonders around me. My hope is that every person reading your essays would become a small wonder in themselves.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

beautiful book

Kingsolver reads this book herself, which is always a huge plus for me. She is a brilliant essayist, and this book actually made me feel better in the wake of 9-11 (especially since she reads with such a sweet and sincere voice). I enjoy her fiction, but this is the first book of hers that I truly loved. You will enjoy it much more if you're in the liberal/environmentalist camp- otherwise it will probably sound preachy.

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