The Poisonwood Bible
by Barbara Kingsolver
Missionary Nathan Price along with his wife and four daughters have arrived in the Congo for a one-year mission trip. The year is 1959. Although they have planned for this trip and have packed all things they believe will be necessary - down to garden seeds - at the airport they find that they are allowed only 44 pounds per each person's luggage. Trying to lessen the weight of their luggage, they resort to unpacking and wearing every item of clothing they own onto the plane.
Once they've arrived, they find the Congo is absolutely nothing like they imagined. They are vastly unprepared for this climate. The seeds they planted are washed away by the torrential rains, the cake mix they brought for a birthday cake is ruined by the humidity. Nathan does not understand why he cannot baptize even one convert in the nearby river. What he does not understand is that no one goes into the river - ever - it's full of crocodiles.
He never seems to "get" that these people, native to the Congo, whose culture is drastically different from his own, understand the land of their birth. They have learned how to survive in this violent atmosphere. They know that the wisdom handed down generation to generation will help them survive the jungle where they live and the American missionary has no idea what he's talking about.
One thing I found interesting is that had it not been for the natives coming to the aid of this family, they would never have survived.
The story is told by his four daughters - 15-year-old Rachel (who hates everything about her new life); 14-year-old twins, Leah and Adah (Leah enjoys observing the culture, while Adah enjoys studying plant life and insects), and five-year-old Ruth May (who enjoys her childhood and playing with the native children). His wife, Orleanna who speaks in five of the chapters, is a southern woman who has been beat down by Nathan's sour attitude and an unfortunate belief that God is really on the side of her husband - no matter how wrong he might be and how much he has subjected his family to danger.
The story revolves around Missionary Price's uncompromising beliefs, his failure to understand the land and culture, and the political discontent and eventual uprising at the time.
After 18 months in the jungle, disaster struck. The young girls grew up overnight, and their characters seemed to solidify into their adult characters. As with so many long historical narratives, I found the ending to be rambling. This could be my own problem, as I found while reading James Michener's books, the first three-quarters of the novels were absolutely fascinating, then as he started narrating characters in modern times and I lost all interest.
Overall, I loved the book until the last few chapters.
Once they've arrived, they find the Congo is absolutely nothing like they imagined. They are vastly unprepared for this climate. The seeds they planted are washed away by the torrential rains, the cake mix they brought for a birthday cake is ruined by the humidity. Nathan does not understand why he cannot baptize even one convert in the nearby river. What he does not understand is that no one goes into the river - ever - it's full of crocodiles.
He never seems to "get" that these people, native to the Congo, whose culture is drastically different from his own, understand the land of their birth. They have learned how to survive in this violent atmosphere. They know that the wisdom handed down generation to generation will help them survive the jungle where they live and the American missionary has no idea what he's talking about.
One thing I found interesting is that had it not been for the natives coming to the aid of this family, they would never have survived.
The story is told by his four daughters - 15-year-old Rachel (who hates everything about her new life); 14-year-old twins, Leah and Adah (Leah enjoys observing the culture, while Adah enjoys studying plant life and insects), and five-year-old Ruth May (who enjoys her childhood and playing with the native children). His wife, Orleanna who speaks in five of the chapters, is a southern woman who has been beat down by Nathan's sour attitude and an unfortunate belief that God is really on the side of her husband - no matter how wrong he might be and how much he has subjected his family to danger.
The story revolves around Missionary Price's uncompromising beliefs, his failure to understand the land and culture, and the political discontent and eventual uprising at the time.
After 18 months in the jungle, disaster struck. The young girls grew up overnight, and their characters seemed to solidify into their adult characters. As with so many long historical narratives, I found the ending to be rambling. This could be my own problem, as I found while reading James Michener's books, the first three-quarters of the novels were absolutely fascinating, then as he started narrating characters in modern times and I lost all interest.
Overall, I loved the book until the last few chapters.
