Prodigal Summer: A Novel
 

Prodigal Summer: A Novel

by Barbara Kingsolver

There is no one in contemporary literature quite like Barbara Kingsolver. Her dialogue sparkles with sassy wit and earthy poetry; her descriptions are rooted in daily life but are also on familiar terms with the eternal. With Prodigal Summer, she returns from the Congo to a "wrinkle on the map that lies between farms and wildness." And there, in an isolated pocket of southern... (read more)

Top tags: fictionnaturecontemporary fictionbarbara kingsolverenvironmental (all tags)

Readers

Groups

  • DC Trendsetters Discussion Group
  • Crazy Lady Book Club Discussion Group
  • The Office Book Club Discussion Group
  • FrugalReader.com Members Discussion Group
  • Brilliant Babes (And Dudes) Who Read Selectively Discussion Group
  • Barbara Kingsolver = God Discussion Group

Other Reviews

Amazon Reviews (5)
 

Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
Going Green Gal
  • Rated 4 stars

Another Kingsolver work of art. This was a bit of a romance novel intermixed with ongoing lessons about nature and the order of things in it. Of course, I was hoping everything would be wrapped up in a neat little package at the end, but Kingsolver ended her book in a surprising way. I went back and reread the first few pages just to make sure I was remembering correctly. This book could certainly use a sequel!

Going Green Gal’s full review »
more reviews »

Didn’t Like It

cwluvs2sing
  • Rated 1 stars

Ugh. I read the whole thing because I hate to not finish a book, you know, just in case somehow it gets good. This was disappointing. I kept falling asleep within 10 minutes of reading. That should have been the first clue. The book has 3 different stories going on which barely intertwine and don't really come together at the end. I learned a lot about nature though. I might think twice before killing a spider from now on. I don't recommend this though unless you love learning about...

cwluvs2sing’s full review »
more reviews »
Community:
  • Rated 4.076923 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 4.125 stars
 

Newest Comments

  • Glenda Y

    glenda y said:

    I like all of Kingsolver's stuff (and I've read most of her books). She would be a very interesting person to sit down with and just have a general discussion over coffee or sweet tea or something. You can tell that she thinks and feels deeply and it comes through in her writing.

    posted Wednesday, June 11 2008
  • Jo

    jo said:

    I HATED this book with such a passion I flung it across the room - I suppose my extreme reaction had to do with the very high expectations I had for Kingsolver (I loved Animal Dreams, Pigs in Heaven and the Bean Trees), but really I was appalled by the laziness of the writing and the stupidity of the plot.

    posted Sunday, June 8 2008 ( | view 1 reply )
  • Mindy H

    mindy h said:

    Hmmm, right now I have only read the first chapter and feel like it is a cross between a trashy romance novel and a nature journal. I am considering not continuing with it, but I see lots of love for the book... maybe I'll press on?

    posted Sunday, May 25 2008 ( | view 2 replies )
  • Sophia P

    sophia p said:

    EXCELLENT BOOK. Also one of my top five books ever.

    posted Saturday, October 20 2007
  • Read as an antidote

    read as an antidote said:

    I've only read Prodigal Summer..and am starting the Bean Tree..but because prodigal was sooo good (yesh delicious!) and indepth I have no doubts it'll be good too

    posted Saturday, September 8 2007
© 2008 Tastemakers, Inc. | Portions of Shelfari.com are Copyright © 1996-2008 Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy