A review by jhbandcats
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I first read this twenty years ago and it has stayed with me as a powerful story of hubris and attendant woe on a personal and global level. I seem to have forgotten the depth of characterization and I responded to a couple of the main characters with disgust. I think this is a book that all Americans should read so we learn about our secret history. Great book but hard to read in an emotional sense. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism