The Poisonwood Bible

By: Barbara Kingsolver

Narrated by: Dean Robertson

“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)

The dangerous baggage of expectations

The Poisonwood Bible has been recommended to me several times over the past few years, and I can see why. It's full of heartfelt, lyrical imagery and parable-like insight into the tragedy of imperialism. The story centers on an unyielding Baptist preacher determined to spread his strict interpretation of the gospels in the Belgian Congo circa 1960, accompanied by his wife and four daughters. Each woman or girl has her own piece of the narrative, and shares her own reflections on the events that transpire as the stubborn Nathan Price beats himself against a land, culture, and superstitions that don't fit anyone's expectations, let alone cooperate with his vision of God's will.

The characters do feel intentionally symbolic, but the beautiful writing brings them vividly to life. Orleanna, the put-upon mother, acts as a buffer between her domineering husband and the needs of her children, and feels more and more disconnected from both. The vain eldest daughter, Rachel, plays the ugly American, uninterested in stepping outside her narrow comfort zone (though this, in a way, comes to serve her). Then there are the gifted twins, Leah and Adah. Strong-willed Leah gradually absorbs the Congo under her skin, while the silent, crippled Adah, a savant in arithmetic and the illuminating poetry of backwards phrases, sees truths only an outsider-from-birth can. Finally, there is the youngest daughter, the tomboyish Ruth, whose childish stream of consciousness holds its own insights.

As the story moves forward, tensions build among the Prices, and between the family and the villagers on whom Nathan's ministry is focused. Meanwhile, resentment towards whites in the rest of the country grows, as the Belgian pullout leaves a power vacuum that both nationalists and the CIA have different agendas for (though the politics is largely in the background). And nature offers up its own trials, as it always has. Around the midpoint of the novel, Things Fall Apart, and the six members of the Price family are pulled in different directions, to very different outcomes. Even in breakdown, though, there’s a poetic symmetry that I quite enjoyed, reminding me of Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto.

This is, at its heart, a novel about the recognition that we're all caught in our own struggles to survive and the lives of others may be beyond our control. Kingsolver eloquently explores that theme in both the personal and political sense. Could the Western world’s jealous protectionism of capitalism-as-we-know-it actually have stunted Africa's potential? She seems to recognize, through her protagonists, that we don't know how else things might have turned out had we left the continent more to itself, but is unequivocal that it deserved better than being made a pawn to our national interests.

Definitely "message" fiction, but I don't mind that if it’s written with skill, compassion, and intelligence, and such was the case here. To me, the only thing that was too heavy-handed was the device of having Rachel constantly misuse words for ironic effect. Okay, the poor girl’s not that bright, but give her a break.

Audiobook narrator Dean Robinson does a passable job, but I wish she’d done a little more to distinguish the sisters and had had a better grasp of different international accents. Listeners should pay close attention to the chapter headings to keep up with who’s telling each part of the story.

The Poisonwood Bible

This is a work of fiction. Thank God!! The performance and the story are so expertly written I kept wondering throughout the narration could one person so influence the lives of so many? I'm a Christian and I know that one man did, J.C., my Lord.

Awesome

Narration is quick and acting for the voices were entertaining and I can tell the difference of the characters. Usually I hate narration to be so slow for an audio but this is quicker than usual.

Good story, boring monotone voice

The story is totally worth 5 stars. However, the monotone voice is so boring. You cannot tell if it was the mother, the little 5-year old girl or the teenage daughter who's telling the story. They all sound the same as the mother (I couldn't bear that those daughters sound like middle-aged women). Like other reviewers mentioned, I was easily distracted from the story because of the boring monotone. The narrator was totally not into the story.

I'm better for it

This is one of those books that is disturbing and difficult to read at times (not because of the writing, the writing is absolutely beautiful), but you keep going because it feels important. I think this is one of those books that stays with you for a long, long time.

Great story and great way of telling the story

I really enjoyed the changing perspective of storytelling. In each chapter the role of the storyteller shifted to a different daughter of the family and in some rare parts also to the view of the mother. Thereby the listener spread his sympathies to all female of the family. Interestingly the viewpoint of the father was never taken in the story.

The story itself which was set in the background of real events in the Kongo takes a thought provoking critical stance on evangelization, colonialism and development aid.

Excellent read/listen

Just finished listening for the second time. I think I enjoyed it more. The first time I thought the narrator was flat and had a difficult time telling which character was speaking. The second time I really enjoyed the performance and loved the way she brought the characters to life! My one issue is with the format. There were a few times I switched from listening on my phone to Alexa and my place would get lost. The audible chapters are not divided into book chapters so it was very difficult finding my place again.

Poisonwood again

This is first audible book I have done. I had already read Poisonwood and adored it. I really enjoyed hearing it. I am addicted now to finding out about the Congo and audible books. Better than chocolate!

A wonderful performance makes this a better listen

Would you listen to The Poisonwood Bible again? Why?

Probably not. The book itself is pretty good, the vocal range of the narrator brings this book to life though. From someone who works in ministry and understands some of the baggage brought by missionary families into these settings, I can appreciate and enjoy this book - but not enough for a second read!

What did you like best about this story?

The reality. The book is absolutely humorous in parts, troubling in others, yet in the end you admire the strength of the mother and the daughters as they have endured so much.

What does Dean Robertson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Wonderful characters! Great work! The vocals make this book so much better!

A Good Story

I enjoyed listening to this book. The characters were interesting and the story was well thought out. The complex interweaving of multiple cultures, religions and political beliefs was well done.