shopping cart
Powell's 2010 Puddly Awards
Call us:  800-878-7323 HELP
McAfee SECURE helps keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams.
Interviews | December 15, 2009

Jill Owens: IMG The Powells.com Interview with Eoin Colfer



eoincolferEoin Colfer is best known for his bestselling Artemis Fowl series, which inspires fanatical devotion in its fans. Entertainment Weekly raved: "The... Continue »
  1. $18.19 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

The Poisonwood Bible (P.S.)

by Barbara Kingsolver

The Poisonwood Bible (P.S.) Cover

Staff Pick

In The Poisonwood Bible, a Baptist missionary takes his family to the Belgian Congo in the late '50s, endangering the lives of his wife and four daughters. Alternating between the voices of the mother and daughters, Kingsolver successfully paints the emotional depth of their predicament and the insanity of the father and his deranged beliefs.
Recommended by Adrienne, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

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.

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.

Review:

"Powerful...Kingsolver is a gifted magician of words." Time

Review:

"Compelling, lyrical and utterly believable." Chicago Tribune

Review:

"Tragic, and remarkable....A novel that blends outlandish experience with Old Testament rhythms of prophecy and doom." USA Today

Review:

"A triple-decker, different coming-of-age novel, but also a clever look at language and cultures." San Diego Union-Tribune

About the Author

Barbara Kingsolver's twelve books of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction include the novels The Bean Trees and The Poisonwood Bible. Translated into nineteen languages, her work has won a devoted worldwide readership and many awards, including the National Humanities Medal.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 7 comments:
omalleyk, January 1, 2010 (view all comments by omalleyk)
It's hard to pick the best book I read in ten years, but this was the one that came to mind. I've constantly recommended it to friends and family, have purchased several copies to give and have, and really enjoy the story.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
Marsha Peterson, January 1, 2010 (view all comments by Marsha Peterson)
I voting this as one of the best books of the decade. It's an extraordinary story of people, places, and politics.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
Amy Purcell, January 1, 2010 (view all comments by Amy Purcell)
Hands down, the best book of the decade. You'll find yourself siding with one of the Price girls as they encounter every good and bad thing about the Congo. It's even better when you read it again...and again.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
View all 7 comments

Product Details

ISBN:
9780060786502
Author:
Kingsolver, Barbara
Publisher:
Harper Perennial
Author:
by Barbara Kingsolver
Subject:
General
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Missionaries
Subject:
Americans
Subject:
Domestic fiction
Subject:
Congo (Democratic Republic)
Series:
Perennial Classics
Publication Date:
July 2005
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
545
Dimensions:
8.01x5.35x1.01 in. 1.02 lbs.

Other books you might like

  1. $16.95 Used Hardcover add to wish list

    Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

    Barbara Kingsolver and Camille Kingsolver and Steven L. Hopp
  2. $10.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (P.S.)

    Barbara Kingsolver and Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver
  3. $14.99 New Trade Paper add to wish list
  4. $7.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Things Fall Apart

    Chinua Achebe
  5. $9.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    One Hundred Years of Solitude (P.S.)

    Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  6. $7.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

Related Aisles

  • back to top

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.