Phyllis
I was very impressed by this book. Barbara Kingsolver has a great talent for character development. I felt as though I knew the entire family after "listening" to them throughout the book. There are so many good, caring, Christian people who sincerely respect the culture and religions of other lands that it is hard for some people to single out the "bad apple" in the barrel. Nathan Price was a man who was mentally injured in the war and never recovered. He, his family, and the Congolese in the village were all victims of his injuries. I was very impressed by the fact that because of his mental state, not only was he ineffective as a missionary, but as a husband and father. I was also very impressed by Kingsolver's use of symbolism in the novel, such as the reference to Nathan by one of his daughters as "Our Father," rather than the lower case "our father." She obviously wanted her readers to fully understand the evolution of the girls feelings about their father and their differences. One also has to understand that Orleanna had loved the Nathan who went off to war, but found the Nathan who returned home to be completely different. The Congo in the late '50's and early '60's is an appropriate background and mirrors the strife seen in the Price family. Remarkable book and one which would be a pleasure to teach. Remarkable book and one which would be a pleasure to teach.

Keith Light
Having finished the novel only moments ago, I am still reeling with outrage. Unlike her previous works (The Bean Trees and Pigs in Heaven), there is nothing subtle in the way that she describes the Western World's assault on native culture. Instead, the author is bluntly honest. Her trademark subtlety is instead focused on the relationships between the members of the fictional Price Family. All in all, I found it a good read. Insightful, maddening and heartwarming, I learned much from the book and find it be one of Kingsolver's best.

Anonymous
This novel made a great impression on me, a young African-American woman-college student who tried to understand what was happening in the Congo during that critical period. I have since evolved my own understanding of it and agree with a lot of Leah's thoughts. However, it was illuminating to read the varying effects of their African experience on all the different characters. Unlike a previous reader, I felt that even the father was given more than surface dimension. He was not only controlled by his own vision, but his experience in the war shed a great deal of light on his development and subsequent obsession. Having completed the book in 3 days last week, I am still trying to digest it because I think there are many more dimensions to the story than the apparent ones.

Diane Wallace-Reid
I have read all of Kingsolver's novels and continuously marvel at her insights into the human condition. The Poisonwood Bible underscored the arrogance of both certain Christians and certain western countries in approaching Africa in general and the Congo in particular. The very personal accounts of five women and how they were changed by Africa informs us that we all have as many lessons to learn as we have to teach. It also should illuminate our thinking that not all lives have to be lived the same in order to be of value; i.e. Western Civilization does not equal civilization. This book reawakens ones sense of justice and the need to live our lives, especially as Americans, in the context of a global society.

Eric Gayawira
Kingsolver did well. I felt deeply for her characters and, far more rewarding, sensed the clamour of a nation in transition.

Kimberly
This is one of the most intense novels I have read in a long time. Although Nathan Price is depicted as terribly wrong in his intentions to convert the natives to Christianity, I am more upset at the daughters lack of curiosity in what their father was doing. They allowed him to control their whole lives without actually paying attention to what he was preaching. I would feel a sense of sorrow for these girls if I hadn't also grown up in a home surrounded by the gospel. However, instead of merely rejecting what I was taught, I investigated into the scriptures myself and I couldn't imagine myself living without God. Yet, being able to identify with Kingsolvers characters kept me engrossed in the novel the whole way through and will definitely be reading her other works of literature.

Dee Leskinovitch
This was the best book I've read in the last year. It reminded me of the book,Hawaii. We as whites, Americans, and Christians, go to foreign countries to do good, and we do good... without the respect of others and their culture. This is the first book by Kingsolver that I've read, but not the last.

Orrin Judd
This was the most hateful novel I have ever read in my life. The Reverend Nathan Price is portrayed as some kind of malevolent being for four simple reasons: he's white; he's male; he's American ; &, worst of all, he's a Christian. Kingsolver has nothing but contempt for his selfless mission to bring Christianity to the jungles of the Congo. Instead, all of her sympathies lie first with his wife & daughters who have to struggle along without Breck Shampoo & with clumpy Betty Crocker cake mix and second, By the end of the novel one of the daughters is actually bemoaning the fact that she can't strip away her white skin &, thus, escape her racial guilt. One wonders at the self-loathing that could produce this sentiment.

Pat
This was the second book written bij Barbara Kingsolver I read. I'm in profound admiration and very touched,both by the subject (I'm a Belgian women and remember my parents being very angry when Lumumba was murdered) and by the way the novel is built up.From the beginning each girl has her own way of looking at the world and of expressing herself.I laught with the expressions of Rachel, felt with Leah and was terribly pleased with Adah's word-painting. This book is very topical as there are investigations about Lumumba's death in Belgium ,now. I want to express my admiration for Barbara Kingsolver both for her political engagement as for her capability to express it in a brilliant way.

Britt
I used to hate reading and would never bother to pick up a book! But when my grandmother told me to read this one I couldn't put it down. While reading it, it was like the story became alive. It was so emotional that I think I went through a whole box of tissues because it made me cry. Nicholas Sparks is now my first and favorite author. I have enjoyed reading all of his books! I wish that they would come out with movies.

Amy
The Notebook will now and forever be my favorite book. I am an avid reader ( A book-a-holic at 27 I guess you would say) and Nicholas Sparks is my favorite author hands down. Whenever a new book hits the stands I can NOT pass it by without making the purchase. Everything he has written has touched me but I can't even let The Notebook out of my hands to let friends borrow for a while ...

Debbie
I read this book and found that I had a very hard time putting it down. This book touched me in ways I didn't even know existed I realized that someone else had the same images of undying love. The kind that you only dream of and wish for every night. For anyone who is looking for the way to describe the kind of love that they are looking for I recommend this book. The romantic in all of us owe a great debt to Nicolas Sparks. Thank You for knowing what we needed.

Pati England
Excellent - will there be a movie?

Laura
Even though I am only 16, once I read this book it reminded of the many things that I have been through in my life. I could relate to the book so much; it reminded me when my first love left me for the Navy... I didn't think that anything could relate to what I felt, but this book was so powerful and real that I found something that actually did what I felt justice. Nothing I have ever read has ever been as captivating as this book.

G Snook
This book was great, as all in the series have been. Cannot wait for the next book to be published.

Lorraine Carrabin
I have read "The Man Who Listens To Horses" by Monty Roberts and I loved it.

Eli Asch
In The Majors Feinstein tell the history, politics, and tradition behind golf's four most important tournaments. A joy to read for golf fans, fanatics, and even for those who just flip through the channels and happen to stumble upon the Senior Tour Championship.

Jennifer
I really enjoyed reading this novel. What I liked the most was how intimately acquainted you become with characters and how you can feel what they are experiencing. The last chapters will keep you from putting it down! I'd like to see a movie come from this!

Jeannie
ok, I gotta admit, it started out slow, but after a while, it got better. The author's choice of describing words was amazing!! He was very descriptive of the wolves and characters. The end was the best part, and it kept me on edge the last five or so chapters!! All in all, this book was excellent, I would recommend it to anyone, including you, so if you haven't already read it, then what are you waiting for???

Unknown
I loved it. Wonderfully descriptive, unusual love story interwoven. Best I've read in a long time.