Spotlight on Fandoms :: The Poisonwood Bible
I could really go on forever about this book. Thankfully, I only went on for a really long time for my spotlight of The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, and kept it relatively free of my tendency to pick out my favourite quotes. This is partially due to the fact that this would require me transcribing about half the book. So, let's just get right to it, shall we?
The year is 1959. The country, at this point in time, is called Belgian Congo, and it is in the middle of a tumultuous transition in the wake of the end of European colonialism. With a focus on the violence and hunger and devastation that took a grip on not only the Congo, but many of the African nations supposedly free of colonial influences, Barbara Kingsolver's 1998 novel The Poisonwood Bible makes a parallel between the way the jungle changes the lives of a missionary family from America and the way foreign influences changed the fate of the forced African nations of the time period, and not remotely for the good. Packed with socio-political viewpoints regarding everything from feminism to democracy, religion to economics, the Poisonwood Bible isn't exactly light reading and is almost guaranteed to invoke a response. It's a deep, involved story, written in a deep, involved way, jam packed with poetic writing and metaphors of exploitation and injustice, a rich historical fiction with a very moving plot and interesting characters.
Plus, it's written like a typical Adah post. So that's 543 pages of associations, sentences threatening to become run-ons, and tl;dr. That in itself makes it pretty heavy (I'd offer an exact weight of the book, but my scale is broken and inaccurate. But it's pretty hefty).
The story is told intermittantly between the five Price females. Each section is prologued by a reflective Orleanna, looking back on this critical time in her life. The story itself is then told in seperate parts by the switching voices of her daughters. The exception of this is the concluding last section. Kingsolver does an amazing job of weaving in the political strife ripping through the Congo at this time with the much simpler tale of the Price girls changing and maturing based on their startling new surroundings.
In the summer of 2001, Oprah added The Poisonwood Bible to her ever-popular book club. Don't let that fool you, though. It's good!
(Heh, actually, I've read two Oprah Book Club choices and I've enjoyed both of them immensely. The Poisonwood Bible is my second most read book, beaten only by The Westing Game at number one. Yes, that's a link to my previous spotlight on it, because I'm a self-serving whore.)
What follows is a brief description of the characters, and a little bit about their role in the story. I'm actually reluctant to say too much about the story itself. It is very much a novel of several different coming-of-age, self-realization stories and I feel that those are best discovered by reading the book itself rather than having it revealed to you all by a dorky little fangirl with a degree.
THE CHARACTERS:
The Matriarch: Orleanna Price is the mother of the Price girls, and the frame around their story. She is a woman haunted by the past, with a conflicted feeling of responsibility for what happened and complete helplessness for the fact that it did. Her narratives are reflections: we never get inside her head as the events of the story take place, only her looking back and commisserating (in usually very detailed and elaborate terms) on them.
The Patriarch: Driven by a faith in the Lord so strong that it's practically insane, Nathan Price is a Baptist preacher dedicated solely to his mission in the Congo of converting the people of Kilanga to God. While Kingsolver does a great job in giving the female narrators of her story an ambigious sort of "neither good nor evil" feel to them, Nathan is quite clearly a villian. The man is presented with almost no redeeming qualities what-so-ever, except briefly, in the beginning, in the chapters in which Leah practically idolizes him. You'll notice how quickly these chapters disappear. Stubborn, blinded by his mission, misogynistic, and overzealous, one wonders if it's really just the skewed visions of the bitter narrators that casts Nathan in such a light, but, nope. He really is pretty much an awful, awful person.
The Princess: Vapid, materialistic, and very self-aware, Rachel is the eldest of the four Price girls. She is, by far, the most vocally and genuinely disturbed by the move to Africa; is it really too much to ask for a normal life through her teenaged years? It's just the last draw on the camel's back (as she would put it), really. As if being ostracized socially for being a minister's daughter and having two genius younger sisters weren't enough, she has to be dragged to the middle of no where. Rachel's about to discover, though, that the inability to get Breck's Special Formula for her rabbit-white hair is going to be the least of her problems.
The Twins: Leah and Adah are twins, but a shared birthday, shared DNA, shared features, and shared intelligence are where the similarities stop. In sharp contrast with each other, Leah is an energetic, spritely tomboy while Adah, afflicted with hemiphelgia, is crippled with a distinct limp. At the start of the book, Leah is clearly a Daddy's Girl: her main drive seems to be pleasing Nathan and proving herself to be worth of not only his attention, but also God's, while Adah is starkly, clearly a strong cynic and hater of both those Fathers. Leah is very active in the story, as she is in life, usually taking a first-hand, front stage role in the unfolding events, while Adah, the constant observer, only passes her judgment as things unfold around her, rarely with her hand directly involved. I could go on a little more about some of Adah's personality quirks, especially as she stands out as one of the most uniquely minded characters in the book, but most of them have been explained and displayed in her character in the game, so you're all probably pretty familiar with them already. Unless you just skip over all her posts, in which case, I don't blame you. ;)
The Last: The last shall be first. Ruth May is the baby of the family, born after a long gap between the other girls, which puts her at a very interesting place in Orleanna's heart. With strawberry blonde curls and a distorted innocent view of the world, she comes off very much like a doll, sacred and doted in a world of ruin and disappointment. Even though she is very young, Ruth May still exhibits a lot of the very distinctive traits of a Price: prideful, self-important, and determinedly confident that her way is the right way, despite the fact that her world is so clearly, devastatingly skewed by so many of the negative influences around her.
The Prince: In a story of almost entirely negative male roles, Anatole Ngemba stands as one of two (possibly three if you count the faint ghost of Orleanna's father that makes brief, but important appearances) good men in The Poisonwood Bible. A teacher in Kilanga, Anatole's knowledge of English places him as the Price's only (reliable) guide to this strange new world they inhabit. He is incredibly patient with helping to steer them from the destructive path that Nathan seems to be forging for them, very often at the sake of his own safety and reputation. In a book full of characters who are entirely selfish and prideful, Anatole stands out in a very refreshing way, although part of this could have a lot to do with the fact that Leah's idolotry quickly shifts from her father to Anatole (hint, hint). The only other character I can immediately think of that isn't flawed with their utter selfishness is Brother Fowles, a predicesor to the Price family in the missions sent to Kilanga. His appearance, though, is brief, but fun, so I won't spoil the enjoyment of reading about it by talking too much about him here.
Actually, I lied with that previous statement. There is also Pascal, a young boy sent to the Price household by Anatole to help them. Pascal is very much like Anatole in his patience in helping and interacting with the girls, although he's much more direct with them when they screw up, while Anatole will continue to dance on eggshells more often than not.
There are other characters who, though important in their distinct roles, deserve a mention but not a big fat paragraph like the main characters mentioned above. Among them:
--Eaben Axelroot: When I think of Axelroot, I think of great big globs of greasy, grimy gopher guts. The pilot who brings the Prices in, takes them out (for a certain price), and brings them their supplies (always too late and more often than not, inflated in price), he a bit of a scummy, sleazy guy who takes not only an important role in dictating a few things about the Prices' lifestyle, but also in the political arena spinning out of control around them.
--Tata Ndu and Tata Kuvudundu: Tata Ndu is the chief of Kilanga and not at all a big fan of the Prices. Since he's a polygamous heathen, the Prices aren't too fond of him. In league with Kuvudundu, the six-toed witch-doctor of the village, there exists a force in Kilanga determined to point out the fallacies in the Christian god and, in doing so, the utter ridiculousness of the Prices' habitation in the village.
--Mama Tataba: Or fondly called Mama Tater Tot by the girl, this slightly embittered old woman was left to the Price family by the previous mission to help them get settled in Kilanga. Although her time with them is brief, she is crucial to their survival during the first months.
--Methuselah: Who I only include because I love him much. Like Mama Tataba, his time with the Prices is brief, but this parrot, left like Mama Tataba by the previous mission of Brother Fowles, is a foul-mouthed parrot that adds just another pain to the long list of entities that become the bane of Nathan's existence. And, seriously, I couldn't not mention a parrot who will randomly, but effectively, screech out "Piss off!" "'That,' the Reverend declared, 'is a Catholic bird.'"
LINKS
The Quintessential Wiki, which contains even less information than what you see here.
Oprah Book Club Feature Page. Because if Oprah likes it, so should we all, dammit!
A nice bit about it on Kingsolver's website
And the necessary Amazon.com listing
Two pages of completely random, WTF, anime-style sketches of PWB fanart that I came across one day, boggled at, and love like pie for how much they make with the lulz.
As mentioned before, I'd easily list The Poisonwood Bible as my second favourite book ever. It does have a particular feel to it, though, so I'll admit that it might not be for everyone. The writing is very elaborate (at times overly so) and it's a very cynical sort of story. It's outlook on human nature is more often depressing than it is uplifting. It is richly written and greatly involving, though, so, if you're the type, you can easily get reeled in. I know a few of you have actually mentioned to me having picked up the book since I brought Adah in, and loving it, and I just also want to say that I can rarely think of a better compliment. Seriously, I think it's just amazing to be able to share something that, now that I have Adah, has become such a part of my brain and have it enjoyed and devoured, especially since it just might be something that, otherwise, wouldn't have been given a second glance.
The end. *bow* Questions, comments, demands for Cliff's Notes next time encouraged. :)
The year is 1959. The country, at this point in time, is called Belgian Congo, and it is in the middle of a tumultuous transition in the wake of the end of European colonialism. With a focus on the violence and hunger and devastation that took a grip on not only the Congo, but many of the African nations supposedly free of colonial influences, Barbara Kingsolver's 1998 novel The Poisonwood Bible makes a parallel between the way the jungle changes the lives of a missionary family from America and the way foreign influences changed the fate of the forced African nations of the time period, and not remotely for the good. Packed with socio-political viewpoints regarding everything from feminism to democracy, religion to economics, the Poisonwood Bible isn't exactly light reading and is almost guaranteed to invoke a response. It's a deep, involved story, written in a deep, involved way, jam packed with poetic writing and metaphors of exploitation and injustice, a rich historical fiction with a very moving plot and interesting characters.
Plus, it's written like a typical Adah post. So that's 543 pages of associations, sentences threatening to become run-ons, and tl;dr. That in itself makes it pretty heavy (I'd offer an exact weight of the book, but my scale is broken and inaccurate. But it's pretty hefty).
The story is told intermittantly between the five Price females. Each section is prologued by a reflective Orleanna, looking back on this critical time in her life. The story itself is then told in seperate parts by the switching voices of her daughters. The exception of this is the concluding last section. Kingsolver does an amazing job of weaving in the political strife ripping through the Congo at this time with the much simpler tale of the Price girls changing and maturing based on their startling new surroundings.
In the summer of 2001, Oprah added The Poisonwood Bible to her ever-popular book club. Don't let that fool you, though. It's good!
(Heh, actually, I've read two Oprah Book Club choices and I've enjoyed both of them immensely. The Poisonwood Bible is my second most read book, beaten only by The Westing Game at number one. Yes, that's a link to my previous spotlight on it, because I'm a self-serving whore.)
What follows is a brief description of the characters, and a little bit about their role in the story. I'm actually reluctant to say too much about the story itself. It is very much a novel of several different coming-of-age, self-realization stories and I feel that those are best discovered by reading the book itself rather than having it revealed to you all by a dorky little fangirl with a degree.
THE CHARACTERS:
The Matriarch: Orleanna Price is the mother of the Price girls, and the frame around their story. She is a woman haunted by the past, with a conflicted feeling of responsibility for what happened and complete helplessness for the fact that it did. Her narratives are reflections: we never get inside her head as the events of the story take place, only her looking back and commisserating (in usually very detailed and elaborate terms) on them.
The Patriarch: Driven by a faith in the Lord so strong that it's practically insane, Nathan Price is a Baptist preacher dedicated solely to his mission in the Congo of converting the people of Kilanga to God. While Kingsolver does a great job in giving the female narrators of her story an ambigious sort of "neither good nor evil" feel to them, Nathan is quite clearly a villian. The man is presented with almost no redeeming qualities what-so-ever, except briefly, in the beginning, in the chapters in which Leah practically idolizes him. You'll notice how quickly these chapters disappear. Stubborn, blinded by his mission, misogynistic, and overzealous, one wonders if it's really just the skewed visions of the bitter narrators that casts Nathan in such a light, but, nope. He really is pretty much an awful, awful person.
The Princess: Vapid, materialistic, and very self-aware, Rachel is the eldest of the four Price girls. She is, by far, the most vocally and genuinely disturbed by the move to Africa; is it really too much to ask for a normal life through her teenaged years? It's just the last draw on the camel's back (as she would put it), really. As if being ostracized socially for being a minister's daughter and having two genius younger sisters weren't enough, she has to be dragged to the middle of no where. Rachel's about to discover, though, that the inability to get Breck's Special Formula for her rabbit-white hair is going to be the least of her problems.
The Twins: Leah and Adah are twins, but a shared birthday, shared DNA, shared features, and shared intelligence are where the similarities stop. In sharp contrast with each other, Leah is an energetic, spritely tomboy while Adah, afflicted with hemiphelgia, is crippled with a distinct limp. At the start of the book, Leah is clearly a Daddy's Girl: her main drive seems to be pleasing Nathan and proving herself to be worth of not only his attention, but also God's, while Adah is starkly, clearly a strong cynic and hater of both those Fathers. Leah is very active in the story, as she is in life, usually taking a first-hand, front stage role in the unfolding events, while Adah, the constant observer, only passes her judgment as things unfold around her, rarely with her hand directly involved. I could go on a little more about some of Adah's personality quirks, especially as she stands out as one of the most uniquely minded characters in the book, but most of them have been explained and displayed in her character in the game, so you're all probably pretty familiar with them already. Unless you just skip over all her posts, in which case, I don't blame you. ;)
The Last: The last shall be first. Ruth May is the baby of the family, born after a long gap between the other girls, which puts her at a very interesting place in Orleanna's heart. With strawberry blonde curls and a distorted innocent view of the world, she comes off very much like a doll, sacred and doted in a world of ruin and disappointment. Even though she is very young, Ruth May still exhibits a lot of the very distinctive traits of a Price: prideful, self-important, and determinedly confident that her way is the right way, despite the fact that her world is so clearly, devastatingly skewed by so many of the negative influences around her.
The Prince: In a story of almost entirely negative male roles, Anatole Ngemba stands as one of two (possibly three if you count the faint ghost of Orleanna's father that makes brief, but important appearances) good men in The Poisonwood Bible. A teacher in Kilanga, Anatole's knowledge of English places him as the Price's only (reliable) guide to this strange new world they inhabit. He is incredibly patient with helping to steer them from the destructive path that Nathan seems to be forging for them, very often at the sake of his own safety and reputation. In a book full of characters who are entirely selfish and prideful, Anatole stands out in a very refreshing way, although part of this could have a lot to do with the fact that Leah's idolotry quickly shifts from her father to Anatole (hint, hint). The only other character I can immediately think of that isn't flawed with their utter selfishness is Brother Fowles, a predicesor to the Price family in the missions sent to Kilanga. His appearance, though, is brief, but fun, so I won't spoil the enjoyment of reading about it by talking too much about him here.
Actually, I lied with that previous statement. There is also Pascal, a young boy sent to the Price household by Anatole to help them. Pascal is very much like Anatole in his patience in helping and interacting with the girls, although he's much more direct with them when they screw up, while Anatole will continue to dance on eggshells more often than not.
There are other characters who, though important in their distinct roles, deserve a mention but not a big fat paragraph like the main characters mentioned above. Among them:
--Eaben Axelroot: When I think of Axelroot, I think of great big globs of greasy, grimy gopher guts. The pilot who brings the Prices in, takes them out (for a certain price), and brings them their supplies (always too late and more often than not, inflated in price), he a bit of a scummy, sleazy guy who takes not only an important role in dictating a few things about the Prices' lifestyle, but also in the political arena spinning out of control around them.
--Tata Ndu and Tata Kuvudundu: Tata Ndu is the chief of Kilanga and not at all a big fan of the Prices. Since he's a polygamous heathen, the Prices aren't too fond of him. In league with Kuvudundu, the six-toed witch-doctor of the village, there exists a force in Kilanga determined to point out the fallacies in the Christian god and, in doing so, the utter ridiculousness of the Prices' habitation in the village.
--Mama Tataba: Or fondly called Mama Tater Tot by the girl, this slightly embittered old woman was left to the Price family by the previous mission to help them get settled in Kilanga. Although her time with them is brief, she is crucial to their survival during the first months.
--Methuselah: Who I only include because I love him much. Like Mama Tataba, his time with the Prices is brief, but this parrot, left like Mama Tataba by the previous mission of Brother Fowles, is a foul-mouthed parrot that adds just another pain to the long list of entities that become the bane of Nathan's existence. And, seriously, I couldn't not mention a parrot who will randomly, but effectively, screech out "Piss off!" "'That,' the Reverend declared, 'is a Catholic bird.'"
LINKS
The Quintessential Wiki, which contains even less information than what you see here.
Oprah Book Club Feature Page. Because if Oprah likes it, so should we all, dammit!
A nice bit about it on Kingsolver's website
And the necessary Amazon.com listing
Two pages of completely random, WTF, anime-style sketches of PWB fanart that I came across one day, boggled at, and love like pie for how much they make with the lulz.
As mentioned before, I'd easily list The Poisonwood Bible as my second favourite book ever. It does have a particular feel to it, though, so I'll admit that it might not be for everyone. The writing is very elaborate (at times overly so) and it's a very cynical sort of story. It's outlook on human nature is more often depressing than it is uplifting. It is richly written and greatly involving, though, so, if you're the type, you can easily get reeled in. I know a few of you have actually mentioned to me having picked up the book since I brought Adah in, and loving it, and I just also want to say that I can rarely think of a better compliment. Seriously, I think it's just amazing to be able to share something that, now that I have Adah, has become such a part of my brain and have it enjoyed and devoured, especially since it just might be something that, otherwise, wouldn't have been given a second glance.
The end. *bow* Questions, comments, demands for Cliff's Notes next time encouraged. :)