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Book Review of The Bean Trees

The Bean Trees
The Bean Trees
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
reviewed on + 32 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


I just finished this book tonight, and I really enjoyed it. My first exposure to Kingsolver was "The Poisonwood Bible," yet this book is significantly different, but both are good. This book isn't as dark as "The Poisonwood Bible," but when putting these books together, you get a good sense of Kingsolver's fascination/interest in how people survive in worlds where nothing is perfect, and in fact, many things are worse than you'd like to imagine. Even when dealing with these themes, "The Bean Trees" remains light enough that you'll have some laughing moments, and you probably won't fall asleep crying about it. The characters cling to you, just like Turtle does, and once they've gotten their hold on you, you might have a hard time shaking them loose. It kind of makes me want to go on an adventure - you'll never know who or what you'll find. Read it.