The Poisonwood Bible by: Barbara Kingsolver
review by: Anne Samuelson '05
The sixth time I started The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, I finally got hooked. Told from the five perspectives of a mother and her four daughters, initially, The Poisonwood Bible switched perspectives so often that I lost track of individual personalities and the story line. But, just as people become indispensable once you know them well, I became engrossed in The Poisonwood Bible, unable to put it down once I had read the first 100 pages.The Poisonwood Bible chronicles the journey Orleanna Price and her four daughters, Leah, Ruth May, Rachel and Adah, as they followed their evangelical Baptist husband and father, Nathan, to lead a mission in the Belgian Congo in the early 1960s. The voice of each Price woman carries a distinct flavor and personality that carries through as the women grown and mature. The perspective of the women slowly evolves as this mother and her four daughters learn to live in the heart of Africa, cower in fear from their father and husband's righteous rage, spy on Congo's revolutionists, scavenge to make a meal from fruit and rock-hard cake mix, survive an ant attack, and experience death. They were changed by the jungle more than the jungle was changed by them: Leah Price said, "You can't just sashay into the jungle aiming to change it all over to the Christian style, without expecting to the jungle to change you right back." Each page overflows with colorful descriptions of things sensed and thought, giving a history lesson and new perspective of the Congo while following the Price family's story.
Even if it takes you six tries, I would highly recommend The Poisonwood Bible. It is a fantastic novel of relationships, courage, challenge, awe and faith. The individual personality of each woman shines through in their words and thinking, giving the reader a startling glimpse of the Belgian Congo and life.