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The Poisonwood Bible

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The Poisonwood Bible

By: Barbara Kingsolver
Narrated by: Dean Robertson
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“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. Africa Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Emotionally Gripping Tear-jerking
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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)

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An epic tale of a baptist minister who takes his reluctant family of wife and four girls from Georgia to the congo in 1960. The story is told in the 5 female voices and all are changed by the experience. The book is not narrated as stated by Dean Robertson but ? by the author. All five voices are different, offering alternate perspectives on Africa The family disperses following a death. I found the story gripping but the second half not as satisfactory(a bit of a polemic). However I would strongly recommend this audio - it inspired me to read more of modern African history.

Epic african story

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This is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it. It is absorbing from start to finish and taught me many things I won't soon forget. The narration really brought the characters and the story to life. I could listen to the narrators voice all day quite happily!

Superb narration

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the narration needed to be clearer in her separation of the voices involved. because the narrator did not change her voice it was difficult to separate who was narrating at any one time.

poisonwood bible

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I read this book years ago, and enjoyed it, but having just listened to it via audible, I have picked up on so many more nuances and clever tricks of language that I missed in the dense text of hard copy. Kingsolver is the mistress of words that can mean more than one thing, indeed she creates a character who makes meanings of words that are read backwards! Even the title is a play on the dual meaning of the word the preacher uses for Jesus - in the tribal language of the congolese people he is trying to convert, it means poisonwood - a deadly plant that will kill you. His ignorance, however, is foiled by the understanding of his wife and four daughters, each of whom have their own narrative voice and story. An absolutely compelling story that is at once a celebration of freedom and independence and a tragic exposition of social prejudice and expectation. Not a light read, but certainly one not to be missed!

Poisonwood Bible

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What a wonderful story and really well narrated by the author. Was sorry when it came to an end...

Fabulous

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