06-22-2006, 10:31 PM
AmyBA
Formerly AW_Amy
This is one of the first books I read where I said to myself, I wish I could write like that!
I also loved the way Kingsolver was able to so completely draw me into the world of each girl, and by her descriptions, into Africa.
I felt the most ambivalent about Orleanna, whom I imagined with Holly Hunter's voice during the passages that take place years after the story from her home in Georgia, for whatever that's worth in the discussion.
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06-22-2006, 11:20 PM
aruna
Dances with Peacocks
Quote:
Originally Posted by AmyBA
This is one of the first books I read where I said to myself, I wish I could write like that!.
Yes, exactly!
Quote:
I felt the most ambivalent about Orleanna, whom I imagined with Holly Hunter's voice during the passages that take place years after the story from her home in Georgia, for whatever that's worth in the discussion
Orleanna is the one I had the most difficulty with, as well, especially in the opening chapter. The first time I read the book years ago I actually skipped that chapter, and read it later; it feels to me more like a prologue, you know, that thing that lots of readers skip? Even though it's good and interesting in its own right, I wanted to leap into the story from the start and that first chapter slowed it down, same thing when she did it again later on.
I also missed the Rev's voice. I would have loved to hear the story from his POV as well. I just love books written this way, as they let you see the same situation from various angles, which is something I try to do in everyday life anyway; you know, to see that the way I regard a given situation is not fact, but coloured by my own personality.
One other writer who does this very well is Susan Howatch. She makes you step into the shoes of someone you have learnt to loathe through reding about him from another character's viewpoint, but when you see the story through this "villain's" eyes, you actually grow sympathy for him or her. I'd have loved to see this happen in PB, for the Rev.
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06-23-2006, 08:02 AM
MacAllister
Dawnolyte Acolyte
Super Moderator
I've always thought this one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. It seemed a bit outside Kingsolver's comfort range, on occasion--but I appreciated that. It read, to me, as if she were honestly stretching her skills. For the most part, I thought she was absolutely up to the task. *g*
As a result, I felt more inclined to fogive the one or two tiny baubles.
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06-23-2006, 11:35 AM
Perks
delicate #!&*! flower
Mod Squad Member
I'm wondering if the length of the book was offputting to some? When a book is excellent, I don't mind if it goes on for volumes, but some people shy away from a time investment of that magnitude.
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06-23-2006, 12:06 PM
CaroGirl
Puissant
Judging by the poll, this is truly one of those "love it or hate it" kind of books. As someone who loved it, I'm curious to hear an opinion from someone who hated it. Anyone?
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Caro
~The two most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar, and familiar things new.
I took The 2006 Rejection Pledge: 4/20
Accepted: 1 (2nd place win in a short story contest)
06-23-2006, 04:00 PM
Perks
delicate #!&*! flower
Mod Squad Member
Absolutely! That would be so interesting. Come on back, people who hated it! Tell us why! We won't bite or belittle you... except behind your back for your heinous lack of taste.
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06-23-2006, 04:15 PM
alleycat
**************
I didn't hate it, I just didn't like it. I would try to explain further but it's been some time ago since I read it. As I recall, I didn't have much empathy for the characters and their situations. Plus, I felt like Kingsolver herself was preaching to the reader. Instead of putting herself (feelings and opinions) into the story; she hung the story off of her opinions. Does that kind of makes sense?
That's about the best I can do without going back and rereading parts of the book.
ac
06-24-2006, 12:49 AM
aruna
Dances with Peacocks
Quote:
Originally Posted by alleycat
I didn't hate it, I just didn't like it. I would try to explain further but it's been some time ago since I read it. As I recall, I didn't have much empathy for the characters and their situations. Plus, I felt like Kingsolver herself was preaching to the reader. Instead of putting herself (feelings and opinions) into the story; she hung the story off of her opinions. Does that kind of makes sense?
That's about the best I can do without going back and rereading parts of the book.
ac
As I mentioned earlier, I first read PB because an online friend of mine, who went by the ID of The Literary Moose, hated it so much it became for him the Worst Book of All Time. Moose is - or was - a wonderful person and an avid reader; Polish, with an amazing command of English, he was also a genius studying for his Doctorate in Economics at Northwestern. He used to have an amazing website ful of all kinds of books; Russian, Polish, American, al kinds of literature, for which he wrote extensive reviews. He was so kind as to include a couple of my own books, and those reviews are still on my website as he did not ask me to take them down afer he deleted his site.
He was a very funny, very eloquent man but extremely conservative politically and very opiniuonated as far as books were concenrned. He wrote brilliant reviews and several well known authors wrote to him to thank him. But he was also quick to anger which resulted in him removing every one of his amazon reviews and deleting his site and disappearing, abandoning all his friends. He had high-paying job offers from places like Stanford but finally I heard he went to work for Opera software in Norway (he was also brilliant in IT.) He was only 28 when I knew him but I had the feeling one day he'd win the Nobel proze for economics. He was that brilliant, lovable and quirky.
I say all that because his hatred of this book was beyond anything I'd ever witnessed before. He adopted the word "a Kingsolver" to mean a book of abysmmal badness, and used to be quite funny in his rants.
SO I was really, really curious and one day, after we had parted company, I read it. And all the way through I kept asking myself what it was that the Moose hated so much but could find no answer. It couldn't be the writing itself so it had to be something in the content - but what?
Only in the last section I could begin to see it with his eyes, and I believe it was the political stuff he hated so much. I just don't know. I can understand people being indifferent to it, as I to have been left unmoved by books that others have praised to the skies. But never have I hated a book to the extent that Moose hated this one. ANd I am still as baffled as ever! I wish I could have asked him, but by the time I read it he had gone off into the mists of Norway and stopped replying to mails.
BTW I just googled Literary Moose and found him: he really is with Opera and has renamed his website but not everyone can access it. I think the answer to the Kingsolver question can be found on this interview with him,
http://www.designdetector.com/articl...eInterview.php
which gives a good idea of his personality and the valuie of his literary site.
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"We live that we may learn to love. We love that we may learn to live. No other lesson is required of Man." The Book of Mirdad, Mikhail Naimy
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06-25-2006, 12:51 PM
Sarah Skilton
Super Member
Like many of you, I found the writing absolutely beautiful and enjoyed the various POVs, particularly Rachel's. I felt she brought a much-needed "sane" (if solopsistic) and humorously ignorant POV that kept the story grounded when it was used.
However, for me the book went on 100 pages too long. I felt the themes had been sufficiently explored way before the end; and I got the sense Barbara Kingsolver simply didn't want to let the characters go and/or wrap up.
On a personal level it bothered me that Leah chose to stay in Africa, where her kids were actually sickly and hungry, rather than go home to the states. She could have assisted the efforts from a place of comfort, and it was insulting to the people who *couldn't* leave that she would stay merely on a point of principal/misplaced guilt.
However, the first half of the book mesmerized me and I'm really glad I read it.
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06-25-2006, 02:51 PM
aruna
Dances with Peacocks
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarah Skilton
However, for me the book went on 100 pages too long. I felt the themes had been sufficiently explored way before the end; and I got the sense Barbara Kingsolver simply didn't want to let the characters go and/or wrap up.
On a personal level it bothered me that Leah chose to stay in Africa, where her kids were actually sickly and hungry, rather than go home to the states. She could have assisted the efforts from a place of comfort, and it was insulting to the people who *couldn't* leave that she would stay merely on a point of principal/misplaced guilt.
I agree with you. For me, the resolution of the story came when Ada realised that, in crossing the river, her mother had loved her as much as Leah. After that very moving wrapping up of the story the book was finished for me. Though it was intersting to know what became of them all, it's the kind of stuff that happens to character after the last page is turned, if you know what I mean. It was like a whole different story tagged on.
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"We live that we may learn to love. We love that we may learn to live. No other lesson is required of Man." The Book of Mirdad, Mikhail Naimy
Browse my books in the AW Library!
06-25-2006, 07:32 PM
pdr
Writer
Ah, yes but...
don't you think BK was actually trying to say something about ignorance, cultural imperialism, the colonial mind set, racism and the arrogance of Christians and that the last 100 pages are there to tie off all those ends?
Did anyone here, as a Christian, read the book in a state of shock, it being the first inkling that missionaries do anything but good?
06-25-2006, 07:43 PM
Perks
delicate #!&*! flower
Mod Squad Member
I grew up in the 'Assembly of God' denomination - very big on missionary work. Honestly, it didn't surprise me one bit.
Many missionaries have humanitarian motivations, but it is so hard for people from Western cultures, feeling particularly blessed by God, to understand that not everyone, everywhere wants to be us.
It was one of the elements I found most brilliant in this book.
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06-25-2006, 09:30 PM
Sarah Skilton
Super Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by pdr
don't you think BK was actually trying to say something about ignorance, cultural imperialism, the colonial mind set, racism and the arrogance of Christians...
Yes, definitely, and she did a great job, but...
Quote:
Originally Posted by pdr
and that the last 100 pages are there to tie off all those ends?
This I disagree with. From the moment the father ignores the local wisdom on how to plant and cultivate food, which occurred fairly early on, the theme was set. She added many rich layers, and showed how this theme affected each of the daughters, but by page 400, or even 500 (let alone 600!), I felt as though I personally *got* it, and the time had come for the story to end.
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06-25-2006, 11:00 PM
aruna
Dances with Peacocks
Quote:
Originally Posted by pdr
don't you think BK was actually trying to say something about ignorance, cultural imperialism, the colonial mind set, racism and the arrogance of Christians and that the last 100 pages are there to tie off all those ends?
Did anyone here, as a Christian, read the book in a state of shock, it being the first inkling that missionaries do anything but good?
For me, the characters always come first, so even though these themes existed, they wer eplayed out through the characters, and as Sarah says, they had alreday been sufficiently dealt with. For me, the resoltion had ot be personal, within the characters.
I was not at all surprised by the missionary shenanigans. See, I came from a colony and I've seen similar things first hand.
When I was travelling in SOuth America in the 70's with friends we came upon an American misssionary colony deep in the Amazon, inaccesible except by boat and seaplane. These people had come to translate the Bible into a native language. They had an entire American small town, complete with cinema and drug store. ANd they were so arrogant. The spoke of the Indians with such condescension, it was appalling. I remember my friend Margaret giving them a good piece of her mind; I was too polite to say anything.
(Sorry, I could only retrieve the first page from Google's cache)