The Poisonwood Bible is a novel by Barbara Kingsolver about the Price family, who travel to the Congo in 1959 as missionaries.
Through the voices of the mother and four daughters, the narrative explores cultural clashes, personal transformations, and the impact of Western colonialism.
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Book Blurb
The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it—from garden seeds to Scripture—is calamitously transformed on African soil.
What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family’s tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.
About the Author
Barbara Kingsolver is an American author, poet and essayist whose works explore social justice and political issues. She earned degrees in biology, ecology, and evolutionary biology at DePauw University and the University of Arizona. This explains why her novels so often have an environmental focus.
Barbara Kingsolver’s literary fiction is known for its richly drawn characters and compelling themes, which have earned her numerous awards and accolades throughout her career.
Awards/Accolades
The Poisonwood Bible has won several prestigious honours. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Orange Prize for Fiction (now known as the Women’s Prize for Fiction).
Additionally, the novel won the 2000 Boeke Prize and earned Kingsolver the National Book Prize of South Africa and the 1999 PEN/Faulkner Award.
Has Barbara Kingsolver written any other novels?
Barbara Kingsolver has written several other novels. If you enjoyed this book, you may also enjoy Barbara Kingsolver’s standalone novels such as The Lacuna and Demon Copperhead. If you’re interested in finding out more, the below link contains a full list of Barbara Kingsolver books in order.
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