Prodigal Summer: A Novel

The first time I read this book, I was working at a job where I was allowed to read if I didn't have anything else to do. One day, I had NOTHING else to do, so I picked up this book. The first chapter was so inane and stupid that I nearly threw the book across the room in disgust. However, I was really bored that day and had nothing else to do for three hours, so I decided to keep reading. The story got pretty good after that! I thought the idea about Jews, Christians and Muslims being like relatives who fight over different versions of an inheritance story was great. So was the idea about God having enough time to turn a tree into a different kind of tree. So were the conflicting emotions of many of the main characters. I wonder how many people are so turned off by the first chapter that they can't get through a good story.

This is my first BK book and I was not impressed. Some of the writing was good, vivid, and so I gave it 2 stars instead of one.

I agree with the people that said BK had an ax to grind, or an agenda writing this. I grew tired of having her religion shoved down my throat. I never approve of all-encompassing statements such as: People Are So…, or Men Are So... Didn’t care for BK’s self-righteous and preachy novel. We are not all out to destroy the world, and humankind is not a virus to the earth, BK! We make mistakes, but we learn and try to overcome. There are many examples in the animal world of horrifying violence and total destruction, so lay off! We belong here, for good or ill, we’ll get it right, someday.

Some of the situations were boring, such as following Garrett around town; also, details that were not needed and didn’t add anything to the story. And the name Eddie Bondo?!? Bondo? What the hell?

I felt like BK thought, “Okay, now I have an audience, I can shed my crap writing on everyone now and not try hard anymore.”

I haven’t read Poisonwood, and I am treading ever so carefully to it, maybe I’ll give it a chance… otherwise, no thanks, BK. I’m glad I only paid a few cents at a thrift store for this…got halfway through it and just wanted to rip my hair out of my head. Instead, I closed it and redonated it before it could do anymore damage to my cranium.

Prodigal Summer. I loved it. I acknowledge that it's kind of preachy. This comes, I think, from her writing methods, which, I hear, are to get the idea first, and to imagine the character which can best mouth the idea. All of her characters start as ideas. One can feel it. I also was amazed at the accurate description of menopause and how it mimics pregnancy. When I first skipped a period, I had all the symptoms of pregnancy; I was sure I was. Her descriptions rang true to my own experience.
My husband pointed out how the scenes move visually. Imagine you are hovering like a satellite about that valley and mountain, and the four voices rotate...each scene is physically adjacent to the next, although one doesn't realize that until halfway through. I love the way surnames emerge and one realizes the connections. Even the furniture connects them! (The two chairs put out for the trash; one winds up on the ranger's front porch, the other appears somewhere else as well.)

I am a huge fan of Barbara Kingsolver, but this book was the one that delighted me most.
I work with moths and some of the other critters Kingsolver mentions in this book. I have little tolerance for authors that do not do their research when writing about wildlife. Kingsolver not only accomplishes this, but also makes it easy for all readers. Aside from the creative, fiction value of this book, you are going to get a factual, learning experience.
Now, the characters - Ah, the characters! You'll meet some individual people that have an extreme appreciation for nature and the world around them. Their viewpoints differ dramatically, but they all appreciate the outdoor world. You'll meet a young widow, and older woman with a sad past and a woman who lives in the mountains to escape. They are all superbly developed characters, alive and likeable.
I can assure you, if you like Kingsolver, or if you are a fan of nature, you will love this book.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. At times, Kingsolver's ecological preaching was over-powering and took the place of real plot or character development. But then, I'd read a magnificent passage that would take my breath away. She really is a phenomenal writer-elegant, yet approachable.
Of the three slightly entwined stories, I, like many reviewers, preferred "Moth Love". Lusa's tale was the most emotionally interesting, and there was evident character growth. The "Old Chestnuts" were cute-ish, but a bit cliched. "Predators" was my least favorite. Deanna was over-bearing and her continual cycling between lust and guilt grew tiresome.
THE POISONWOOD BIBLE is one of my favourite books. I think Kingsolver's a bit off the mark with PRODIGAL SUMMER, though she can still occasionally stun the reader with brilliance.

I must admit I am biased, being a big fan of Kingsolver's work. This is just as good as her other books (except for perhaps The Poisonwood Bible, which was in my opinion the pinnacle of her writing). I very much enjoyed this book. Not being of a scientific mind myself, I found that Kingsolver's writing made it interesting, and it was not too technical. It was key to the development of the story, and far different than any other book out there. My only quibble with the book is that for some reason Kingsolver seems to be man bashing in this book. All of the female characters are sensistive, strong, intelligent, and always right, while the male characters have a tendency to be bumbling idiots, oblivious to the nuances of nature, both human and wild. I think I would have like to see more well-rounded characterization in that area, but otherwise, this is a fine work.

I read Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver as required reading in school. I am definitely not the type who enjoys reading, however, I truly enjoyed Prodigal Summer.

The parts that distinguish Prodigal Summer from other novels are the descriptions. I could just picture myself in the town of Egg Fork interacting with the environment, the animals, and the characters. Kingsolver structures each sentence so beautifully. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in Prodigal Summer, a paragraph is worth a thousand pictures.

The characters are well developed. The book is divided into three stories that are somewhat connected with each other. Deanna Wolfe, the woman who traps herself in the mountains while studying coyotes, learns a few more lessons about life when Eddie Bondo comes along. Garnett Walker, the ignorant and old man who has strong views on using pesticides, confronts and learns a valuable life lesson from his neighbor, Nannie Rawley, who has older views on keeping up with nature. The banter between Garnett and Nannie is hilarious. When Lusa Landowski's husband dies, she must interact with her in-laws while learning a lesson about herself. Lusa's story conveys the emotion and heart that Prodigal Summer possesses.

The finale of the novel is subtle, but extremely effective. It leaves the reader questioning, "Now what?" because Kingsolver instills such a powerful message on protecting the environment and the meaning of all life--plants, animals, and humans. "Every quiet step is thunder to beetle life underfoot, a tug of impalpable thread on the web pulling mate to mate and a predator to prey, a beginning or an end. Every choice is a world made new for the chosen" (444).

I highly recommend reading this book if you enjoy laid back novels about real humans. I also recommend getting the audio book of Prodigal Summer, narrated by Kingsolver herself.

When you've written some fine works of fiction in the past decade, how do you follow up? I can't imagine the tremendous amount of pressure that Ms. Kingsolver was under after the triumph of Poisonwood. I shouldn't have worried.
Kingsolver has returned to her roots--the backwoods of Appalachia, to present a loving, respectful portrait of a community in conflict, and in love, with nature. Through the three intertwined stories that comprise this novel, she exposes us to a multitude of viewpoints (as well as points of view!) in terms of what it means to be an environmentalist, what it truly means to love the land.
The other main thread that runs through this book, and which is integrally bound up with the whole question of nature, is the celebration of fecundity, sensuality, and the glory of the sexual. This book was a sensual delight, and is not for those whose sensibilities are offended by frank discussions of the joys of sexual intercourse (of human, animal, and plant persuasion). This book is one of the most erotic that I have ever read, a true feminine perspective on the instinct to have contact with other human beings.
Brava, once again, Ms. Kingsolver. Thanks for the gift of this book.

Three very different stories set in the same place, exploring the ideas of humanity and our responsibility to the world around us.

Deanna is a hermit. She works for the national forest service and hasn't been down the mountain in two years. But then Eddie Bondo comes into her life and sweeps her into a love story she didn't expect with a man who came to Zebulon in the Appalachian mountains to kill her beloved coyotes. By the end of the summer she's pregnant, and he's gone like the hot sun.

Lusa moved to Zebulon County to marry Cole. She was a highly educated, insect researcher until she lost her head in the clouds with Cole. Since she was married it hasn't been heaven, his family is a tough nut to crack, and then he dies in a trucking accident and leaves the farm to her. She struggles with what to do with the place, and forms strong bonds with his family in the process.

Garnett Walker is a stubborn old man who is set in his ways and refuses to change. His neighbor, Nannie Rawley, is the thorn in his side with her organic farm and her strange thinking. But through the summer he learns to bend and flow and falls in love with Nannie.

These three women, the main characters, have a love for the wilderness. They refuse to spray insecticides or kill any plant or creature that doesn't deserve it. Nannie Rawley buys salamanders from the local fishing store and sets them free. Lusa doesn't scream and squash bugs she finds in her house, she studies them and then lets them loose. Deanna refrains from visiting the den of the new family of coyotes so Eddie doesn't follow her trail and shoot them.

It's a strong theme, and while it doesn't feel like the reader is being hit repeatedly over the head with it, it does get old. It's understandable that some farmers cause their own problems with bugs by spraying and killing the carnivorous bugs as well as the herbivores which then increases the amount of herbivores. But did it need to be mentioned so often? The stories are lovely and give you that warm fuzzy feeling, but when the theme is stronger than the plot I have trouble paying attention.

The Characters of Prodigal Summer

The distinct personalities of the characters really come through easily in Barbara Kingsolver's writing. She is capable of showing you a piece of a character without telling you everything about them. Little anecdotal stories that make the reader smile or laugh out loud. Small scenes that give the reader a sense of the character without actually spelling it out for you.

This is a story that ends very well. All the loose strings are tied up, but there's a feeling that it will go on forever. As if you could continue vicariously living these people's lives and there would be more exciting summers to experience.

Like Bean Trees and Pigs in Heaven, Kingsolver is weaving several stories together as one, and only as the book progresses do you see how each person's life will touch those of the others. A mountain ranger, living alone and trying desperately to protect a family of endangered coyotes while falling for a handsome hunter that crosses her path; a city girl married to a farmer whose crop (tobacco) she hates, and who finds herself widowed and trapped among a family determined to make her feel like an outsider; and a retired agriculture teacher trying to finish his legacy of renewing an almost extinct species of tree while battling his eccentric neighbor.
The book is full of ordinary people living through extraordinary circumstances, and like all of Kingsolver's books, thrums with the joy of discovering relationships and love in unusual places.

Wonderful book - joyous, hopeful, interesting (lots of good stuff about moths, coyotes, goats and the earth). I laughed. I empathized. I rooted, even for the characters I wasn’t so fond of. Kingsolver puts together a delightful story of a struggling family and rural community that inthe end is defined by love

This low-key eco-novel grew on me, organically, which is fitting given its subject. Parallel story lines all have as a theme the emotional and moral commitment of the characters to sustainable human life in the modern world. It is not in the least preachy, and the characters are not proselytizers, but rather sympathetic personalities seeking to fit into a web of interdependent fellow persons and other life, both animal and vegetable. The forest ranger with a brief for coyotes, the young widow who finds redemption in raising goats and rescuing a girl on the verge of marginalization, the unreconstructed misanthrope who is overcome by his own, fought-against instinct for emotional survival: These are the characters whose tales comprise a very satisfying novel.

Barbara Kingsolver offers up a very sexy book in Prodigal Summer - but not in the fashion of a bodice ripper or champagne and roses. Instead, she takes the reader on an emotional but intellectual journey to the cool and shaded mountains and valleys of Appalachia and interlocking circles of life. Whether it is moths or people or coyotes or chestnut trees, goats, crops, herbicides or herbivores, birth or death, the tangled webs are essentially linked in this glorious overlay of life. The writing glows, the characters are all wonderfully flawed, and the language is rich and wonderfully ripe. Without blatantly moralizing, the author does encourage the reader to THINK and to look at the world a bit differently. This is a book that leaves an imprint and becomes a part of you forever.

This book is a great read and a must for any Barbara Kingsolver fan. If you have never read any of her books, then now is the time to start! You will not be disappointed.

I hope that you have found my opinion to be helpful with your decision process to purchase this item. If this is the case, and where the store asks if this review helpful, please click "yes". Thank you!

This book, like others by Barbara Kingsolver, started a bit slow for me, but by the end I was devouring it. It is actually 3 stories in one: the independent naturalist who finds romance where she doesn't want it, the suddenly widowed Lusa who finds strength in herself, and the cantankerous old man who finds friendship where he least expects it. I was at first disappointed when I realized that the characters were not actually going to interact with each other, but through various circumstances it all comes together at the end.
I THINK THIS SHOULD BE A MUST-READ FOR ALL STUDENTS OF BIOLOGY. Each of the 3 parts of this book has more information about the laws of nature than I learned in college, yet it is woven so intricately into the story that you are left wanting to get outside into the hills without knowing why.

Prodigal: (adjective) rashly or wastefully extravagant. In describing this book, "prodigal summer" seems to be an oxymoron, because the characters in Prodigal Summer are anything by extravagant. In fact, one could almost call them resourceful... using all of what they have in practical ways, coming up with ingenious solutions to their problems. They each exemplify the theme of the book in very different ways: the interdependence in nature among all living things. I don't want to give anything away, but if you do actually want to know more about the plot, you can read one of the other 389 reviews on this book.

Every time I read another of Barbara Kingsolver's magnificent manuscripts, I am amazed all over again at what she can do with words. Just merely saying that she has "a way with words" would be an understatement. Ms. Kingsolver is a visionary, a virtuoso, a writer. She has a truly in-depth understanding of what it truly means to be a human being, and she has shared her epiphanies with the world. We should all thank her for that. But on the subject of Prodigal Summer... I cannot express how much this novel has helped me... in so many ways.

For better or for worse, I now know much, much more than I knew before about this world than before I discovered how prodigal a summer could be. My thanks goes to Ms. Barbara Kingsolver for writing what she did and making us all the wiser for it. The only reason I've given this book four stars instead of five is because the ending was less than satisfactory for me. It did seem to end very abruptly, and I did turn the last page wishing to read more, but my holistic impression of the story was a good one. I also thought that the three-part format was quite a good idea, and an interesting way to follow a story line. It was very different from Kingsolver's other books, even The Poisonwood Bible, because each chapter transition brought you not only into another person's life, but into an entirely different setting with different characters. Their lives do cross at certain points in the novel, but never combine, like in The Bean Trees. I remember thinking in the beginning that I liked only one of the three stories being told, and then only two of the three, but as I read on I realized that I liked all three of the three. It's funny how your opinion of something changed the more you get to know about it.

I think ALL people, no matter what their religion or race or age, could benefit from reading this book. The only limits I would place on it is that it is really not appropriate for children under maybe 14... but of course that is at their parent's discretion.

Read Prodigal Summer, learn a forest-full of knowledge, and I think you'll turn that last page wanting to plant your own garden of flowers, of vegetables, or of knowledge, to experience it for yourself.

This text should be required reading in all high school English courses. A well written, character driven novel that intertwines three separate stories into one and touches on the ecological issues facing America, and the world, today. Although a work of fiction, the book contains many facts about nature, and these are woven into the theme of the book. On the surface, many may feel that the only issue addressed here is the natural environment. But look closer, the real story is how each character learns to cohesively exist in their social environment, from dealing with nature to relationships with family and neighbors, and in the context of how falling in love affects our perspective on life. This is not The Poisonwood Bible, don't expect it to be. But if you're not afraid to have your understanding of the world challenged, then set aside a weekend to read this book.

When i first started this book, I wrote, "Kingsolver seduces the reader into the book with her lyrical and poetic writing.". If I'd only known how prophetic that was! This is a beautiful book to be read slowly and savored.

The story takes place over one summer and tells three stories of love. The language and phrasing is so beautiful that I had to stop periodically and let what I had read sink in. It literally took my breath away in so many places.

This is not a "beach read". You need time to absorb all the beauty that Kingsolver gives you.

I feel privileged to have been able to read it. I'd recommend it to anyone who really loves to read and loves language used at its best!

From goodreads

Prodigal Summer is a very good novel which probably could have been fantastic had Barbara Kingsolver gotten off her soap box a bit. It tells three stories of people in a small county in Appalachia, three stories which ultimately become intertwined. The novel, as all of Kingsolver's, is extremely well-written; however, I believe her eco-preachiness really got in the way. Kingsolver's characters are all black and white, no shades of grey. It is obvious from before some of these characters open their mouths who is "right" and who is wrong. The older gentleman who wants to use pesticides on his crops--well, he doesn't stand a chance. Kingsolver portrays him as an utter, close-minded fool. His archnemesis, an organic farmer who lives next door--well, she's perfect. I only wish Kingsolver had let us decide for ourselves which is the right eco-position to take instead of essentially shoving it down our throats with such obvious characterizations. Each story line has one character who is eco-perfect and who comes up against others who aren't. All characters come off as being almost stereotypical and much of the plotting is predicable. So why four stars? Kingsolver writes like a dream and Prodigal Summer is an enjoyable read. Read it with a grain of salt and you'll be OK.

After recently finishing, and loving, Poisonwood Bible, I decided to read, Prodigal Summer. To say that I loved this novel is an understatement. I have been telling others to read it since I finished it (rather rapidly.) What I love most about this book is the way that Kingsolver is able to weave together the three separate vignettes at the end of the novel. This, along with the poetic usage of language, makes this a novel destined to be used in classrooms around the country at some later date in time. It boggles the mind how an author can create such a beautiful tapestry of human nature. At the end of the novel the reader is left to hope and wonder about the future lives of the characters we have come to know and love. Those readers who were disappointed perhaps failed to become involved with the spider's web of language, centering around creation, humanity, and the interdependency of the species residing on this place we call the earth. The book is wonderful!!!!

I've spent the last two years lending out my copy of Poisonwood Bible to the point the cover is tattered. Somehow I don't think Prodigal Summer will meet the same fate. Not that it's a bad book. It just lacks the power of Poisonwood. Perhaps it's due to the less exotic setting.
Still, Kingsolver actually makes the triple and parallel plot device work pretty well. I didn't expect to like the "Old Chesnuts" plot but it was the one I looked forward to most by the end. While the eroticism of "Predators" was fun, Deanna's preachiness wore thin quickly. And while it wasn't exactly a fun read, I suspect that Lusa and the "Moth Love" story line may actually linger the longest.
I read this for a book club and it produced the good (but not great) discussion common when everyone in the group is essentially in agreement about liking the book. I'd give it 3 and 1/2 stars if the system allowed.

The other reviews of this book are so good, thoughtful, and complete, that I don't have much left to add!
This book is about ecology, biology, relationships, feelings, and sex. The book consists of three intersperced love stories-all three incredibly sensuous, intertwined with ecological themes (the author is trained as a biologist). This book was completely different from the Poisonwood Bible, an an easier read in terms of enjoyment. I loved the Poisonwood Bible, but it also disturbed me. This book was pure pleasure. I did have the feeling that this book might be too slow-paced for many men. It deals mostly with the intricacies of relationships between the characters, and their feelings.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it.

I took Prodigal Summer along with me on a recent ski trip - something to read in the airport and on the plane. I have read a few of Kingsolver's books and really struggled to stay engrossed with the last third of Poisonwood Bible. I was willing to forgive the author, only to find the first quarter of Prodigal Summer another yawn. The extensive scientific descriptions of the plants, animals and insects were, as other reviewers have expressed, overdone for the average reader. But I plugged along. My efforts were soon rewarded and I was hooked. I even kept the book in a locker at the ski lodge so I could continue reading after lunch - it delayed my return to the ski lift!
The telling of three stories concurrently - people and places so close together yet so far apart in the fertile fields, forests and farms of Zebulon County- is an amazing Kingsolver talent. Little by little, we become aware of how these stories intertwine, and we are anxious to see a full culmination of character, connection and interplay. However, Kingsolver brings us to the brink and we are left to imagine, create and dream that fulfillment on our own.
I was left thinking that an epilogue was missing from my copy of the book and reacted with frustration. After letting the book digest a little, I was somewhat accepting of her design, but still wanted more. It is probably the groundwork for a sequel.

Evocative nature writing, a sensory picture of Appalachia. The "prodigal" in the title seems to refer to the profuse and lavish display of procreation in the plant and animal world during one spring and summer. There are many connected stories, but the focus is on three: a forest ranger protecting a mountain and it's newly arrived coyotes and her affair with a hunter; a young wife from the city trying to fit in to a farmer's way of life and his clannish family; and two comically feuding elderly neighbors--a freespirited organic apple farmer and a lonely widower set in his ways, determined to poison every nuisance. The book's about balance in the natural world, a healthy ecosystem and every living thing's place in it. Kingsolver can be very heavy-handed in hammering this message home.

I enjoyed this book but in the end was disappointed. It took the first 1/3 of the book to get into the various parallel stories, but once I was into it I couldn't put it down and enjoyed the development of the characters and the story. The natural conclusion to the story was that all of these characters would come together in the end. However, the author never brought that closure to the story, it is almost as if it is left needing a sequel. There may be some readers who enjoy an "open ended" ending, but it isn't something I have an imagination or appreciation for. I am an avid reader because I enjoy the development of characters and the story and find it disappointing when authors just bring the story to an abrupt close without tying it all together in the end.

I read PRODIGAL SUMMER as springtime finally emerged here in Wisconsin. The trees finally had leaves, the grass was finally green, the flowers finally bloomed. Reading PRODIGAL SUMMER at this time of year made me crave nature's springtime beauty.

I read Kingsolver's THE POISONWOOD BIBLE last year. I had a hard time getting into it, but I was so glad that I slugged it out for 500+ pages. I did not experience the same difficulties with PRODIGAL SUMMER. I felt immediate attachment to the characters, even to the darn coyotes. It didn't matter to me that the plot threads were not neatly resolved by the end of the book. There was no need for such finality.

Great character development, good pace, excellent description of this corner of American life.

This is the first Kingsolver novel I've read. I am still smiling over the BEAUTY of it. I felt as if I was a part of the nature that enveloped the characters in this novel. I loved the way the lives of the 3 characters all inter related.

When I read one of the negative reviews who said it was boring at the beginning, I think I understand where they are coming from....BUT...I think it is like being in nature....if all you are looking for is artificial "entertainment", you won't find it. But, if you relax and wait, nature will provide you with all of the REAL entertainment there is.

What a beautiful novel. The words, the feelings, the images.

Thank you Barbara Kingsolver.

This book moves ambles along much like the lives and surroundings of the characters. I savored the pace and the artistry of the weave.
Kingsolver takes you on a journey of the senses, explores the interconnectedness, and the choices found in simple life. Each of the three story lines are interconnected--you discover the threads slowly.
Having lived in a farm community and on the edge of the wilderness, I have encountered many of the characters and topics found in this book--I found it beautifully done.
Definately worth your time, but it is a nature walk through the forest not a trot down the path in the middle. So, if you are looking for popular fiction or entertainment read something like Evanovich, if you want to delve into an artful weave rich in description but without intense complications--then pick up this book.

Barbara Kingsolver�s books have been a huge commercial success, and many people will read anything she puts out simply because it�s by her. Before you pick up this book, though, be aware that she has crystallized into a woman on a mission.
In the belief that liberal issues of social and environmental injustice should have a commanding place in serious literary fiction, Kingsolver recently dreamed up The Bellwether Prize for Fiction to recognize her concept of socially responsible literature. To rise to this level, it isn�t enough to lay out the facts and trust readers to draw the right conclusions. The writer has to spell out the right conclusions.
Against this background, Kingsolver gives us Prodigal Summer, a book that takes aim at some trends affecting earth�s ecosystem. Its three central themes are the value of predators in a naturally balanced world, the evils of pesticides, and the hardships of small farmers. Along the way, she provides considerable narrative about the natural world. Some reviewers enjoyed reading about nature, and to the extent Kingsolver has reminded them that the natural world exists, the book has that merit.
The book takes place in a small patch of Kentucky or Tennessee in the Appalachian Mountain Range, and story lines rotate, over the course of one spring and summer, among the lives of three groups of people.
First is Deanna, a 47-year-old biologist who, having come to hate the demands of people and the clamor of civilization, sought refuge in a hermitlike existence as a Forest Service caretaker of Zebulon Mountain. While tracking a group of coyotes that had migrated to her mountain, she encounters a 28-year-old muscular guy named Eddie (Kingsolver seems to like muscular men). It is spring, and the world is alive to its cycle of rebirth. The two have a physical attraction for each other that quickly, and often, finds expression.
Next is Lusa, a pretty, young woman of Palestinian and Jewish heritage, and another biologist. She had come to the little valley abutting the mountain after a whirlwind romance. Within a year of her marriage, though, she finds herself a widow in ownership of a small farm, confronting four seemingly hostile sisters-in-law, and the question of whether she should leave, or stay and try to do something with the farm herself.
Last there is a couple in their seventies. Nannie Rawley, a sprightly, unconventional, liberal, and knowledgeable old gal, grows fabulous organic apples in her orchard and vociferously opposes the use of pesticides. Her neighbor, Garnett Walker, is a retired vocational agriculture teacher, a breeder of hybrid chestnut trees, and, strangely, a creationist. Nannie is an everlasting thorn in his side.
Despite the wealth of material available here, Prodigal Summer falls oddly flat. It doesn�t meet Kingsolver�s own standards for The Bellwether Prize because it cannot be considered literature, or even what is called today serious fiction. Missing are those key elements of compositional excellence and literary aesthetic.
The plot is exceedingly thin. Although Nannie and Garnett provide the nexus for these tales (Nannie has a link to Deanna, and Garnett to Lusa and her family), the connections are so muted as to be insignificant. Indeed, the three stories � each too scrawny to stand alone � don�t advance toward to a common end and never mesh together into a coherent whole.
The Nannie-Garnett section is primarily a platform for Nannie (Kingsolver) to wag her finger at Garnett (us readers) and to lecture on and on about pesticides and little critters. A real case can be made for organic farming, but Kingsolver�s puny arguments and her strident tone defeat that result. Casting poor Garnett as a doddering buffoon, hobbled by old-age infirmities and "backward" beliefs, may make him an easy target for Nannie, but it doesn�t help Kingsolver�s case. Since when is tolerance relative? It is simply not nice to ridicule someone�s condition or religious beliefs.
What the Deanna section lacks in storyline, it makes up for in long-windedness. Deanna inexplicably sheds her desire to be rid of people in her life, and she and Eddie have sex, sex, sex. Their relationship, though, has no emotion, no spark. As Deanna ostensibly wrote her master�s thesis on coyotes, this section could have been rich with observations of these animals� behavior in the wild, but all we get are Deanna�s blanket lectures. It is here that Kingsolver writes most extensively about the natural world. While her narrative is occasionally lovely, much of the time she is so painfully repetitive, and so much the harpy, that the reading is hard going. She drones on, oblivious to the beauty, the excitement, and the magic of the eastern woodlands. You�d be better off reading Rachel Carson�s lyrical (and short) book, The Sense of Wonder.
At least the Lusa section has the semblance of a plot, and the dialogue here is often quite fine. Regrettably, Lusa herself is an implausible character (this transplanted city girl is all of a sudden a prodigious gardener, a whiz at canning, and a better baker than her sisters-in-law�s mother?). Dramatic opportunities sail by, unexplored. And her brainstorm for paying the farm�s expenses struck me as preposterous.
I opened Prodigal Summer in happy expectation: I agree with her central tenets, and I love the area in which the book is set. Alas, I found sanctimonious female characters who give new meaning to the word annoying. I found science that is watery and sometimes suspect. And I found writing so tedious, so rambling, and so lacking in plot or drama that it took me weeks to finish the thing. All in all, this book struck me as a lazy work, where the basic elements of fiction have been abandoned in favor of feeble ideological bleating.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
The Appalachian Mountain area caught my attention.
Den of coyotes are seen during one summer with the flower and fauna.
Deanna Wolf watches the forest, Eddie Bondo has caught her off guard.
When she does talk to him she asks him to go first on the trail and not to step on the cat prints as she is tracking him.
Love hearing how the soap she uses is not detected by the animals as her being a human. She maintained the trails.
Also love the flower discoveries they find together and habits of the animals...
Luci, a bookish city girl is marooned and cares for animals. Cole is her husband and they've lost what they first had when they had met.
Garnet, lives next door and is half blind and wants to bring back the chestnut trees that have been destroyed.
Love all the nature and signs of how they are thriving.
Love all the technical talk of the predators and like how they come to an even balance by talking about their problems face to face.

Every word of this book tells us a story about the story behind the book. Kingsolver loves her subject matter-- she falls in love with the land, the characters, the storyline. And in the process, the words she writes resonate with that special glow with which you see someone/thing you love. As a reader, I too fell for the book's setting & characters. I wish I could meet them, go there, be this kind of writer. The story gripped me and would not let go. Having the luck to also have "read" this on the book on tape version read by Kingsolver herself, I enjoyed it all the more... so if you're a "car reader" like me, give this one a try. You'll find yourself making excuses to go on long road trips.

I have been waiting anxiously for Barbara Kingsolver to write another book. Nevertheless, I was afraid that anything she would write after the Poisonwood Bible would be a disappointment. It was not. This book is beautiful, meaningful and enjoyable.
Her talent for description is unparalleled. Reading it, I could feel the serenity of the woods and the farm. I could smell the earth and the grass. It was amazing. I loved all of the characters and enjoyed seeing them evolve. The book also packs a lot of information about wildlife, insects, trees, farming and plants, as well as a powerful message about man's place in the world. But the message wasn't overpowering and, unlike in her other books, she gives a nod to the other side of the argument. I was truly sorry when the book ended.
I have been a major Kingsolver fan for years and have loved everything she has written. This book is no exception.

After the "Poisonwood Bible", which I enjoyed but found frankly heavy going, I was not sure if I was ready for another large book by Ms Kinsolver. How wrong I was. This is a lovely book, gentle and full of the sorts of undemanding lives that most of us lead, and peppered with sadness and happiness.
The prose is beautiful, and I could almost imagine that I really was on the moutnain or on the farms of the characters as they pondered their daily lives. The novel ties it's ends together very well at the end, and you know that the characters will go on with their lives in new ways.
If you are looking for a novel with the punch and shock value of her masterpiece "The Posionwood Bible" you will probably be disappointed. This is a far more mellow and gentle story, but it is lovely just the same.

First off, let me preface this by saying that I am not a particular rabid fan of Barbara Kingsolver. I have read a couple of her books, and had mixed feelings about them. I enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible and recommended it to several friends. I found Pigs in Heaven to be unbearably preachy and didactic, attempting to take on extremely complicated issues via some almost obstinately flat characters. This book was recommended to me by several people, including my own mother, whose literary taste i usually share--i recommend it, but with caveats.
It takes place in Zebulon County (particularly in the forestland up on Zebulon Mountain and the townships and farms beneath in Zebulon Valley). I'm still not quite sure if Kingsolver pins down exactly where in "Southern Appalachia" it's supposed to be set, but based on the geographical references--one character is from the "big city" of Lexington, KY, and another refers to the close proximity of Knoxville and Johnson City, TN--I assume its the mountains along the eastern KY/TN border.
It follows three basic storylines.
The first is that of Deanna Wolfe, a forest ranger living in solitude on Zebulon Mountain, observing the wildlife, keeping the hiking and hunting trails clear, occasionally confronting hunters off-season. She comes across a wanderer named Eddie Bondo, whom she determines is hunting a coyote family she's been studying; of course, she's been all dried up alone and unlaid on a mountaintop so long she can't decide whether to hate him or screw him, or both. I liked her development as a character over the course but found her "relationship" with Mr. Bondo (who seemed to be pretty flat, to me) to be dubious at best.
The second is that of Lusa Landowski, an entomologist (bug scientist) from Lexington of mixed-culture parentage (Polish Jewish father and Palestinian mother) who moved to Zebulon Valley when she marries local farmer Cole Widener. At the start of the book she finds herself widowed, trying to eke out a living on the Widener family farm, and faced with an array of awkwardness and outright hostility from her husband's family.
The third involves a sort of minor feud between elderly farmers whose property lines abut, an eccentric organic orchard tender named Nannie Rawley and a pesticide-loving former 4H teacher and chestnut crossbreeder, Garnett Walker.
By the end of the book, Kingsolver has drawn you some beautiful pictures of the land, what makes it wonderful and what makes it sad. She's portrayed the quirks of these people, transcribed the lilt and meter of mountain speech, aptly set down succinct plain-folks colloquialisms, and she's shown you how the three seemingly entirely different stories are in fact interwoven threads of lives that cross and recross one another in the weave of the Zebulon Valley tapestry. For this, i loved this book.
I wasn't so keen, however, on how strictly drawn the "rights" and "wrongs" were. There is a very strong ecological agenda in this book (and, let me say that i myself am "in Kingsolver's camp" about it; i do agree with her position on revitalizing mountain ecology), and Kingsolver pretty much cracks the reader in the jaw with her position. The insufferable, closed-minded, and/or pompous characters make the ecologically "transgressive" choices, and they have to be patiently taught right-thinking by the independent, free-thinking, hippie-treehugging characters. Now, again, I'm somewhat of a hippie treehugger myself, and the characters aren't entirely black and white, two dimensional cartoons--I just felt that perhaps the conflicts on an ecological level could have had a bit more depth. I found myself wanting to know more about *why* the characters who were portrayed as doing "the wrong thing" had chosen to do so, since they didn't seem stupid and in need of hand-holding to me, and i wanted more of a justification on their behalves than just "they're obstinate, uneducated, and/or misled." It's unfortunate, because had she successfully woven this ecological thread into the book, i'd have called it perfect.
I did think the book benefitted from Kingsolver's background as a biologist; details about the behavioral patterns of the wildlife and plant life, coyote family structure, insect control via predation, extinction of breeds like the American chestnut and the ways in which people live in harmony or conflict with the land definitely broadened the scope of the novel and made it more interesting. Read this book for these things--the word-drawn postcards from the mountains, the nuances of interrelationships among mountain families and "outsiders", sounds and smells and troubles and lives. It is worth it, IMO, despite the ham-handed, preachy treatment of ecology.

I discoverd Barbara Kingsolver this summer during an Arizona public library initiative prmoting one of her novels (Animal Dreams in "one book arizona". I enjoyed Animal Dreams enough to seek her other books and particularly enjoyed Prodigal Summer and Poisonwood Bibles the most. I just love when you find a new author and race to read everything she has written.
Prodigal Summer was rich in character development - it focussed separately on several characters that you kept reading to figure out how they were related. I enjoyed the focus on nature and farming as a background for the purity of hard work and cycles of good and bad that life presents. This book presented a realistic view of life full of positive things, but not a life with fairytale endings.

Once I read Barbara Kingsolver's "The Poisonwood Bible", I began reading all her books. The Prodigal Summer was a bit of a let down for me. It was a wonderful story, but I didn't think it was up to her standard. Normally, her characters are well-developed but in this story they just seemed to be lost in the message of organic farming and other environmental issues by the author. These are important subjects and they are told very well as only the biologist writer can do. However, these issues just came across as a bit too patronizing and relationship that I had hoped would develop with the characters just seemed to be fuzzy. Still, the book was an excellent read. There was a bit good humor, an unbelievable insight into the feelings and emotions of women and a priceless education and view of the world of nature. All this rolled up into a wonderful story.

What an enjoyable book.
Something I enjoyed about this book was it's representation of the idea that we are all interconnected - not only are the characters in it connected in ways we can't see at first, but there are several discussions about how farming, forestry, and ecology work that demonstrate how much one action (for instance, killing off a species or using the wrong pesticide) can affect the social, physical, and emotional environment around you, and, in turn, those around the ones you've affected.
It also seemed to talk extensively about the biology of human interaction - for instance, the woman who was constantly flirted with at a picnic, and then realizes that she must be putting of some serious pheremones, as she was ovulating for the first time in years after going off the pill following her husband's death - and how much things we have little or no control over can affect our day to day (sometimes hour to hour) actions and moods.
There was also a very even handed approach to several issues of ecology, in that they were debated without clear winners. Discussions between characters didn't seem forced into, and seemed to see several sides of the same issue, rather than making one person an ignorant loudmouth in order to enhance the other side of the arguement.
It also showed, very plainly, the complications of love. How people can fear it, love it, be confused by it, and follow it at all costs - and give you a little insight into why. On the surface, many would see certain relationships in the book as taboo or just plain weird, but the progression of these characters paint such an understanding, detailed and vivid picture that you find yourself following it almost without question, as Kingsolver has shown us all the complications (and the characters seem to have some understanding as well) of the relationship, and are entering it realisticly. At the very least, more realisticly than many characters one sees these days.
All in all, this was refreshing, fun, sad at times, and something to look forward to. I couldn't wait to pick it up again and see what was going on. I hope I'll be reading other books by her soon.

Who knew scientists were so interesting? Of course they are women, so I guess that comes with the territory... I'm not the only one to sing Barbara Kingsolver's praises, but I am adding mine to the list because this is truly a lovely book. It sucks you in and you don't even realize it until it's too late. Even the names roll off the tongue as you read it. In fact, it's a great book read aloud, as I was introduced to it by listening to books on tape. After it was over, I actually went back and got the book, just so that I could re-read certain areas that had sounded so lush... and they played out just as sweetly in my head as I read them again.

Fine fine effort. This is a Must Read.

Prodigal Summer is a very good novel that could have been even better had Barbara Kingsolver gotten off her soap box a bit. It tells three stories of people in a small county in Appalachia. The three stories ultimately become intertwined. The novel is extremely well-written; however, I believe her preaching is too extreme at times. The author's characters are all black and white -- no shades of grey. It is obvious which characters are "right" and "wrong" from the beginning. I only wish Kingsolver had let me figure things out instead of shoving the plot down my throat with such obvious characterizations. All characters come off as being almost stereotypical and much of the plotting is predicable. So why three stars? Kingsolver writes like a dream and Prodigal Summer is an enjoyable read. Read it with a grain of salt and you'll be fine.

After the "Poisonwood Bible", which I enjoyed but found frankly heavy going, I was not sure if I was ready for another large book by Ms Kinsolver. How wrong I was. This is a lovely book, gentle and full of the sorts of undemanding lives that most of us lead, and peppered with sadness and happiness.
The prose is beautiful, and I could almost imagine that I really was on the moutnain or on the farms of the characters as they pondered their daily lives. The novel ties it's ends together very well at the end, and you know that the characters will go on with their lives in new ways.
If you are looking for a novel with the punch and shock value of her masterpiece "The Posionwood Bible" you will probably be disappointed. This is a far more mellow and gentle story, but it is lovely just the same.

First off, let me preface this by saying that I am not a particular rabid fan of Barbara Kingsolver. I have read a couple of her books, and had mixed feelings about them. I enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible and recommended it to several friends. I found Pigs in Heaven to be unbearably preachy and didactic, attempting to take on extremely complicated issues via some almost obstinately flat characters. This book was recommended to me by several people, including my own mother, whose literary taste i usually share--i recommend it, but with caveats.
It takes place in Zebulon County (particularly in the forestland up on Zebulon Mountain and the townships and farms beneath in Zebulon Valley). I'm still not quite sure if Kingsolver pins down exactly where in "Southern Appalachia" it's supposed to be set, but based on the geographical references--one character is from the "big city" of Lexington, KY, and another refers to the close proximity of Knoxville and Johnson City, TN--I assume its the mountains along the eastern KY/TN border.
It follows three basic storylines.
The first is that of Deanna Wolfe, a forest ranger living in solitude on Zebulon Mountain, observing the wildlife, keeping the hiking and hunting trails clear, occasionally confronting hunters off-season. She comes across a wanderer named Eddie Bondo, whom she determines is hunting a coyote family she's been studying; of course, she's been all dried up alone and unlaid on a mountaintop so long she can't decide whether to hate him or screw him, or both. I liked her development as a character over the course but found her "relationship" with Mr. Bondo (who seemed to be pretty flat, to me) to be dubious at best.
The second is that of Lusa Landowski, an entomologist (bug scientist) from Lexington of mixed-culture parentage (Polish Jewish father and Palestinian mother) who moved to Zebulon Valley when she marries local farmer Cole Widener. At the start of the book she finds herself widowed, trying to eke out a living on the Widener family farm, and faced with an array of awkwardness and outright hostility from her husband's family.
The third involves a sort of minor feud between elderly farmers whose property lines abut, an eccentric organic orchard tender named Nannie Rawley and a pesticide-loving former 4H teacher and chestnut crossbreeder, Garnett Walker.
By the end of the book, Kingsolver has drawn you some beautiful pictures of the land, what makes it wonderful and what makes it sad. She's portrayed the quirks of these people, transcribed the lilt and meter of mountain speech, aptly set down succinct plain-folks colloquialisms, and she's shown you how the three seemingly entirely different stories are in fact interwoven threads of lives that cross and recross one another in the weave of the Zebulon Valley tapestry. For this, i loved this book.
I wasn't so keen, however, on how strictly drawn the "rights" and "wrongs" were. There is a very strong ecological agenda in this book (and, let me say that i myself am "in Kingsolver's camp" about it; i do agree with her position on revitalizing mountain ecology), and Kingsolver pretty much cracks the reader in the jaw with her position. The insufferable, closed-minded, and/or pompous characters make the ecologically "transgressive" choices, and they have to be patiently taught right-thinking by the independent, free-thinking, hippie-treehugging characters. Now, again, I'm somewhat of a hippie treehugger myself, and the characters aren't entirely black and white, two dimensional cartoons--I just felt that perhaps the conflicts on an ecological level could have had a bit more depth. I found myself wanting to know more about *why* the characters who were portrayed as doing "the wrong thing" had chosen to do so, since they didn't seem stupid and in need of hand-holding to me, and i wanted more of a justification on their behalves than just "they're obstinate, uneducated, and/or misled." It's unfortunate, because had she successfully woven this ecological thread into the book, i'd have called it perfect.
I did think the book benefitted from Kingsolver's background as a biologist; details about the behavioral patterns of the wildlife and plant life, coyote family structure, insect control via predation, extinction of breeds like the American chestnut and the ways in which people live in harmony or conflict with the land definitely broadened the scope of the novel and made it more interesting. Read this book for these things--the word-drawn postcards from the mountains, the nuances of interrelationships among mountain families and "outsiders", sounds and smells and troubles and lives. It is worth it, IMO, despite the ham-handed, preachy treatment of ecology.

I discoverd Barbara Kingsolver this summer during an Arizona public library initiative prmoting one of her novels (Animal Dreams in "one book arizona". I enjoyed Animal Dreams enough to seek her other books and particularly enjoyed Prodigal Summer and Poisonwood Bibles the most. I just love when you find a new author and race to read everything she has written.
Prodigal Summer was rich in character development - it focussed separately on several characters that you kept reading to figure out how they were related. I enjoyed the focus on nature and farming as a background for the purity of hard work and cycles of good and bad that life presents. This book presented a realistic view of life full of positive things, but not a life with fairytale endings.

Once I read Barbara Kingsolver's "The Poisonwood Bible", I began reading all her books. The Prodigal Summer was a bit of a let down for me. It was a wonderful story, but I didn't think it was up to her standard. Normally, her characters are well-developed but in this story they just seemed to be lost in the message of organic farming and other environmental issues by the author. These are important subjects and they are told very well as only the biologist writer can do. However, these issues just came across as a bit too patronizing and relationship that I had hoped would develop with the characters just seemed to be fuzzy. Still, the book was an excellent read. There was a bit good humor, an unbelievable insight into the feelings and emotions of women and a priceless education and view of the world of nature. All this rolled up into a wonderful story.

What an enjoyable book.
Something I enjoyed about this book was it's representation of the idea that we are all interconnected - not only are the characters in it connected in ways we can't see at first, but there are several discussions about how farming, forestry, and ecology work that demonstrate how much one action (for instance, killing off a species or using the wrong pesticide) can affect the social, physical, and emotional environment around you, and, in turn, those around the ones you've affected.
It also seemed to talk extensively about the biology of human interaction - for instance, the woman who was constantly flirted with at a picnic, and then realizes that she must be putting of some serious pheremones, as she was ovulating for the first time in years after going off the pill following her husband's death - and how much things we have little or no control over can affect our day to day (sometimes hour to hour) actions and moods.
There was also a very even handed approach to several issues of ecology, in that they were debated without clear winners. Discussions between characters didn't seem forced into, and seemed to see several sides of the same issue, rather than making one person an ignorant loudmouth in order to enhance the other side of the arguement.
It also showed, very plainly, the complications of love. How people can fear it, love it, be confused by it, and follow it at all costs - and give you a little insight into why. On the surface, many would see certain relationships in the book as taboo or just plain weird, but the progression of these characters paint such an understanding, detailed and vivid picture that you find yourself following it almost without question, as Kingsolver has shown us all the complications (and the characters seem to have some understanding as well) of the relationship, and are entering it realisticly. At the very least, more realisticly than many characters one sees these days.
All in all, this was refreshing, fun, sad at times, and something to look forward to. I couldn't wait to pick it up again and see what was going on. I hope I'll be reading other books by her soon.

Who knew scientists were so interesting? Of course they are women, so I guess that comes with the territory... I'm not the only one to sing Barbara Kingsolver's praises, but I am adding mine to the list because this is truly a lovely book. It sucks you in and you don't even realize it until it's too late. Even the names roll off the tongue as you read it. In fact, it's a great book read aloud, as I was introduced to it by listening to books on tape. After it was over, I actually went back and got the book, just so that I could re-read certain areas that had sounded so lush... and they played out just as sweetly in my head as I read them again.

Fine fine effort. This is a Must Read.

Prodigal Summer is a very good novel that could have been even better had Barbara Kingsolver gotten off her soap box a bit. It tells three stories of people in a small county in Appalachia. The three stories ultimately become intertwined. The novel is extremely well-written; however, I believe her preaching is too extreme at times. The author's characters are all black and white -- no shades of grey. It is obvious which characters are "right" and "wrong" from the beginning. I only wish Kingsolver had let me figure things out instead of shoving the plot down my throat with such obvious characterizations. All characters come off as being almost stereotypical and much of the plotting is predicable. So why three stars? Kingsolver writes like a dream and Prodigal Summer is an enjoyable read. Read it with a grain of salt and you'll be fine.

Kingsolver is one author whose books can be devoured in rapid succession--you aren't going to get bored with repeated plot elements or the same setting over and over again. She delivers a terrific interwoven novel of three parallel stories with the shared theme of the importance of preserving predators to maintain ecosytems from bug-size to mammal-size. I loved this for the storyline and for the biological science I picked up during the reading. She delivers a masterful ending in which leaves the reader at peace with the way the characters from the three different storylines came together. Be prepared to keep turning the pages when you pick this novel up.

Okay, so it's not the Poisonwood Bible--but why do we want her to write another Poisonwood Bible? I enjoyed Prodigal Summer and learned quite a lot about ecology in the process. Granted, I do eat organic produce and would label myself as an environmentalist...if you are not sympathetic to these views, you might not like this book. I enjoyed all three stories, and I especially liked the characters of Nanny and Deanna. I didn't want the book to end, and when it did end, I felt that their stories were incomplete--I wanted to know what would happen with Deanna and Lusa.
If you like to read lyrical prose about nature and creation, combined with a good story, this is your book.

Prodigal Summer is the third Kingsolver novel I've read, and I plan to keep following this talented author. This novel presents a rich, complex set of stories centered around the premise that all life is interconnected and important. Creating intensely interesting and complex characters, the author develops both her characters and her story lines within the tightly-woven matrix that is man's - and especially woman's - relationship to nature. We delve into the minds of these people, get to know them and understand how they think, how their environment affects them and how they affect their surroundings. A wonderful read with the hint of a possible sequel. I can hardly wait!

This is the first Kingsolver book I have read and LOVED it! The story line was fabulous and the characters felt like long lost friends. It made me want to dump my city life and buy a farm in Kentucky. For the one star reviewers,... really? I have not read any of her other books but if this is a poor example of her storytelling, wow do I have a lot to look forward to! People have a tendency to extrapolate and interpret what they want. It's a fictional story about people living. Even fictional people cannot be perfect or exactly what we want them to be. The richness of perspectives and relations other than we have experienced is the definition of life. Don't be a Garnett Walker.... life is too short. Now I need to find a place for my soapbox.

As I write this, we're heading into winter--a perfect time to read this novel and then ruminate on what your own place is in our global ecosystem. I have to admit a bias to Kingsolver's writing; she understands people and what motivates them. The Bean Trees, Animal Dreams, and Pigs in Heaven are novels that I recommend over and over to people who say, 'I want something good to read, but not something heavy.' This will be a recommended novel as well. Kingsolver always offers a small piece of life that most of us can accept graciously and then chew on thoughtfully--and her recipes are without unnecessary additives. Love that.

This novel loosely weaves together three separate story lines each revolving around a different alpha-female character.
The real attraction of this book is in the beauty of the writing and the strength of the characters portrayed. Barbara Kingsolver has a delightfully poetic style and this book clearly indicates her sensitivity about the environment. Add to this her powers of observation and I found myself sitting back time and again to reflect upon my own personal experiences and those of my close friends.
The use of popular art to convey political messages all too often ends in failure. However this book carries its strong sub-text about "steward-ship" very well. The message about our choice in pursuing a sustainable lifestyle (or not) recurs subtly throughout the book. Whilst this message is not new the manner of its delivery is refreshingly so.
I was left feeling that the fine threads that were woven through the three stories in this book were a clever metaphor for the vastly more complex web, interweaving emotions and the environment, that we find cast over all our lives.

I would highly recommend Prodigal Summer. It isn't nearly as good as The Poisonwood Bible, but then, masterpieces of that caliber are rare.
Kingsolver's writing style improves with each novel, and her insights on human relationships are profound. The characters in Prodigal Summer are vivid, realistic, and memorable. The novel is not without its flaws, however. Whether or not you agree with Kingsolver's environmental views, the manner in which she presents them is preachy and becomes tiresome. Structurally, the novel is rather disjointed, and the plot lacks cohesiveness.
If you get the chance, I would particularly recommend the audiobooks version of Prodigal Summer. It is read by Kingsolver herself, and no one else would be able to make the southern Appalachian accents ring as true.

Prodigal Summer is my first introduction to Barbara Kingsolver's book. I find her an excellent writer even though I do not agree with many of her points on environmental or ecological issues, but the book itself is a joy to read and even on those arguments which I find contrary to my own belief but nevertheless it serves as mental nourishments to enlarge one's perspectives about nature and life.
From reading the previous reviews, many reviewers have focused their reviews on characters development and relationship building in the book. I personally think Prodigal Summer is a very different book for one to review base on this kind criteria and it would be wrong that if we simply treat it as a tale of romance or a literary novel on relationship per se. It is much more than that, in this book, the stories about relationship are used to deliver her strong messages about ecological balance and wildlife conservation, friendship and adversity are used as a tool in advance her arguments to establish her scientific theory thus to further enhance her political views.
I did not find Prodigal Summer an easy read like many other readers, although each story in the book was simply told through reviewing their personal conflicts, and only from those conflicts her arguments were been presented and examined and argued.
For people whose main object in reading is to find excitement in a story should stay away from Prodigal Summer because you won't find any here. But what ranked this book above many others was because it being ordinary without being plain, where you will find much philosophical means to life from those simply told stories where although they might lack in plots and characters development but were amply accomplished by the implication they conveyed, not to mention her excellent writing as a compliment should itself almost guarantee to give many hours of reading pleasure.
I gave it a 4-star because with all its merits, it did not give me a continuous reading pleasure as I sometimes find in some other books. I wouldn't call this book an UNPUTDOWNABLE because it is a book that means to make you think and argue, thus slowing down your reading time. And also, the stories themselves could be more interesting if some plots were developed.
Enough said, I will definitely return to Barbara Kingsolver again for I have already bought The Poisonwood Bible and The Bean Trees as for my definitive reading list for 2004.

If you ever wanted to get a greater appreciation of nature, predators and their prey, and survival of the fittest, then you'll probably really enjoy Kingsolver's latest book. I was totally in awe of her knowledge, most of which I'm sure did not come just through research. The jacket cover mentions that she earned a graduate degree in biology before becoming a full-time author. This is quite evident throughout and it becomes obvious to the reader that this is a labor of love on her part. Let's put it this way -- if ever I was a contestant on the millionaire show and a biology question came up, I'd want Barbara Kingsolver as my "phone a friend."
What is a prodigal summer? The author describes it as the "season of extravagant procreation" and, from that point, the story begins. This procreation will be experienced by all different forms of life found within these pages.
Kingsolver, who so beautifully told her Poisonwood Bible story through the eyes of the four daughters and their mother, uses this same writing style once again in Prodigal Summer. This time though, the chapters aren't headed with the characters' names but instead are indicated by their particular field of interest.
The Predators section describes Deanna Wolfe, working for the forest service and living by herself in an isolated cabin. She has also penned a thesis on coyotes and it's her dream to come across this predator in her small world in the Appalachian Mountains.
Moth Love is devoted to Lusa Landowski, a young, beautiful city girl who has studied entomology and is now a bug expert and lover. She also inherits a farm and has to decide whether to stay in Zebulon Valley and commit to that lifestyle or return to Lexington, Kentucky.
Old Chestnuts explores the relationship between Garnett Walker, an 80 year old widow, and his love affair with the chestnut tree. During his lifetime, he is trying to recreate this almost extinct tree type within his Zebulon Valley region. Added to this mission is his love/hate relationship with his neighbor, 75 year old Nannie Rawley, and owner of an organic apple orchard.
Midway through the book, the connections between these individuals begin to surface as you know they would. Just as subtly, the connections between the underlying characters and their particular love of nature is explored. How to poison things without using poison? How predation is a sacrament? How birds never doubt their place at the center of the universe? How moths speak to each other via scent? How every quiet step is thunder to beetle life underfoot? These are just a fraction of the questions Kingsolver poses -- all the answers lie within these pages.
Barbara Kingsolver once again leaves the reader with food for thought. I guarantee that, after reading this book, you will never look at a moth the same way as you did before and probably won't kill another spider. For as she explains, "every choice is a world made new for the chosen." So if you, as the predator, choose not to kill a lesser life form, there begins a new life for that "prey" or that chosen species.
Since I would never categorize myself as someone who is "into nature", on an enjoyment scale I would only have rated this book with four stars. The fact that it is so well-written, with fabulous character development, well-researched content, and extraordinary subject knowledge by the author, it positively deserves a five star rating.

I loved the different perspectives and how they all come together. I love her portrayal of the south and the vastly different characters within it. My biggest complaint is that I just wanted more. I wanted to continue hearing the characters stories. Could we get a Prodigal Fall? Winter too?

I loved all of the characters, there struggles to solve both practical and family problems, but I especially loved the explanations of what happens when we introduce and/ or eradicate animals or vegetation. This made me really stand up and take notice of many of the things we do to each other and to nature. This book covers everything from religion, to cultural differences, to the sexes, to having a love for the land!

It took me several attempts to get into this book -- but once in (finally!) it was like finding myself midway through her forest.
I felt absolutely, lushly, surrounded and involved in the story (stories). I was charmed, educated, made thoughtful
and really didn't want it to end! Barbara has a wonderfully wicked sense of humor. It weaves itself through this book which left me
smiling as I read: an odd thing to realize as one looks up from reading. The characters she creates are in such capable
hands. I'm now looking forward to reading her other books, especially the much admired Poisonwood Bible.

Out of the Kingsolver books I've read, this was my favorite. Maybe I just got used to Barbara Kingsolver's sermons and political correctness, but that was even tolerable for me in this story, as I saw it more in line with each of her characters.

Kingsolver's number one strength: Painting beautiful, lush, realistic, highly visible pictures. This book was just as outstanding in that area as in her other books, if not more. I felt like I was living on a mountain, protecting my territory. I felt like I lived on the farm, tolerating in-laws and maintaining the land. I felt like I was a little old man, spending hours in my greenhouse propagating trees.

Kingsolver's number one weakness: Character development and building. Although this book was better than her others. Especially for Lusa. I felt like I knew her. But what was the deal with the scent of her husband across the field? Kingsolver seems to love throwing in important, subtle details and then forgetting all about them. I also was disappointed on how Kingsolver alluded to the fact that all of the main characters were somehow connected, and in the end, it was extremely weak and disconnected. It could have been so much more fulfilling. I also felt she rushed the ending, like she didn't know how to wrap this up.

If you're a Kingsolver fan anyway (I'm not sure I am), you'll like this book. If you've never read Kingsolver before, this may not be the best place to start because I think you'll be EXTREMLY disappointed in her other books as the characters are, in my opinion, less interesting. If this is the ONLY Kingsolver book you ever read, or if you like her anyway, this is a good, laying on the beach, sitting on the deck, or in the fishing boat summer read.

but an excellent summer read nonetheless. "Prodigal" to me, had never before meant anything but the Prodigal Son parable, but it has another meaning or two here: bountiful, fruitful; or excessively wasteful, spendthrift. Barbara Kingsolver takes us through three interconnected stories involving nature, the environment, flora and fauna, and human relationships, and unlike some other reviewers, I didn't find the clear analogies between the human drama and the rest of the green earth too preachy or overwhelming. I enjoyed her lyrical prose, her unmatched descriptive powers, and the slow-moving but satisfying resolution of the plotlines. Perfect reading for a slow summer afternoon.

Kingsolver's work usually elicits many conflicting opinions. However, I'm thrilled that such a wonderful wordsmith consistently tackles important social issues. I may not always agree with her opinions, but she always leaves me thinking after I've read any of her books or articles. This book is no exception. Three seemingly disparate stories are carefully woven around the common thread of how we as individuals impact our world, whether it be natural or social. Ecology. Kingsolver manages once again to educate the reader through her obvious knowledge of the natural world and ensnare the reader with her wonderful prose and storytelling. I would have preferred fewer loose ends at the close of the book, but I suppose mulling over possible endings for each character has made me think more about each story, the characters, and their impact on their environments in their little spot in the world. A compelling read that I high recommend.

Any book by Barbara Kingsolver is worth reading and this one is no exception. However, I kept waiting for the plot to take a wrenching twist and it never did. She lets us off easy, which is nice in a way, but disappointing in another. I suppose that after the wringer she put us through in Poisonwood Bible, we should just savor this sweet valentine bon-bon she has given us.
I loved the themes she addresses: the fragile web of nature, the sense of organic farming, the need for people to connect. Though she treads the line of preachiness, she doesn't quite overstep.
Overall, a welcome addition to her increasingly impressive opus.

I spent a weekend in bed with a local variety of the flu- what good luck that I had Prodigal Summer to entertain myself. I found the book very enlightening, touching and very funny in parts. The three main characters lives, told in alternating chapters, were woven together by a common theme, the environmental damage caused by humans. Ms. Kingsolver is a gifted writer and conveys many messages about her attitude toward traditional biblical thinking regarding man's place in creation. Preachy in parts, yes, but overall very moving and convincing. The chapters about Garnett and Nanny were the best, (comic relief), and those about the Forest Ranger the least enjoyable to me. I have enjoyed all of Kingsolver's books! Laura Ride

This was just about one of the most painful books I could have endured through. I always ask myself why why why do I read her books? I had been impressed by the Poisonwood Bible, but every other one has led me downhill
I found this book simply torture. Agreed that the general topic was not one that I am knowledgable about nor one that caught my interest, but would have been enthralled if it was far less boring.

Overall, this was a good story that made me think more about the relationships between man and nature, predator and prey, even though I've heard a lot of it before from my environmentalist sister. The lengthy dry descriptions of nature that made up a lot of the beginning of the book and that were peppered throughout the rest of the story got boring. But I liked how the author slowly started to show the relationships between all the characters and I liked how their stories began to intertwine with each other. I really liked the Garnett-Nannie story; quite amusing. The book was a bit preachy, but a good read nonetheless.

When I saw this new Kingsolver book, I just had to plunk out the money for it, something I usually don't do for a hardcover. I am a great Kingsolver fan, even buying all the females in my family copies of Animal Dreams and Poisonwood Bible, but I was somewhat disappointed with this one. It was a fairly good book, just not what one would expect from a fantastic writer like Kingsolver. Maybe it was a bit of writer's block and pressure after the huge success of Poisonwood. It would be hard to write another book as great as it is. "Summer" was worth reading, but I wish I'd waited for it at the library rather than paying for it. If you've not read Kingsolver before, I would highly recommend Animal Dreams as a place to start, rather than this one.

Barbara Kingsolver's fifth novel honors mother nature as well as the prodigal spirit of human nature. By entwining three stories of evolving relationships within a larger tapestry of life in the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky, Kingsolver reminds us that people, their decisions, and their actions, are simultaneously significant and inconsequential when up against the wilderness.

Over the course of a summer, Deanna Wolfe, a wildlife biologist, divorced and determined to be alone, lives deep in the Appalachain mountains observing and protecting the wildlife. Things are going according to her plan until she meets Eddie Bondo, a hunter from Wyoming to whom she is undeniably attracted. Eddie, however, has come to the mountains in order to destroy what she protects--the coyote.

In the valley below Deanna's hightop mountain cabin is a newly wedded woman named Lusa who married Cole Widener and moved to the Widener farm. Adjusting to country life in a big, farm family seemed hard until Cole dies one morning in a tractor accident. Lusa is unaware of the rippling effects of each decision she makes from that point forward.

The third story is the most entertaining and lively of the three segments in this novel. Two aging neighbors are too old to know how people their age are supposed to behave. Garnett Walker and Nannie Rawley go round and round disputing and defending their knowledge on biology, farming, wildlife and whatever else they can think of. But from the very beginning, we feel the friction and sense a slight attraction, although it sometimes is hard to tell for sure. Nannie is wildly entertaining and Mr. Walker is sure to remind you of an old man you know. Their arguments are informative, insightful and at times, in their back and forth, they seem to say more in one sentence than some people manage to ponder their whole life through.

Eventually, in perfect pace, Kingsolver reveals the connections between these people and the soft words surprise us with a mysterious after-weight.

Visit out website at [...]

I was disappointed in "Poisonwood Bible" and almost didn't bother w/"Prodigal Summer." It is fortunate that I didn't pass up the opportunity. This was a great book and the author's talent for description makes you feel as if you are right there. I could picture Nanny Rawley's orchard, Deanna's isolated cabin and Lusa's overbearing extended family very clearly. The three stories all taught me something about how interdependent nature is and like a great novel should, left me with a lot to think about. I think what I liked about this book is that the characters were all likeable, even gruff Garnett. I didn't find that to be true of the characters in Poisonwood. This was one of those I couldn't put down.

Barbara Kingsolver is a passionate writer. Fortunately for us, that passion extends out from under the covers to the natural world and beyond.
She is able to combine her gift of compelling storytelling with her love of science in Prodigal Summer. Here, in three separate storylines set in and around the fertile life of a nature preserve, we see an older couple learning to respect their differences; newlyweds standing up to the ignorance around them; and the passion of Deanna, the researcher, and Eddie, the hunter, victims of their own sexual attraction, which neither can justify.
This is a wonderfully inventive love story, so different than the usual because Kingsolver herself is not just a novelist, but a scientist as well. The reader always wins when we are treated to Kingsolver exploring human nature. I highly recommend this book.

Kingsolver has often been criticized for being too politically minded in her books. When she wrote The poisonwood bible, critics wanted more storyline and less talk of African civil conflict. Now, people complain of Kingsolver's boring ecology lessons. I say, what is the worth of art if it can't serve to teach a lesson? After reading this book, I was more enthralled with Kingsolver's message than her equally important characters. I have always been taught that humans have dominion over the Earth. Now, I know we are nothing but the top of one of millions of food chains. Everything affects us, and we affect everything. If God made the world, he didn't make it for us to rule, he made it so it would be beautiful. All of God's creatures are an equal part of an ecosystem. This book made me think of the millions of species that are wiped out when people butcher the rain forests. The Earth is not our's, we are its, and Barbara Kingsolver teaches me to seek beauty in nature, a message that I will remember for years to come.

I know that most of the Kingsolver fans will prefer the more complexly plotted The Poisonwood Bible, but I've got to tell you that Prodigal Summer is my favorite of her books. The writing is lush, lyrical, and music to my ears. Yes, I know her character of Deanna was probably too stereotypic and that the plot was close to that of the lesser "The Loop" but the real character in this book is the rush and passion of nature, the spring that bursts forth after a harsh winter, the summer lull into an acceptance of ourselves, pregnant now with new possibilities. The book was sheer delight to me.

I was impressed with Kingsolver's ability to mesh in her extensive education with the wonders of fiction. As a huge fan of fiction, I'm also a huge fan of learning. Kingsolver told her tales of people each from different walks of life while also teaching valuble lessons about nature, mankind and how the two must live together. I also learned much about moths, coyotes and farming. Kingsolver's biology background really shone through. I was so pleased with Poinsonwood Bible that I was hesitant to pick up Prodigal Summer, but Kingsolver didn't let me down. I have recommended Prodigal Summer to many of the customers in my bookstore and now I can't wait until her next release. Happy reading!

I was not a big fan of Poisonwood Bible and was thus leary of reading another of her books. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has three basic story lines that are set around loving nature and folks learning about themselves. The characters all live in the same 'town' yet don't interact much in this book. The nature elements can be a bit long, but are helpful in defining the characters. The three storylines are independent of each other but have ties between them. I was able to envision how 'in the future' these folks would be relating to each other. It was a good book and well worth the read.

I did not read this book, but listened to the unabridged audiobook read by Kingsolver. She was an excellent reader and I would eagerly look for her reading any other novel she has authored. The story itself was a bit slow moving in the begining and also a bit graphic for my tastes, but the pace picked up before too long and she drew the different story threads together perfectly before the end.
It took me a little while to get into this novel, mostly because of the 3 different plot threads that seemed to have very little to do with each other at first. About halfway through the novel it was fairly clear how all the threads were somehow related to each other, but before that it often seemed like reading bits from 3 different books.
I might sound like a bit of a prude, but I did not like the graphic descriptions of sex that were very common throughout this book. Especially at the start of the book it seemed like every other paragraph was about someone having sex and how wonderful it was. I think that after you establish that a couple are having sex very often, you don't have to explain it every time in full detail. The level of graphic description was surprising to me given the PG-rated content of Kingsolver's other novels.
The good part of the book is, of course, the wonderful story. A reader cannot help but be drawn in (eventually). As much as I might not like the style in which it is told, Kingsolver remains a master of writing and can describe nature scenes like nobody else. She also puts so much knowledge about the natural world into her books that I think she must be something of a scientist herself. And this information is woven into such an enjoyable story that it is easily absorbed. I ended up wishing the book would keep on for a whole other novel, continuing to tell the life stories of those compelling characters I had grown to know so well.

After reading the Poisonwood Bible- which I loved- I picked up this novel as the next one to read by the same great author. I was delighted by Kingsolver's description of the three inter-woven stories that blend human nature with mother nature. Kingsolver's compelling storytelling gives the southern Appalachian mountain range center stage for the characters to come to life. I could easily picture the Appalachia forest, the hollows and vales that surround the little community of Egg Creek, and it was a visual delight.

The lives of the characters intertwine with both the topography and the shared family connections that are revealed in due time as the story plays out. It took some time to unravel the many members of Lusa's family, but eventually they came together. I laughed out loud at Nannie Rawley and Garnett- the two bickering old folks who stubbornly fought each others diametric opinions only to find common ground in the end. I can still picture with great amusement of Garnett dragging himself through the muck, thinking he was having a heart attack only to be humiliated by Nanny who informs him that he has a snapping turtle clamped onto his leg as he struggles to get away, with his pride injured.

Yes, I'm sure Ms. Kingsolver had an agenda about how mankind has altered nature and upset the natural balance, but it stuck with me. It made me think just how delicate and easily the chain of wildlife could be disrupted by man's attempt to challenge the innate certainty of what his view of "order" should be. By the end of the book I felt the arch of the story had come full circle to complete the closure of the 3 interwoven stories. I finished the book feeling satisfied and contented.

Then I baked a blackberry pie and started at the beginning again.

Think organic!!!

This is my favorite Barbara Kingsolver novel. I love how the human stories are tied to something natural: coyotes, insects, & chestnut trees. She does a masterful job of weaving in the web of life while telling three different stories that end up tying together beautifully. I just love this book!!

I really enjoyed the characters; they were all very rich and really made the book. As there were two parallel stories, I was waiting the whole time to see when they would meet. Also, personally, I didn't have much in common with the characters in terms of interests or character traits, so it was hard to relate. Yet, their dynamic relationships and self-awareness made it an interesting read.

I enjoyed the variety of characters and life situations they were in. All the details about animals, insects and plants really interested me. The ending seemed like a cliff I fell off of where everything was left hanging not really wrapping it up. I guess I knew where each were ultimately heading but just one more chapter about each wouldn't have left me startled at end and wanting. I was almost temped to give 3 stars just because of that but really overall liked book and characters.

I like to read. Often doesn't much matter what it is...fiction, non-fiction, a class text that is well written (they do exist.) I usually look for one thing in the books that I read, and that is enlightenment. Pretty heavy word, but it isn't as serious as it sounds. Pretty much means that you learn something, regardless if you expect to or not. Package enlightenment with characters to love, loathe, and surprise, and you have, in my humble opinion, good fiction. And there you have Prodigal Summer. This is a great book. I had only read one other book by this author before "Summer," and enjoyed it, so it seemed natural to pick up this one. This writer surprised me from page one, even AFTER I had read the jacket flap, which isn't always the case. The characters in this book are so very human that it matters little that the reader may not agree with them. They hold their beliefs, muddle through, and generally make mistakes of judgement. They are passionate, mis-informed, or plain muddled, and are all the more normal for it. I suspect that some readers may not be able to identify with some (all?) of the characters in this book (frankly, some escaped me), but they nonetheless exist, and that may be reason enough to read it. The language is ripe with meaning, and the imagery is lush. This book is about so much more than the location and circumstances in which it is set. But you know what? It is enjoyable on every level. Take from it what you will, but I don't think you will forget it. This is one of my 2 favorite reads from the year 2000. This author achieved something with this book...I may not have communicated it as well as she did, but I find it hard to imagine that you could lay this book down without taking SOMETHING with you. And, after all, that is why I read.

There are A LOT of characters in this book, but the author juggles them skillfully. Kingsolver wrote this book with both humor and depth. _Prodigal Summer_ has an almost ecological feel to it. Many of these characters pride themselves on their independence and stubborness, as Kingsolver's plot unfolds, she reveals their interdependence, changeability, and constant growth. This revelation is at the root of the story. I also love that she depicted the elderly characters in a deep and meaningful way, but with humor.

After devouring the Poisonwood Bible I couldn't wait to get a copy of this book, in fact I skipped out of work early to get to the book store. I was absolutely thrilled with this book and have recommended it a dozen times since.
Barbara writes about women that I can relate to - the not so always 'happy' thoughts - real and conflicting, sometimes dark and fearful-yet strong, strong women. Her visuals of nature have given me a new eye to look, really see and enjoy the critters and the land around me - amazing how the busy lives we lead keep us from the beauty in our own backyard.
I will continue to look for new books by Kingsolver - Enjoy!

Throughout the 3 stories, I am hoping the 3 women meet soon. When, near the end, it becomes obvious that they will, I am relieved. My own work of bringing people together who can see the bigger picture that most people have been smokescreened by the corporate parasites & their government stooges from observing is often not so successful. I encourage readers to share this & similar works with one another to bring together those who realize the urgency of major changes NOW in every aspect of our lives--economic, environmental, social, & maybe most importantly, in education of the young.

I have been reading ravenously of late. Many of Oprah's picks--and I found this to be much better. I am a fan of Barbara Kingsolver and I delighted in my first Kingsolver book which was "Pigs in Heaven." I liked the "Poisonwood Bible" which was such a departure of her earlier style. She has definately evolved and matured. This is her best book yet. I especially loved the parts in the book "Old Chestnuts." It was very refreshing to have elder characters and get caught up in the verbal battling of these two people who were not young, but still very much alive. I related the most to Deanna who lives on a mountain amongst wildlife, but all the characters were very compelling and the book is a delight to read.

As a moderate fan of Kingsolver's work (I liked Poisonwood Bible, Bean Trees and Pigs in Heaven were alright, would recommend High Tide in Tucson), I find it hard to express in words how much "Prodigal Summer" has impacted me. It seems that with each carefully-crafted phrase Kingsolver is drawing the reader into a world full of aching beauty, tinged with deep sadness, brightened by hope. As an amateur naturalist, I greatly appreciated the caring detail with which Kingsolver portrays the reality beyond our every-day human separateness.
While some have found the ecological perspective of "Prodigal Summer" to be preachy, I found that what others saw as a soap box was instead a boost up through which the reader can perceive a grander view of the places we inhabit and see why they are precious.
"Prodigal Summer" sent me wandering the woods for days after I'd put it down, smiling to myself because of Kingsolver's reminder of the beauty to be seen there.
"Prodigal Summer" recalls the peace of trees, the sensuality of wings, and the happiness that resides within everyone, if we care enough to wait out the silence until it speaks to us.
I strongly recommend this worth-while read to anyone who has ever loved a space in nature, and any who have always dreamed of such a place.

Undoubtedly the worst book I've ever had to read. It was a selection for our book club, which forced me to slog through the empty characters, soap-box sermons and simplistic morality of this mess. It is also the most "man-hating" book I've ever read. Eddie (hunky mountain man) might as well be a sperm donor--no romance here, if that's really what you're looking for. If you like turgid, over-written storytelling and firmly believe that men are idiots and women are the only humans who have insight or worth, this book is for you. Personally, I will never read another book by Barbara Kingsolver. This was punishment enough.

I've loved Kingsolver's work for years... Animal Dreams and The Poisonwood Bible really struck me with their rich language and beautiful passages.
Prodigal Summer, on the other hand... ugh. I only got about ten pages in and had to quit. I am biased; I'll admit that. Intensive nature descriptions bore me to tears. I love the outdoors, but I'd rather go outside and look at a tree than read about one. Therefore, I was sent into blahsville reading the nature prose. The dialogue also felt awkward and I was given the uneasy feeling i had stumbled into some kind of nature/cheesy romance story. So I stopped reading.
I would suggest you read any of Kingsolver's other novels. If you want fun read The Bean Trees, if you want serious and enriching read The Poisonwood Bible.

Thank heavens I got this book for free from the library. I skimmed over a large part of it just to get to the end which did not end up explaining the outcome of some the characters and left you up in the air. The scientific explanations and detailed sex life of moths, coyotes and other animals rambled on for pages. Deanna the nature coyote woman's affair with the boy 19 years younger than her was just disgusting, the descriptions crude and not romantic at all. Most of the characters were not likable. I tried to like the widow Lusa until she had her eyes on a 17 year old boy ( her husbands nephew) who was making advances at her. Thankfully she let it end at a kiss when she reasoned that she could go to jail for having sex with a minor. Ugh total trash. Not sure why this gets so many good reviews.

I am a huge Barbra Kingsolver fan, she is truly a magical writer. But I am at a loss of words about this novel. At times it is brillant, other times it slow. She spends a little too much time on developing stituations that tend to go no where. I think she was really trying to pursuade the reader to take a careful look at out how we are destroying our ecosystem. At times, it gets a little to 'environment' for my taste. I gave the book a solid 4 stars because it is a great read, but it is not her best work. I my opinion, the posion wood bible is still her best novel ever.

Prodigal Summer: The Biological Imperative
I read years ago of a biological theory that hypothesizes that human beings are actually reproductive mechanisms clothed in skin and bones and deluded that we have free choice. Nature wants babies and we comply. That theory fit nicely into my soul searching after my marriage had failed soon after reproducing two offspring. I could blame my jump into marriage on the exigencies of nature. I recognized those same exigencies in Deanna's torrid and improbable affair with the very young and very miscast mate Eddie Bondo, of the predator chapters.
Predators
At first I couldn't figure out why Barbara Kingsolver of all people kept pumping out sexually ecstatic descriptions of near soft-porn proportions. Maybe, ... Kingsolver WAS indeed emulating the late great Grace Metolius whose Peyton Place began portentously "Indian summer is like a woman. . . "
But no! This is prodigal summer, immensely fertile, forever riven in dialectic opposites and to be seen in Hegelian terms of the opposites being two halves of a single truth. The opposites in the Wilderness chapters, set in the high southern Appalachians with enthralling descriptions of its beauty and remoteness, are the wildlife conservationist Deanna and the hunter Eddie Bondo who passionately mate, and separate after following the biological imperative to procreate.
Moth Love
The second pair of opposites described in the chapters Moth Love are of the city-farm/ivory tower-dirty fingernails dialectic. Lusa and Cole. "These days they seem to do nothing but fight. "
"Arguments", she has come to realize, "could fill a marriage like water, running through everything, always, with no taste or colour but lots of noise." He wants to kill the honeysuckle with roundup. She wants it to run wild.
Kingsolver's analogies between animal and human sexuality are particularly effective and emotionally potent. Lusa is sulking inside, hurt and angry after yet another row with her husband, when her nostrils are tickled by the familiar scent of honeysuckle, drifting in through an open window. She knows instantly that Cole has broken off a spray of flowers to bring to her as an offering. Without looking she can chart his movement towards the house by the heady fragrance of honeysuckle. "This", she reflects, "is how moths speak to each other. They tell their love across the fields by scent. There is no mouth, the wrong words are impossible, either a mate is there or he's not, and if so the pair will find each other in the dark."
But Cole is killed while moonlighting as a truck driver, illustrating how hard it is for Americans to make a living off the family farm anymore. And Lusa learns that unbridled honeysuckle can bury a small building in a few months time. And Lusa brings new ideas for making money from running the farm (besides tobacco) that seem to keep that sacred relationship of man-woman-community-nature in balance.
Old Chestnuts
The dialectic played out in Old Chesnuts is by far the most entertaining of the whole novel. The relationship between philosophically opposed next door farm neighbors Garnett Walker and Nannie Rawley is charming and in the end, weaves the other two stories into its very positive outlook for the microcosm represented in this fiction. They, as octogenarians, are no longer part of the prodigal, fertile summer of the novel. But they represent the human component that can change and adapt to the brave new world evolving around them. Walker and Rawley, as two old chestnut trees that are now endangered, can have the best of their qualities grafted onto a future generation for perhaps a more resilient, ecologically stronger future. Both oldsters are influencing grandchildren as the fiction closes.
That leaves one of the silent protagonist of Prodigal Summer until last. She was the first being that we see Deanna seeking when the story begins and she is the last word in the end. The Coyote. As she reinhabits the microcosm of Egg Fork, descending from the higher realms, like Deanna, she seems solitary. But, Kingsolver ends the book, "Solitude is a human presumption. Every quiet step is thunder to beetle life underfoot, a tug of impalpable thread on the web pulling mate to mate and predator to prey, a beginning or an end. Every choice a world made new for the chosen."
That sums up the philosophy of the story along with these two following excerpts from the chapter on Predators:
"Then he was gone for good. Just like that, today of all days, for reasons she would never be able to know. Whether she had loved or hated this snake was of absolutely no consequence to his departure. She considered this fact as she watched him go, and she felt something shift inside her body - relief, it felt like, enormous and settled, like a pile of stones on a steep slope suddenly shifting and tumbling slightly into the angle of repose."
"The pounding of What do I want went still in her breast. It didn't matter what she chose. The world was what it was, a place with its own rules of hunger and satisfaction. Creatures lived and mated and died, they came and went, as surely as summer did. They would go their own ways, of their own accord." (p. 365)

I love this book. "Prodigal Summer" delves into so many different facets of life - misunderstood "hillbilly" families, farming, "city" concepts of nature, misunderstanding how nature works and how humans are always trying to "fix" everything and everyone that they do not understand. The story keeps you interested with its deep characterizations and the depth of knowledge the author shows about nature. I can so relate to the speech patterns and sayings of the Appalachian folk! Beautiful, absolutely beautiful~city folk need to read this!

Barbara Kingsolver NEVER, EVER disappoints. Her latest, "Prodigal Summer" is a compelling page-turner about the fundamental interconnectedness of all things. There are three main character: young woman Lusa, Middle-aged woman Deanna and old man Garnett who, of course, become interconnected by the end of this tale.
Bugs are the last subject that I would expect to find interesting...but at the hands of Ms. Kingsolver, even bugs become fascinating - even sexy!
The only problem with finishing a Barbara Kingsolver book is having to wait for the next one.

I'm a big fan of this book, not because it's so typically left-leaning (per some other reviews), but because it's sympathetic to every character, right, left and center--even the "villains." Even the 80-year-old creationist former science teacher gets a hug.
BTW, One the store reviewer thinks "creationist science teacher" is an oxymoron, but this guy obviously didn't grow up in the bible belt (where Oral Roberts built a medical school that also taught the laying on of hands...I couldn't make this stuff up.)
It is also nice to see how Kingsolver manages to connect big, controversial political issues and science with the everyday lives of farmers...and no, I don't think this stuff was propoganda or preachy. It actually fit with the story
...And maybe I'm just a sucker for melodrama, but I was teary-eyed at the end of the book.
A really worthwhile read (Highest endorsement: I checked it out from the library, but bought it to keep and share with family after...)

Three stories skillfully woven into one, but unfortunately, I didn't like them all. If I could rate them seperately, each would earn different ratings. I felt Deanna was preachy, irritating and hard to like. Like the showy-environmentalist type who doesn't shave her legs. A hypocrit too. (a hunter romance?) Lusa was better - I liked what she did with the goats! Garnett was great and this part of the book actually made me laugh out loud. The idea behind this book was wonderful and I expected to like it more. "Poisonwood" is a pretty hard novel to follow.

'Prodigal Summer' describes a single burgeoning season as experienced by the inhabitants of an Appalachian farming community. Deanna Wolfe is a Forest Service ranger who watches over the complex ecosystem of Zebulon mountain; Eddie Bondo is a young hunter to whom a predator is merely prey. Garnett Walker is a widower still mourning his long-dead wife and the blight-struck American Chestnut. Garnett conducts a determined philosophic battle with his neighbor and nemesis Nannie Riley. Lusa Landowski is an outsider who becomes stranded in Zebulon county after her young husband's tragic death. Author Barbara Kingsolver constructs a complex web of human needs and desires surrounded by the greater struggle between species continuation and species extinction. Her prose is luxurious and sensual and the text is woven through with both grief and humor.

I found the book a little slow to start but after a few chapters I was captivated by the characters. It was a little bit of romance novel and a little bit environmental interest book. I commented to my book club that it was a combination "Fifty Shades" and "Silent Spring". That was a bit of an exaggeration but everyone agreed!!!

I never wanted this book to end. I felt as though I were bidding farewell to friends, or at the very least, interesting and cantankerous aquaintances. I'm a devoted Kingsolver fan, but this book was different...lighter, funnier, floating through the titular season and wrapping the reader in all its fecundity. The voices of Appalachia became so clear, the situations so real and heartbreaking (or hilarious) I just never wanted to let go. If you've never read Kingsolver, this is a good place to start.

My mother gave this book to me for Christmas and during this hot, sticky June week, I've been sitting on my porch, reading it.
This is the first Kingsolver I've ever read and now understand what the hoopla is all about. Some of the characters really rubbed me the wrong way, but they were all well-written and round. There is definetely some ecological lessons and attitudes the reader is supposed to walk away with, but they tend to be subtley worked in.
After reading this book, I will definetly read more Kingsolver.

I took my time reading this book because it was like drinking the most intensely incredible wine I've ever tasted. Kingsolver writes with the most astounding accuracy and amazing description. I felt like I was there with Deanna on Zebulon Mountain, laying in the grass with Lusa, and picking apples with Nannie. I learned so much about the natural balance that mother nature keeps, without the "assistance" of humans. If you appreciate nature even a little bit, this book will probably make you a full-fledged nature-freak. I simply loved this book, and will take so much of it with me, forever.

I'm sorry to see so many negative reviews of this book that I absolutely loved so much that I would get up at 2 in the morning to read it. The characters were complex and flawed and human, and I loved them all. The stories were interweaved on many levels in beautiful ways. And I learned an immense amount about nature and cycles and the eco-system while actually enjoying getting the education. I also loved Kingsolvers's earlier "Bean Trees," "Pigs in Heaven," and "Poisonwood Bible," but this one is my favorite because I related to it on such a personal level. I would recommend this book to everyone, but I think women over the age of 30 would get the most out of it.

I really like Barbara Kingsolver's books and have appreciated the way that she manages to teach me something new while spinning a tale. The story in this book is good too and comes to a satisfying conclusion, but it seemed to me that the author has used the whole story as a hobby horse to hang her ideas on. Anyone who reads her books will be aware of her love for the natural world and her conviction that in our duty to care for it and use it in a responsible way, but in this case she uses her characters to promote her own beliefs and philosophies, so that in the end I felt browbeaten. As an evolutionist she promotes that viewpoint as fact and in the process makes some leaps of logic which are scientifically unproven, which is a shame. This was also the first of her books that I have read that included sex scenes, which were not in my opinion necessary or believable. The book is not bad overall, but she has written better.

As a farmer and home educator I don't have a lot of time to read novels, but I had been studying the American Chestnut tree and this book was referenced. Kingsolvers enigmatic writing style intriqued me, and I had trouble putting the book down, especially since I have Appalachian roots. I felt much of the environmentalist issues were overdrawn, but appreciated the spirit of the novel. Enjoyed that she could turn everyday emotions and trials of women into such an enthralling story.

The luxuriant green leaves on the book cover were what attracted me to buy the book. However the first chapter almost turned me off. After a hiatus, I continued from Chapter 2. From then on it was a page-turner. The book set in Tennesee on the edge of the Appalachians, revolves around three protagonists, Deana, a middle-aged forest ranger, a widowed biologist turned farmer called Lusa, and a retired old widow, Garnett, who tried to revive the American Chestnut tree. What makes this book additive, after the first chapter, is its seductive prose, beautiful metaphors and gems of wisdom such as "Arguments could fill a marriage like water, running through everything, always, with no taste or color but lots of noise." It is also highly informative on ecology, in particular the moths, the coyotes and the once mighty American Chestnut Trees.
The three stories which went on independently gradually entwine as the three main protagonists discover or reach out for each other. The human relationship revolving around Lusa and her relatives, and between Garnett and his neighbor were initially icy cold but warm up to a happy almost syrupy ending towards the end. It was the casual relationship of convenience between Deana, the first protagonist who appeared in Chapter 1, and the out-of-nowhere hunter-stud who simply disappeared at the end, that was a turn off. The book may appear too preachy about environmentalism. But it is not the author's job to present the counter-arguments.

I loved, learned and lusted while reading this book. It was a sensual journey into nature and the lives of unusual characters. I learned about moths, predators and prey, and more.

When I finished, I wanted to go out and plant a garden to get my hands dirty. While reading this book, I could smell spring, feel the sweat running down my back after hard work outside, appreciate nature in a new way. . . all while sitting in my living room.

Prodigal Summer is 444 pages in length.That's not to say the book isn't worth reading. There are three stories here that eventually blend themelves together. The story takes place in southern Appalachia.The first characters are a wildlife biologist and her coyote hunting/ drifter boyfriend who form a unusual alliance. The second group of characters are a widowed farmers wife and her cold in laws who are trying to figure one another out. And then there are Nannie & Garnett. Two elderly feuding neighbors who have totally opposite views on life and who constantly debate about, pesticides, god, and the world in general. The book tells a story of human nature and nature itself. There are constant themes that deal with the issues of enviromentalism and preservation.I personally loved nannie & garnett. The two feuding elderly neighbors. Especially the part in the book when Garnett has an encounter with a turtle. This isn't a book for everyone.However those who have a deep love and appreciation for the enviroment, should enjoy this book. Barbara Kingsolver has been able to take a serious issue and form it into a enjoyable read.

Barbara Kingsolver has been my favorite author ever since I discovered Animal Dreams, so I was eager to read Prodigal Summer. I think that this is the book she wanted to write for a long time, but it wouldn't have gotten past an editor until the success of Poisonwood Bible. There are surely moments of lyrical writing on every page, and I regularly gasped (yes, gasped!) in appreciation of her language. That said, I felt like I was reading LaVyrle Spencer or Danielle Steele, not that I do, way too often. Her message got way ahead of her medium. I loved Garnett and Nannie, but Lusa and Deanna felt plastic. I agree fully with Kingsolver's world view, and will recommend this book to fellow readers, with the caveat that they should not expect Kingsolver's best work, but surely one of her most passionate.

Ok, I'll be honest right up front. I'm a huge fan of Barbara Kingsolver, and read every book of hers that I can get my hands on, so I can't claim to be unbaised. However, this book holds a special place in my heart... special enough that I've come to update my origional review.

"Prodigal Summer" is a bit different from Kingsolver's typical fare... it takes place in southern Appalachia, and tells the stories of the various residents of this most unusual region, including the living, breathing land itself as a character. (I won't go into more detail, as it really would spoil the beauty of the writing.)

Like in all Kingsolver's writing, the various stories of the characters are interwoven with such grace and beauty you hardly notice the transitions. Kingsolver again triumphs at immersing you in a world that you've never seen, and profoundly moving you with the beauty of her words.

Beware, as this book is very hard to put down.

Suprisingly, I have found that this book appeals across gender lines, although Kingsolver is mostly a feminist author.

This is the kind of book, after you've read it, that you share with your friends. For me personally, it will always be one of my favorite books of all time.

This book was a wonderful diversion for me. I so enjoyed its character's stories reminding me how our lives are indeed intertwined; how despite life's curve balls, it's our response to them that's within our control. While we near chaos there is a greater order so sweet you can almost smell and taste it; a potential so great we should be excited by the prospect. A lovely story of humanness and nature to bring us close to the beauty that resides in the whole of life.

I read many, many books and Barbara Kingsolver has long been my favorite author. Prodigal Summer is yet another reason for her to retain that title. I once read she said "in order to write, you must have something to say" and no one says it so eloquently as Kingsolver. She takes the everyday lives of different people and intricately weaves them into a delightful story you can't put down. And with each book, you come away with not only the satisfaction of a well written novel, but also find you have learned something. In this book, she teaches (not preaches) about the delicate balance of nature, the effects of greed and the reasons hastily implemented conservation plans contribute to the problem. In other Kingsolver books, readers learn about Native American culture, alzheimer's disease and American overconsumption - all presented in such a way that is so subtle, so unoffensive, you hardly know you're learning anything until you look closer. Like the artist Bev Doolittle who is the master of beautifully camaflouging her deeper subjects, Barbara Kingsolver acheives the same effect with her writing. When I finish a Kingsolver book, in my mind, I am always standing upright, loudly applauding her incredible talent.

The author, Barbara Kingsolver, uses a non-pluralistic approach in her novel Prodigal Summer in defining and laying out the roles of her central characters; a fact amply demonstrated in the power relationships between them. Divided into a few stories, in the chapters that concern Deana Wolfe and Eddie Bondo, I find Deana trying hard to convince Eddie of the need to not violate the laws of nature, or at least what her perception of these laws is. It seems like the sole purpose of the romance between these two is to portray not so much their relationship but rather forcefully the author's values and views on nature and its laws. Eddie's character and personality keeps shrinking as the book moves from chapter to chapter from the author's onslaught on his values and belief system. It does not seem like he is given a fair chance to stand his own ground. Admittedly most books reflect the author's views, however valuing Eddie's standpoint would have brought some balance to the novel, and most importantly the differences between the two characters would have been respected. Change or social change, more in particular, does not come from being absolute and non-dynamic in one's theory and praxis---that defeats the purpose of change. To think of change is to construct an analysis that encompasses respecting others' values, recognizing the differences between people and respecting those differences, treating one as one's equal and having a good understanding of others' realities. I find the novel sadly lacking in this respect. Instead what sticks out throughout the novel and rather loudly is "my ideas are better than yours" from women in privileged places.

It isn't that I do not agree with the author's views on the environment. I do, in fact, agree with much that she writes, especially her views on the use of chemicals and their cancer causing agents. It is her imposing style with its class connotations that I disagree with. For example, Deana, through her college education, could very well impose her values on Eddie, a bounty hunter. Rather than share her knowledge, she argues her points from a position of power---knowledge is power until you impose it. In addition, class becomes more obvious when we realize that Deana could choose to live in the wilderness knowing fully well that if she ever wanted to abandon that lifestyle, she could always fall back on her degree and professional experiences. How many people in that rural setting could afford to live Deana's lifestyle of privilege and power? So, if a farmer, living at subsistence level, does not have the opportunity for supposedly the "right" education, does that necessarily mean that those who have knowledge and are enlightened can impose their values and beliefs on others? And is this the only way? The author could have used an approach where Deana was actually sharing her skills in a non-competitive way with Eddie rather than imposing her ideas on him. The "missionary" idea of "converting" people has not escaped this book---it is reflected in the way the main characters manage their own lives and in their need to manage the lives of others.

This brings us to our other character Lusa Maluf Landowski. Lusa walks in equipped with a college education not quite telling the farmers what to do as Deana. The book, however, focuses on her way of living to the exclusion of almost everything else. In this manner, Lusa too disregards the farmers' values and the way in which they run their lives. I think what is so hard for Lusa and Deana to comprehend is that they are privileged women telling low-income farmers what they should be doing. It seems like these environmentalists, from a particular class, tend to prioritize their own issues over others while ignoring what are "real" issues for low-income farmers on a day-to-day basis. Rather than jointly look for solutions, it is this ignorance and condescension of the farmers "real" issues that perpetuate a class system in this book---class here seemingly has another owner though in a more "non-profity" sense. The author's efforts for a just cause becomes a just cause fought in an unjust manner. It is only when we link all of our struggles together and place them on an equal footing with each other is when our struggles for a just cause will be a just struggle.

In addition I had a hard time understanding why the author made Lusa foreign or different---Palestinian and Jewish, or why Crystal, her niece by marriage, was a girl growing up as a boy. It seems that there was a need to add these dimensions to include and celebrate diversity without putting in much of an effort other than a few foreign words and predictions of a might be lesbian. It does not seem that either of these aspects of Lusa and Crystal was well developed to show that the author was genuine and sincere in portraying diversity. Also the author's need to ridicule country people's accent drives home my point of class and the owners of (the means of production) class who think that their way is the only way.

Change, which is what this book is essentially about, is hardly possible with class seeping through the author's advocacy efforts. If Kingsolver really needs to advocate for anything, she could do so by showing empathy for the farmers and low-income groups in general by addressing how expensive alternative food and products are. The main characters in the novel could not connect with the struggles of the farmers, and neither did they really try. There was always an opposing argument rather than the women taking the trouble to understand the lives of farmers when it came to advocating for change. If there is an absolute need to "change" people then people need to be provided with facts, the tools and skills, and the space for them to form their own opinions. If the advocate for change goes beyond that, then this advocate is crossing the line and invades other people's territory and space. The effort becomes counter productive.

Prodigal Summer in portraying the ideas and opinions of educated women from a certain class over the ideas of low-income farmers, becomes very one-dimensional and non-pluralistic. The novel resembles and reflects the values of the current environmentalist movement that smacks of both racism and classism. As a foreigner and a woman of color, I feel disturbed at the exclusion of others' values and beliefs, at people's accents being ridiculed, and of the use of foreign words for token purposes. The class connotations in particular left me with a sour feeling in my stomach.

I absolutely loved this book. Fiction is a matter of taste, I know, but I honestly wonder how anyone could dislike this book.

Every time I read it, I discover something new within it.

If you read it aloud to your spouse before going to sleep, I won't guarantee it, but I'll bet you get lucky.

In Prodigal Summer, Kingsolver shows the world how craft a beautiful sentence, not just once but a thousand times.

Finally, while I'm convinced that I live in one of the world's most beautiful places, every time I read this book, I want to move to Kentucky. How's that for evocative?

I have read all of Barbara Kingsolver's books and her best have changed my life. She makes it look easy. Unfortunately, this book grated on my nerves like a sermon that wouldn't quit. I didn't like any of the characters, except maybe Lusa Landowski. All of them were basically two-dimensional megaphones for the message of saving the environment. I believe wholeheartedly about saving the environment, but every page seemed like an onslaught of lecturing. In between the lectures, the characters were minutely developed, and the storylines seemed to hanging together by a thread. The title of this book should have been Preaching to the Converted. For a great and moving story, with political undertones, read Kingsolver's Animal Dreams. She can do better.

This is a definite must read for any Barbara Kingsolver afficianados. It's much more like "Animal Dreams" than "The Poisonwood Bible", or any of her other recent works. It has much less action in it, but it has such a warm easy style to it that it really does hold your interest. The characters are wonderfully written, and the average reader will probably learn a thing or two about some amazing natural phenomena. Pick it up, it's a great read.

I found this book to be entertaining and funny. The plots and characters were believable....their lives contained mundane moments as well as happiness and tragedy just as most of us experience. The "save the coyote" message was a little heavy handed at times, and if you are a knowledgeable nature lover you won't find much that's new. So just enjoy the story for what it is.

Barbara Kingsolver's novel Prodigal Summer is undoubtedly one of the best books that I have ever read. I could hardly put it down - through Christmas Eve and Christmas day I fell hopelessly into the world she created there in the Appalachain mountains, in the woods, on the farms - the intricate and all too real human relations and inner reflections of her well rounded, surprisingly developed, fleshy characters - each with a soft, endearing quality of his or her own that makes the reader feel comfortably familiar with their thoughts and presence.
The conflict between human and nature, and the conflict within oneself - that of solitude versus company, society versus wilderness. A book about change, environmental consciousness and learning to accept hardship and to do what you can with what you have, forging a path through life that is never clear yet always ripe with opportunities to recreate oneself, to start something new.
This would not be a book for everyone, I am sure - this I can see from some of the other reviews... but as a vegetarian, caring for the environment and its fine balance and being afraid that so much of what I love in the world, our natural surroundings, will be lost - as a world traveler, having been through many of the things that she describes in this book, academically, emotionally, indescribably - though in a different setting - I can't help but want to recommend this book to everyone that I know! I would love to have an opportunity to talk with the author, I would ask a million questions - I have a great respect for her, am really amazed at her work.
I am very picky about my books and a writer myself - and have a great respect for Kingsolver's talent for dialogue and description of setting, as well as the abundance of scientific information in the book regarding plant and animal species and each one's individual place in the ecosystem. Writing a book is not easy, as anyone will know - and this is a book that not only beautifully weaves its story into itself and its surroundings, but serves to bring up and address (from both sides) important issues of how we treat the world in which we live and the profound effect that each human being has on his or her surroundings, even in the smallest sense - even by stepping one foot into the forest, or how we kill a few weeds in our lawn.
One of the things that I love most about this book is its graceful avoidance of overbearing preachiness and cheesy clichee love scenes - there is none of this in this novel, anywhere. I love the simplicity and subtlety of its message - yet at same time its wonderful feminine, earthy strength, seemingly woven into the hills and woods that serve as setting for this beautifully written story about the dance of the trees, the wind, tears, rain and new life. Incredible.

Kingsolver is an enchantress when creating sentences. Sometimes I go back and read a line or two for the beauty of it. A few redundancies that an editor should catch: tiny little, dropped down, rose up.... And, on a factual note, the writer and editor should educate themselves that the term is Down syndrome, not Down's syndrome. When incorrectly using such a term, the writer loses my trust.

As soon as I got past the first few chapters (which I enjoyed) I realized this was no match for Poisonwood Bible. While it sets a steamy mood--with sex and the climate--the predictability sets in and the characters get boring. After a while nobody and no situation seemed real. The characters were all unidimensional. The sweet smart environmentalists (and I am one!) and the otherwise nice but sadly deluded "others". Some of the dialog sounded like it came off a campaign flyer or a Darwin special on PBS. A sadly disappointing book.

Since "Poisonwood" was the only book by Kingsolver that I had read, was really looking forward to this one. Very disappointing, however. I felt like a 4 year old being given a lesson on ecology. The characters in the book were wonderfully drawn and I was very interested in the complexities of their lives, but the lecture on almost every page about conservation was a little annoying. A little goes a long way, especially if your audience is already pretty well versed in the subject.

I approached "Prodigal Summer" wondering if any book could be as good as Kingsolver's "Poisonwood Bible." This is as rich and satisfying and so different I marvel at the depth of the author's talent and skill. The characters are so well-drawn you would recognize them if you saw them on street (and half expect to, they're so real). As with "Poisonwood" Kingsolover tells the story through the eyes of several characters, and has perfected this technique, providing each with a distinct and unique voice. Set in the area in and around Zebulon National Forest over one long summer, we follow three intertwined stories: Deanna Wolfe, a wildlife biologist, and her unlikely affair with her intellectual opposite - Eddie Bondo; Lusa Maluf Landowski, who fears she will never be accepted by her husband's farming family, whose post-doctoral education is as foreign to them as her Arabic name; and Garnett Walker, whose long-running feud with Nannie Rawley provides some of the most comical moments in the book. Kingsolver's depth of study in biology and natural science brings the setting to life with incredible detail.

Paralleling the laws of nature with the laws of human nature, Prodigal Summer takes three separate stories and weaves them together showing that everything is connected. As in nature, the human characters are sympathetic even when some are not completely likeable with the overall effect of reminding us of our place in the greater scheme of things. Kingsolver makes her point without being pedantic or sanctimonious. Prodigal Summer is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I am not an "outdoorsy" person at all. I can't stand being dirty or seeing bugs. But I AM from Appalachia, so I picked up this book. I was hooked by chapter 2. By the time I lay the book down, I wanted to make love to my husband in the grass, and (GASP) I spared a moth's little life when he somehow landed on my scanner. When a book manages to change something inside us, or move something inside us, it is a good book.

For each person the reading of a book is a personal experience. I picked up Prodigal Summer when my Mom asked me to read it and attend her bookclub for her, as she was ill. I only got through the first third of the book before the club met. I listened to a group of older readers from a New Jersey suburb say how they liked it, but the "bugs" made them itchy. I witheld my comments until the end. For me this book gave an opportunity to suddenly be back in places I had not thougth of for thirty years. Although only a sentence, I found myself standing in the Agricultural Entomology building, experiencing the smells and seeing the hallways etc. Ditto for Euclid Avenue. I spent five years in Lexington with many trips to the East and her descriptive text sets the scene so well, I really was there again! Her characters are very real. In 1975, I visited Eastern Kentucky and dear friends on a farm. The retired farmhand looked my English husband up and down and pronounced "Funny thing, them foreigners look just like us!". It could have come from anyone in this book. The retired vo ag teacher also touched a nerve - I qualified as a vo ag teacher and as "THE woman amoung men" he certainly fit the bill! I really was sorry to reach the end - not something I say about many books. Even the bug hating ladies in New Jersey enjoyed it, so I would recommend it to anyone - expecially those with University of Kentucky links!

Ecology, Compassion and the Human Condition all come together in a spellbinding story of several folks in a small town including a woman with a PhD in ecology who has returned to the hometown of her youth to work as a park ranger. The Chapters in this book are crafted uniquely and seemingly independent of one another at first, but are beautifully crafted to eventually weave together and disclose a history. The characters are believable and realistic. The ecological/botanical topics in the book have been researched and assist to bring forth a compelling read.

I was highly anticipating Kingsolver's latest, based on my reception of her earlier novels. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed. I did not find any of the three main characters particularly intriguing- I was most interested in a side character, Nannie Rawley, whom I was never able to learn much about. I found Deanna's character to be unexplainably mean, at times, and found her much of her behavior inconsistent with the personality Kingsolver tried so hard to establish. Lusa's character disappointed me, as well, and I could not buy into the vague reasons why she stayed on at the farm for so long. She seemed like a coward without anything to be afraid of. I wasn't at all impressed with the things she did. To me, the story dragged on kind of slowly, and I never really came to care about any of the characters. The one good thing I got from this novel was a great lesson about the interconnectedness and value of all parts of our environment and every creature that inhabits it (which Kingsolver discreetly slips into all of her novels, and which was blatant here). If you love Kingsolver, I suppose I'd suggest you read it. However, if you're new to this author, don't pick this one up.

A stalwart Kingsolver fan from her earliest books, I was enchanted by her latest. From her powerful characters to her mesmerizing rural setting, this book amazed me from start to finish. Reading her books are like panning for gold. If you take your time, you will always find a nugget. She manages to subtly link three story lines with characters that were so real and engaging, I didn't want the story to end. Her delicate descriptions of the Kentucky mountains, coyotes, and moths gave me a new appreciation of this wonderful planet we take for granted. If you're looking for an action-packed thriller, don't bother reading the book. BUT if you want a warm, wonderful story with characters you feel like you know, pull up a chair, turn off your phone, send your kids outside and READ THIS BOOK!

I picked this book up at a Starbucks trading table not expecting much.

From beginning to end I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really liked the alternating chapters covering different people who were all interesting and so well developed by the author character-wise. I loved them all and especially how the author cleverly intertwined their lives at the end.

This is a book I will read again.

Kingsolver's brilliant use of story to explore nature, interconnectedness, human nature, story, and finding the highest within ourselves shines in this book. Of her books, both fiction and non-fiction, that I have read, and I have read most of them, this is one of my top two. This excellent read will stay with you long after the book returns to the shelf.

I've read other books by Barbara Kingsolver, but this is one of her best. It has strong, interesting characters, a wonderful plot, and is informative as well. I highly recommend this to anyone as a way of learning how man's attempt to bend Nature has had devastating effects.

This is my first Kingsolver book. I have the Poisonwood Bible on my shelf yet...Anyway, I didn't know what to expect of her writing. I was pretty happy with the book. In the beginning it dragged, I had a hard time getting into the story lines, but it didn't take too long before I was enjoying it. Some characters I liked better than others. A very unique story though, I will looking into more of her books. How many more is depending upon the Poisonwood Bible.

In a way, it is a wonderful book, all about nature an women and how everything falls in place in the end for everyone, even for the coyotes, the women ovulate with the full moon, a woman past forty chooses to wear her hair long, (as if there was anything to choose for most of us). But the story lacks conflict. Reading through the first pages I got prepared for big trouble between the hunter and the 'she-wolf' about the animals. But the tension soon dissolved without leaving trace. As any other potential conflict, it just disappeared. Many many pages of clever dialogues revealing a very keen interest in people, the way they react and feel, the ironic side of things. But the novel as a whole lacks density, interest. Sometimes I think, if only modern writers would not think they have to write novels with Dickensian dimensions all the time. If they can, all right, but sometimes a shorter text can be much more intense and interesting.

Am I the only Kingsolver fan who found Poisonwood Bible to be a disappointing, heavyhanded departure from the humor and gentle social commentary we'd all discovered with delighted surprise in The Bean Trees? I still think that her first novel is her best, but I was glad to find her returning to her roots in Prodigal Summer, a simply plotted, well-written novel with the procreative forces of nature at its core. Rather than preach unilaterally about environmental issues, Kingsolver explores many sides of the issues with her cast of characters which are all more complex than at first they appear. Particularly enjoyable are the two elderly neighbors who represent opposite ends of the environmental spectrum and hurl verbal abuse at each other throughout the book, but at the end discover some common ground, even while neither comes close to converting the other. Likewise, the farmer's widow and passionate environmentalist gets her come-uppance with a rapacious patch of honeysuckle, while the coyote-killing hunter treads through the novel with surprising dignity and self-knowledge. Kingsolver weaves serious exploration and description of environmental issues into her prose with a great deal of grace, even if the result is not completely seamless. Whereas by the time I finished Poisonwood Bible, I was rooting for the bad guys (i.e., Rachel) simply to get some relief from the rest of the insufferable prigs I was obliged to tolerate, Prodigal Summer had me finding good and bad within each individual character, and the need to take sides was eliminated. And this, mind you, from a fast-food-eating, fossil-fuel-burning, bug-killing reviewer.

This story of interwoven lives of people of the farms, forests and mountains of southern Appalachia was wonderfully written. It was not just a story of the people, but of the entire ecosystem. It made me think deeply about the consequences of life choices--from which pesticides I use to what I eat.

I thnk that most people will love this book!

Although a great fan of Barbara Kingsolver's previous works, I almost didn't pick this one off the shelf after all the vaguely dissatisfied reviews I'd read. What a treat I almost missed! I enjoyed it hugely, and moreover found it profoundly resonant of so many threads in my own life, starting with the opening poem, "Prothalamion," which I have been enjoying for years on Judy Collins' "Whales and Nightingales." I am surprised, also, that no one has made the obvious (at least to me) comparisons with Annie Dillard's "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" or A. S. Byatt's "Morpho Eugenia". "Prodigal Summer" evokes both Dillard's spiritual, meticulous (Pulitzer-prize winning!) nature study and Byatt's sensuous lepidoptery and weaves in more enjoyment with elements of genealogy and modern farming issues ... not to mention a few good love stories. Maybe it IS a woman's book, but as a woman I wholeheartedly recommend it.

I have just begun listening to the Prodigal Summer on CD as I drive back and forth to work through the northwoods of Wisconsin. I am entranced by the musical voice of Barbara Kingsolver reading her novel and bringing her characters to life in my mind. I love the lyrical phrases Ms. Kingsolver writes as well as her clever integration of the characters in time and place. I can relate to Loosa as a farmer's wife living on a family farm with a long history and sisters-in-law who have been resident forever. The loneliness and isolation is poignantly described. I think common experiences help us appreciate the author's message. I greatly anticipate the thoughts and actions of the characters as the story unfolds and I appreciate the author's ability to make me think outside of myself without trying to change who I am. I would heartily recommend this book as well as The Bean Tree by Barbara Kingsolver.

Years ago, in a small Wisconsin city, I met an elderly woman whom I call "Butterfly Lady." She introduced me to the joys of observing insects. Also, she is the first person ever to raise luna moths in captivity. I thought about her when I read "The Prodigal Summer." Brought back a lot of memories of exploring the world of nature with my children. Also, brought back memories of visiting a cousin who lived on a farm. Brought me back in touch with a lot I had forgotten about the natural world. Also, I enjoyed the characters in the book. Being 75, I was a little amused by the constant references to "the old man", when Garnett is only a couple of years older than me. Kingsolver is going to find that life in the seventies is a good deal more exciting than she thinks it is. But that's a minor moan. She could not write a dull book if she tried. I think this is one of her best. It's a book I'll read again. John Purdy, Santa Fe NM

I've read other books by Barbara Kingsolver, but this is one of her best. It has strong, interesting characters, a wonderful plot, and is informative as well. I highly recommend this to anyone as a way of learning how man's attempt to bend Nature has had devastating effects.

This is my first Kingsolver book. I have the Poisonwood Bible on my shelf yet...Anyway, I didn't know what to expect of her writing. I was pretty happy with the book. In the beginning it dragged, I had a hard time getting into the story lines, but it didn't take too long before I was enjoying it. Some characters I liked better than others. A very unique story though, I will looking into more of her books. How many more is depending upon the Poisonwood Bible.

In a way, it is a wonderful book, all about nature an women and how everything falls in place in the end for everyone, even for the coyotes, the women ovulate with the full moon, a woman past forty chooses to wear her hair long, (as if there was anything to choose for most of us). But the story lacks conflict. Reading through the first pages I got prepared for big trouble between the hunter and the 'she-wolf' about the animals. But the tension soon dissolved without leaving trace. As any other potential conflict, it just disappeared. Many many pages of clever dialogues revealing a very keen interest in people, the way they react and feel, the ironic side of things. But the novel as a whole lacks density, interest. Sometimes I think, if only modern writers would not think they have to write novels with Dickensian dimensions all the time. If they can, all right, but sometimes a shorter text can be much more intense and interesting.

Am I the only Kingsolver fan who found Poisonwood Bible to be a disappointing, heavyhanded departure from the humor and gentle social commentary we'd all discovered with delighted surprise in The Bean Trees? I still think that her first novel is her best, but I was glad to find her returning to her roots in Prodigal Summer, a simply plotted, well-written novel with the procreative forces of nature at its core. Rather than preach unilaterally about environmental issues, Kingsolver explores many sides of the issues with her cast of characters which are all more complex than at first they appear. Particularly enjoyable are the two elderly neighbors who represent opposite ends of the environmental spectrum and hurl verbal abuse at each other throughout the book, but at the end discover some common ground, even while neither comes close to converting the other. Likewise, the farmer's widow and passionate environmentalist gets her come-uppance with a rapacious patch of honeysuckle, while the coyote-killing hunter treads through the novel with surprising dignity and self-knowledge. Kingsolver weaves serious exploration and description of environmental issues into her prose with a great deal of grace, even if the result is not completely seamless. Whereas by the time I finished Poisonwood Bible, I was rooting for the bad guys (i.e., Rachel) simply to get some relief from the rest of the insufferable prigs I was obliged to tolerate, Prodigal Summer had me finding good and bad within each individual character, and the need to take sides was eliminated. And this, mind you, from a fast-food-eating, fossil-fuel-burning, bug-killing reviewer.

This story of interwoven lives of people of the farms, forests and mountains of southern Appalachia was wonderfully written. It was not just a story of the people, but of the entire ecosystem. It made me think deeply about the consequences of life choices--from which pesticides I use to what I eat.

I thnk that most people will love this book!

Although a great fan of Barbara Kingsolver's previous works, I almost didn't pick this one off the shelf after all the vaguely dissatisfied reviews I'd read. What a treat I almost missed! I enjoyed it hugely, and moreover found it profoundly resonant of so many threads in my own life, starting with the opening poem, "Prothalamion," which I have been enjoying for years on Judy Collins' "Whales and Nightingales." I am surprised, also, that no one has made the obvious (at least to me) comparisons with Annie Dillard's "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" or A. S. Byatt's "Morpho Eugenia". "Prodigal Summer" evokes both Dillard's spiritual, meticulous (Pulitzer-prize winning!) nature study and Byatt's sensuous lepidoptery and weaves in more enjoyment with elements of genealogy and modern farming issues ... not to mention a few good love stories. Maybe it IS a woman's book, but as a woman I wholeheartedly recommend it.

I have just begun listening to the Prodigal Summer on CD as I drive back and forth to work through the northwoods of Wisconsin. I am entranced by the musical voice of Barbara Kingsolver reading her novel and bringing her characters to life in my mind. I love the lyrical phrases Ms. Kingsolver writes as well as her clever integration of the characters in time and place. I can relate to Loosa as a farmer's wife living on a family farm with a long history and sisters-in-law who have been resident forever. The loneliness and isolation is poignantly described. I think common experiences help us appreciate the author's message. I greatly anticipate the thoughts and actions of the characters as the story unfolds and I appreciate the author's ability to make me think outside of myself without trying to change who I am. I would heartily recommend this book as well as The Bean Tree by Barbara Kingsolver.

Years ago, in a small Wisconsin city, I met an elderly woman whom I call "Butterfly Lady." She introduced me to the joys of observing insects. Also, she is the first person ever to raise luna moths in captivity. I thought about her when I read "The Prodigal Summer." Brought back a lot of memories of exploring the world of nature with my children. Also, brought back memories of visiting a cousin who lived on a farm. Brought me back in touch with a lot I had forgotten about the natural world. Also, I enjoyed the characters in the book. Being 75, I was a little amused by the constant references to "the old man", when Garnett is only a couple of years older than me. Kingsolver is going to find that life in the seventies is a good deal more exciting than she thinks it is. But that's a minor moan. She could not write a dull book if she tried. I think this is one of her best. It's a book I'll read again. John Purdy, Santa Fe NM

Barbara Kingsolver is a talented author with a niche for narrative. Her words are beautifully put together and her characters area alive with emotions and feelings. I'm amazed by the amount of time and energy she put into researching for this novel. However, finishing the novel left me with a feeling of dissatisfication. I didn't like the ending. It left too many things unsettled and did not seem to relate to the rest of the novel. In fact, finishing the novel made me think, what is she trying to get at? Because that's how I feel. What did she want me to get out of the novel. What's her point? However, the novel is a good one and the narrative is outstanding. The plot is a bit shaky and perhaps it is because she introduced too many characters into it.

As she did in "The Poisonwood Bible", Kingsolver once again manages to draw readers in as she paints a detailed image of a place which most of us have never been. With eloquent detail, she transports us to an Appalachian town and makes us feel at home there.
Using first person, Kingsolver weaves her tale through three main characters, all of which live separate lives in and near this small town. If I could change one thing about this book, it would only be that I wouldn't want it to end. By the end of the book, I cared so much about the characters that I not only wanted to find out what happened to them in the rest of their lives, but in the lives of their relatives and future generations as well.
Once again, an extremely well written and well researched book from Barbara Kingsolver. I find her books so detailed and enjoyable that I like to go back and re-read them at least once since I know there is no way I can absorb everything it has to offer on the first read.

I have never read a Kingsolver novel before and was told by a number of her fans that her books are excellent. Perhaps it was my misfortune to start with this one. From the opening chapter I felt that Kingsolver was forcing the story to fit into a lecture on the environment. Her agenda is so obvious that the characters and the stories of their lives are stilted and secondary to the lecture. Ms Kingsolver seems to have decided that she is a messenger for nature. She has clearly chosen to regard her audience as one which needs to have sex, heat and lust thrown in to make the sermon easier to digest. A boring book which fails to do anything other than annoy the reader. There are far better books which use the backdrop of the environment in danger as a setting for characters which capture the reader's attention.

This is my third book from Ms. Kingsolver. I loved the Poisonwood Bible, was unimpressed with the Bean Trees and wowed all over again with Prodigal Summer. This book makes me want to lay in the grass (if I can find any) and sniff the stalks and count the bugs. This book makes me wish that I too could identify different birds by their calls. And I wish that her characters were real so they could be my friends too.

This lady knows how to write. I thoroughly enjoyed the imagery and the feeling of this book. It is definitely a strong environmentalist book, but even if you aren't an environmentalist, you will come away with an appreciation of nature that you may not have had before. This book makes you think, and I love those kinds of books. I am getting ready to re-read it. I loved the way that the last chapter tied all of the stories together. The characters and setting really came alive for me. I haven't read the Poisonwood Bible yet, but I think at this point that anything written by Ms. Kingsolver would have to be worth reading.

Many don't know that Barbara Kingsolver was a Biology student at the University of Arizona. So naturally her novels are appealing to both literature and biology fanatics. I had the opportunity to visit a Book Reading of Ms. Kingsolver in Tucson, Arizona. After seeing her read a few chapters and also asserting the importance of our enviornment, I read this book over again. There are many chapters which have hidden meanings dealing with the enviornment, or about the tobacco industry. Art can be used to influence politics. Her book is in a sense an activism of its own. I think I'd really recommend this book to science students as well as students who really don't read books that often.

This novel is a departure from Kingsolver's usual style, but I think it works, too. It's more of a love story than her other novels, more sappy. I think the image of the moths finding each other by scent in order to mate is one of the most striking images of love that I've ever read, though. Kingsolver's signature style does make its appearances, even in this different kind of book.

While I really appreciate Kingsolver's work, I can't say I like Prodigal Summer. Another reviewer suggested that it was "too preachy". I have to agree in a lot of ways. I mean, there was a lot of "save the environment" and "don't use pesticides, it gives everyone cancer". But there was no good resolution. There was a lot of talk and nothing to back it up. I am not hunter either; I hate hunting. So I got that part. But the rest....eh.... And I really thought it was silly to suggest that one of the main gals appeal was that she was ovulating. I couldn't get behind this one.

"Prodigal Summer" is the second novel by Barbara Kingsolver that I have read.The first novel "Poisonwood Bible",is a hard act to follow.In the novel,"Prodigal Summer",Ms. Kingsolver succeeds in exposing the reader to her educational background in biology. I also found the writing rich in the imagery of the five senses.When Ms. Kingsolver talks about a honeysuckle branch breaking, you hear the crack, and the scent released in the air ,you take a long deep breath.Her prose is untouchable. The novel is both sensual and educational.What the novel is lacking in is the development of the characters' stories ,you want to know more but are given another lesson in biology, farming and ecology.

What the heck happened? I bought this in hardcover the minute I heard about it: I am crazy about almost all of Kingsolver's books, "The Poisonwood Bible" most of all. I knew it wasn't a good sign when the primary love interest's name was "Eddie Bondo," but there is enough about moth sex (yes, you read that right) and the phallic resemblance of flowers to make Kingsolver sound like the Hugh Hefner of the forest floor. Problem is, there's not much else to this book: the dialogue is hackneyed and predictable, and the plot line is entirely uncompelling. If you have never read Kingsolver, this review is a plea not to begin here. If you have, all I can say is: proceed at your own risk. I personally regret reading a work that has so profoundly compromised my love for this author's stories.

Kingsolver's writing continues to evolve and grow with each of her books. Her early works remain brilliant, but Prodigal Summer captures the reader in a more encompassing manner. Kingsolver masterfully transitions between characters without distracting the reader from the ultimate story. And the richness of her story telling enables her to develop each and every major character even while jumping back and forth between their lives. No one is left out, and because of this, the book remain enthralling from start to finish. There are no dull sections and no flat characters -- which is quite a feat in a novel this complex, yet this accessible.

As a Kingsolver fan since "Animal Dreams" and "Bean Trees" right through "Poisonwood Bible" (I even taught "Pigs in Heaven"), this latest effort seems to me to continue the evolution of one of the best contemporary American authors. This book takes us back to a setting Kingsolver thrives in, a place where people battle themselves and their environment to find peace and belonging. She draws on the Native American themes of her earlier books, and the more worldly, religious messages of her later efforts, but she raises her prose to a new level. The characters are accessible and worth caring about, and their stories are ours in the truest sense. It is a mesmerizing read.

This is a charmingly reactionary novel that might appeal to Wendell Berry. Rich characters, plenty of sadness, healed by the salve of land and its unnoticed wild creatures. Kingsolver writes beautifully, and it's hard not to hope when reading her.

OK, OK, I get it already. Everything is connected, everything is dependent. Over and over I get it. Maybe I am being too harsh..I am just saying..the message was repetetive. I felt the only reason for changing characters was to deliver the message again. I listened to this book on tape and found myself zoning out a little, so I can't imagine reading the book. I did learn a few things, but feel a little beat over the head.

The ENDING left a lot to be desired. We need to know about the baby What happens with the goat's. Is there to be a sequel to Finnish the story. perhaps I missed the point made Orr the author run out of Ink

I looked forward to this book, but just this morning turned the last page and set it down diappointed. The story of the mourning widow and her return to life, along with the farm that is her disputed inheritance, had real pull. I wish she had concentrated on this heart-told story. The rest of the stories seemed like filler. A lot of the book seemed to be pandering to middle-aged women's fantasies--burgeoning young men bedding women who thought they were done with sex. The "messages" about pesticides, the complexity of the natural environment, etc. were hammered in relentlessly. I enjoyed the Poinsonwood Bible--thought it an incredible evocation of the place and characters. This book doesn't measure up to her previous level of achievement.

Barbara Kingsolver's "Prodigal Summer" was highly anticipated by me, and those around me, but sadly, it didn't live up to my high hopes. I was a huge fan of her previous work "The Poisionwood Bible" and was looking forward to a huge, and absorbing novel that I really had to work at. But, I just found this book lacking in so many areas. I could never relate or find anything remotly interesting. I was really letdown and felt like I had wasted my money. Try "Poisionwood" instead! It's much better.

A brilliant book that will appeal to biologists and literary fanatics alike. It attempts to reverse the old maxim of art imitating life as it is an activist environmental work. The lesson is that man and nature must learn to coexist, told only how a biologist writer could do. For those who have been lost in the world of concrete and skyscrapers, this will remind you of the wonders of the natural world. And as icing on the cake, the book has some good humor as well.

This book is a bit hard to follow initially, as it tells three stories at once. But as you prgress thorugh the book the connections between the stories become more and more clear, and each chartacter takes on a new depth. A fascinating look into what motivates individuals and how life can change when we least expect it. A definite "chick" book, as my husband would say.

I liked this book even better than the Poisonwood Bible. The subject matter appealed to me because I enjoy reading about animals, nature and conservation...and the way Kingsolver wove these subjects into the lives of her characters was nothing short of ingenious. What a great book to have characters like Deanna, Luca, Nannie and Jewel to care about and learn from at the same time...I couldn't put it down.

I have always read and enjoyed Barbara Kingsolver's work and was sorely disappointed by Prodigal Summer. Although there are some wonderful passages about the dawning of springtime in the woods, the plot is predictable and weak, feeling at times like a novel by Danielle Steele instead of Barbara Kingsolver. Prodigal Summer seems like a rushed, poorly crafted work of fiction by someone who could do a lot better.

One of my favorite books of all time. I really love the blend of biology and romance, and all the characters are fleshed out beautifully. I will forever look at coyotes differently. --Have loved this book for years, my copy is tattered and wrinkled from the bath!

Another blockbuster Kingsolver! Sequel please, and quickly, we want to know how how all this works out, we want to watch the coyote pups grow up and the trees flourish. These women are marvelous, thanks for making them the protagonists, but please could we have one who doesn't have to end up in a romantic relationship? Namaste, Nancy Davison

I loved this book! Three strong wonderful women characters! As an outdoor person with an ecology background and a mini farm in my backyard, every sentence rang true, every word needed to be expressed! I am so impressed by the thoroughness of the research, by the tight interweaving of the story and the environment, and the artistry of the creation of each character to help in the understanding of the role we play in Nature and our responsibility to ourselves and our environment. Almost every page had a sentence or two that brought tears to my eyes!

As a reader who loved the Poisonwood Bible, I was very disappointed by this book.
Altough I agree with the messages in the book, I found it to be preachy and heavyhanded. I agree with other reviewers who found the characters shallow and the writing simple. As for the romantic moments in the story--bizzarre, and not in a good way.
My impression of this book was that it was written quicky to fulfill a contract, or written early in the writer's career and shoved in a drawer until it was dusted off to ride on the success of the Poisonwood Bible. It certainly is a contrast to that book, which seemed to have alot of time, research and thought behind it.

When someone asks me to pick a favourite book, this is generally the one I choose. It's an utterly beautiful story, rooted deeply in ecological and environmental thought, with beautifully developed characters. Kingsolver's depictions of the natural world are wonderfully real. I pick this up almost every year and re-read it, getting deeply involved with the characters once more, and always inspired to be more present and concerned with the world around me.

The one very small issue I have with this book is sometimes it tries to educate the reader a tiny bit too much. However, this isn't at the expense of the story.

All in all, a wonderful story that always stays with me. Gorgeous.

I am an avid reader of Barbara Kingsolver, I own all of her books. I was not entirely pleased with Kingsolver's last book, The Poisonwood Bible and had high hopes that this new book would take me back to the style of Bean Trees and Pigs in Heaven. I could hardly wait for Prodigal Summer to arrive so I could delve right in. Once I started the book, I could not put it down. I loved the style of rotating between the lives of each of the characters. This book fulfilled and exceded my hopes. I fell in love with the characters and did not want Prodigal Summer to end. I was also mesmerized by Kingsolver's references to the environment and the way she intertwined human life with those of animals and plants. I feel this book is the best one Barbara Kingsolver has ever written. I highly reccomend Prodigal Summer.

All of Barbara Kingsolver's books are excellent but this book touched me in ways that the others had not. Perhaps it is because I am also a widow and it was so true what she wrote about going on with life after one's husband dies. It was especially interesting how the one lady who had lost her husband slowly became friends with most of her husband's brothers and sisters. It was good how Barbara wrote of the different characters and then pulled them all together at the end. As I read the book I felt as if it was only one in a set of two books. I hope that she writes about these same people again and I will be so disappointed if she doesn't tell us more about their lives. I enjoyed the books very much and tell all my friends to read it.

One of my favorite books of all time. I really love the blend of biology and romance, and all the characters are fleshed out beautifully. I will forever look at coyotes differently. --Have loved this book for years, my copy is tattered and wrinkled from the bath!

Another blockbuster Kingsolver! Sequel please, and quickly, we want to know how how all this works out, we want to watch the coyote pups grow up and the trees flourish. These women are marvelous, thanks for making them the protagonists, but please could we have one who doesn't have to end up in a romantic relationship? Namaste, Nancy Davison

I loved this book! Three strong wonderful women characters! As an outdoor person with an ecology background and a mini farm in my backyard, every sentence rang true, every word needed to be expressed! I am so impressed by the thoroughness of the research, by the tight interweaving of the story and the environment, and the artistry of the creation of each character to help in the understanding of the role we play in Nature and our responsibility to ourselves and our environment. Almost every page had a sentence or two that brought tears to my eyes!

As a reader who loved the Poisonwood Bible, I was very disappointed by this book.
Altough I agree with the messages in the book, I found it to be preachy and heavyhanded. I agree with other reviewers who found the characters shallow and the writing simple. As for the romantic moments in the story--bizzarre, and not in a good way.
My impression of this book was that it was written quicky to fulfill a contract, or written early in the writer's career and shoved in a drawer until it was dusted off to ride on the success of the Poisonwood Bible. It certainly is a contrast to that book, which seemed to have alot of time, research and thought behind it.

When someone asks me to pick a favourite book, this is generally the one I choose. It's an utterly beautiful story, rooted deeply in ecological and environmental thought, with beautifully developed characters. Kingsolver's depictions of the natural world are wonderfully real. I pick this up almost every year and re-read it, getting deeply involved with the characters once more, and always inspired to be more present and concerned with the world around me.

The one very small issue I have with this book is sometimes it tries to educate the reader a tiny bit too much. However, this isn't at the expense of the story.

All in all, a wonderful story that always stays with me. Gorgeous.

I am an avid reader of Barbara Kingsolver, I own all of her books. I was not entirely pleased with Kingsolver's last book, The Poisonwood Bible and had high hopes that this new book would take me back to the style of Bean Trees and Pigs in Heaven. I could hardly wait for Prodigal Summer to arrive so I could delve right in. Once I started the book, I could not put it down. I loved the style of rotating between the lives of each of the characters. This book fulfilled and exceded my hopes. I fell in love with the characters and did not want Prodigal Summer to end. I was also mesmerized by Kingsolver's references to the environment and the way she intertwined human life with those of animals and plants. I feel this book is the best one Barbara Kingsolver has ever written. I highly reccomend Prodigal Summer.

All of Barbara Kingsolver's books are excellent but this book touched me in ways that the others had not. Perhaps it is because I am also a widow and it was so true what she wrote about going on with life after one's husband dies. It was especially interesting how the one lady who had lost her husband slowly became friends with most of her husband's brothers and sisters. It was good how Barbara wrote of the different characters and then pulled them all together at the end. As I read the book I felt as if it was only one in a set of two books. I hope that she writes about these same people again and I will be so disappointed if she doesn't tell us more about their lives. I enjoyed the books very much and tell all my friends to read it.

This is my favourite book of all time. I am an avid reader and I have read this book three times. I have not read any other book twice, even. A friend referred me to a link of the audiobook and I cringed.
If you do not absolutely need to listen to it, please read it. It makes the world of difference.
The voice does not go with the contents because it is too shallow, too young (sounding), too monotonous. My friend, also an avid reader, forced herself to listen to the entire audio version but she said she almost fell asleep a few times.
Such a shame, that a fabulous book like this has been voiced as it is.

I have loved Kingsolver's other books (so far) and the Pigs in Heaven "series" are my go to comfort books. However, for some reason Prodigal Summer keeps slipping my mind completely. It was a nice read, should be up there with my "summer" books but I never seem to remember it was written (out of sight, out of mind). Maybe like summer it's just a fleeting memory that is too easily saved over by more extreme things that happen.

I have enjoyed reading this new novel by Kingsolver. Unlike other authors who find a good thing and stay with it, she succeeded at using the English language like an art form that will transform your mind to feel the story. The type of story this was required you to "feel". There needed to be a story of this magnitude to invite her audience to remember their childhood and if this wasn't in their childhood, it might open some doors to those who have had them closed. There was certainly a perspective that was brought to my attention. Thanks for a wonderful read.

Like another reviewer, I enjoy Kingsolver's books. I thought this was very good, but not quite as good as Bean Trees/Animal Dreams. But then, it was a different type of story in it's own right. Some may think she went overboard on einvironmental and wildlife issues, but I guess that I felt that it was o.k. for some writers to overplay the message, because so many of us aren't concerned at all. However, I guess I enjoyed the main character's story (Deanna) the least of the 3 stories. I especially enjoyed the older couple. Also, I liked the way the 3 sets of characters were all drawn together somehow.

I had high hopes for this book, having loved Pigs in Heaven and the Poisonwood Bible, and was sadly disappointed. It's too obvious and too predictable. When I read the explanation of the importance of a predator in an ecosystem for the second time I thought I'd jumped into a textbook - and then it came up again! The human parallels to the animal world were just a little strained - the widowed, childless sister-in-law adopts the children of the cancer-ridden mother, and in the animal world just one female coyote will produce offspring while the others support her to maximise the chance of the cubs survival. If I want the ecology lecture I'll pick up a Farley Mowatt book.

Prodigal Summer is one of my favorite books. Barbara Kingsolver teaches the reader about the interconnectedness of everything in nature as she tells her story about characters whose lives also turn out to be linked. I loved it so much that I decided to read only one chapter each day so I could savor how it all came together.

A friend of mine lent me this book and I was excited to read it as I absolutely adored Bean Trees. This book started out slow, got interesting and then ended pretty abruptly. I was left wondering, why did I read (much less, finish) that book??? If you have absolutely nothing to do and you have run out of other books to read, then read this book.

I love how this book takes a bunch of different story threads, follows them in a compelling way with great summer symbolism and language, and then manages to tie them together in a subtle, meaningful, non-cheesy way. This is my favorite Barbara Kingsolver book, and actually one of my favorite books of all time.

Kingsolver's literary prowess conjures human fear, love, life, and death.
I was thoroughly engrossed once I allowed myself to walk alongside her characters.
A must read...especially in these times of nature vs, control in our daily lifestyles.
.

Kingsolver is probably the author I admire the most. If I could write a novel like the Poisonwood Bible I would die satisfied with my contribution to the world. Prodigal Summer is full of symbolism and provokes thought, but not to the extent of PB. I also did not enjoy the author's voice in this text as much as I usually do. For a more enjoyable read try the two books featuring the lovable Turtle, "The Bean Trees" and "Pigs in Heaven".