Epic novels are my jam.  This epic novel, I’m recommending today, I had the pleasure of reading for a second time this year.  That’s The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.   This story is told from multiple points of view – Orleanna, Nathan Price’s wife , and their four daughters.  We never hear the voice of Nathan Price, an evangelical Baptist preacher.  Novels told from multiple points of view can often be overwhelming, but as this novel goes on you won’t have any trouble distinguishing the different voices.  Kingsolver writes them seamlessly.  The rich descriptions of life in 1959 Congo add to the authenticity of the story.  Nathan Price’s evangelistic assault on a Congolese village parallels the Congo’s fight for independence from Belgium.  As the Congo is fighting for independence so do Price’s daughters.

I recommend The Poisonwood Bible to people who love epic novels,  are interested in learning  about the political struggle of the Congo in 1959, love reading historical fiction, enjoy reading multiple view points, and enjoy reading family stories.  Don’t be put off by the size of the book.  It is engrossing and would make an excellent book club pick. Please check out the review below from Khia Comments.  It’s extremely enlightening!

Overview:

“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 Poisonwood Bible, inside flap)

The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver

Publisher:  HarperFlamingo

Pages:  541

My rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

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