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Summary and Reviews of Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver

Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver

Small Wonder

by Barbara Kingsolver
  • Critics' Consensus (6):
  • Readers' Rating (1):
  • First Published:
  • Apr 1, 2002, 288 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Apr 2003, 288 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Book Summary

Sometimes grave, occasionally hilarious, and ultimately persuasive, Small Wonder is a hopeful examination of the people we seem to be, and what we might yet make of ourselves.

In her new essay collection, the beloved author of High Tide in Tucson brings to us, out of one of history's darker moments, an extended love song to the world we still have.

Whether she is contemplating the Grand Canyon, her vegetable garden, motherhood, genetic engineering, or the future of a nation founded on the best of all human impulses, these essays are grounded in the author's belief that our largest problems have grown from the earth's remotest corners as well as our own backyards, and that answers may lie in both those places.

Sometimes grave, occasionally hilarious, and ultimately persuasive, Small Wonder is a hopeful examination of the people we seem to be, and what we might yet make of ourselves.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

Book Magazine - Penelope Mesic
While far from perfect, this book expresses the misgivings and despair experienced by many of us, and counters our shared sense of loss with the treasures of a quiet life.

San Francisco Chronicle
A delightful, challenging, and wonderfully informative book.

Booklist - Donna Seaman
Food, motherhood, gardening, literature, television, homelessness, globalization, scientific illiteracy, selfishness, and forgiveness all come under sharp and revelatory scrutiny. As does love of country Americans who read and think are patriots of the first order.

Kirkus Reviews
Her best pieces--a discussion of adolescence addressed to her daughter; an essay on the difficulties of writing about sex-have a narrow focus. Good intentions and craft marred by sanctimony.

Library Journal - Judith Robinson
This gentle, intelligent gadfly will provide intellectual stimulation, whether or not the listener agrees with her positions.

Publishers Weekly
This book of essays ... is like a visit from a cherished old friend...Respect for the intelligence of her audience is apparent everywhere in this outstanding collection.

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Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked Small Wonder, try these:

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    About this book

    From the discovery of the author's face in a century-old photograph to a triple-amputee hospice director working at the border of life and death, here are thirteen hopeful, heartbreaking, and profound essays from "one of the most intelligent, compassionate, and curious authors working today" (Elizabeth Gilbert).

  • Any Small Thing Can Save You jacket

    Any Small Thing Can Save You

    by Christina Adam

    Published 2002

    About this book

    Like the richest classical paintings, these 26 short stories explore the surprises and beauty of the natural world. Read a complete short story now. Great gift!

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