The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

At last! I've finally finished this 700-pager after a week of distractions and sporadic reading opportunities.  But it's here!  My review for The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

The official descrip: 

In 1959, Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist, takes his four young daughters, his wife, and his mission to the Belgian Congo -- a place, he is sure, where he can save needy souls. But the seeds they plant bloom in tragic ways within this complex culture. Set against one of the most dramatic political events of the twentieth century -- the Congo's fight for independence from Belgium and its devastating consequences -- here is New York Times-bestselling author Barbara Kingslover's beautiful, heartbreaking, and unforgettable epic that chronicles the disintegration of family and a nation.

This had been on my to-read list for quite a long time, but the sheer massiveness of the paperback copy my mom owns had made me hesitant.  The topics of Baptist Evangelism and the revolutionary Congo aren't particular interests of mine, so I doubted the novel could keep me hooked all the way to the eventual end.  Nonetheless, I decided that since I was going to get around to reading it someday, it might as well be now.

The tale starts interestingly enough: Nathan Price and his family are dropped off in the middle of the Congo to establish a small mission meant to convert the poor, backwards heathens of Africa.  This wild country immediately reveals itself to be quite different from their expectations, and through their journey all experience the mystery that is Africa and eventually form their own distinct opinions on its true nature. 

The narration is given by the women of the family, and the reader quickly comes to discern a distinct voice that marks each one.  While this is often helpful to keep who the speaker is in mind while reading, it can also be highly annoying as some of the girls'  personalities, (Rachel and Adah in particular,) can get annoying or downright boring.

I was correct in thinking that the topic would lose me at times.  Politics and war just aren't my bag!  But I was surprised at where in the book this occurred.  There wasn't a steady decline that had me speed-reading the last few chapters to get them over with sooner--no.  There was an interesting start, a sssss lllllll ooooo wwwww middle, and a fast-paced end that completely made up for it.  Breaking away from the 1960's Congo, the last third of the novel follows the women through their lives AFTER they leave, carrying the reader through to the 1980s.  This period was more interesting to me because it covered vast spans of time quickly and featured each of the girls in different locations and situations, rather than living together day-to-day in one tiny hut...it DEFINITELY sped up the reading process.

I don't want to give away too many plot details, (because things do NOT go as expected,) but I will say that it focuses heavily on modern African history and the fight for political independence in the Congo.  There are a lot of facts and references and a full-on bibliography in the back, (Kingsolver obviously did her homework!), which make the book a fairly adept teacher on this subject.  I definitely came out of it knowing a lot more about Africa and America's role in their current political systems, but at the same time I feel like this information was tainted by Kingsolver's own personal feelings towards the U.S. government and our actions overseas.  By the end of this novel, I was kind of disgusted with both America and capitalism, so keep an open mind and be ready for that.

Kingsolver succeeds in keeping the delicate balance between humor and heartbreak while she writes, doling out numerous quips by the empty-headed Rachel as she butchers the English vocabulary...

"That would be Axelroot all over, to turn up with an extra wife or two claiming that's how they do it here.  Maybe he's been in Africa so long he has forgotten that we Christians have our own system of marriage, and it is called Monotony."

...while also offering provocative insights from characters like the rational Leah or brooding Adah.

"God doesn’t need to punish us. He just grants us a long enough life to punish ourselves."

All in all, I liked this book. It's got good writing, a strong (albeit lengthy) plot, and gives a healthy dose of political history that's great for all those brains out there who prefer reading for knowledge as well as mere pleasure. Yes, it's long, and yes, occasionally dry...but it's worth it. I give it a 7/10.

Besides...it's an Oprah Book Club selection. And if Lady O likes it, you know it's gotta be good. ;]

That's all for now. Happy reading!