Prodigal Summer: A Novel | Barbara Kingsolver | Exquisite Working of Heart-wrenching Beauty

Prodigal Summer: A Novel | Barbara Kingsolver | A prodigal book

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Prodigal Summer: A...

	Prodigal Summer: A Novel Barbara Kingsolver, 2001 - 464 pages average customer review:based on 445 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Exquisite Working of Heart-wrenching Beauty

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.

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A prodigal book

I'll admit I'm not so much into nature-related books, but this tale took me completely by surprise, and a very pleasant one at that! My first book by Barbara Kingsolver and a discovery in every sense. Three different stories run on parallel grounds in the space of a summer and unbeknownst to the characters, they are all intertwined by the magic power of love and nature.

Three tales that gracefully connect with each other without ever being confusing for the reader, starting from Deanna, a reclusive forest ranger in the Appalachian mountains who loves her solitude and job but is taken aback by the unexpected meeting of a young hunter with whom she falls, reluctantly, in love. Then there are Lusa and Cole, newly married and living on his inherited farm. A twist of fate and Lusa's life changes dramatically and unexpectedly. And finally, old and widowed Mr. Walker (my own favorite character), a grumpy man in his eighties obsessed by his neighbor, Miss Rowley, whose attitude to life in general combined with her numerous apple trees seem to be there just to annoy him.
These are the cores of the tales, but all is layered in a triumphant description of mountain/farm/country life.

Different subjects are explored, loss, love, affection, strength, fragility, our place and meaning on this planet, as important and valuable as the one of a single little bug living under a leaf. All is delivered by a poetic and effective prose, embracing colors, smells, sensations and feelings in a powerful, yet delicate, way. Some episodes are definitely humorous, others so wise and profound, they bring tears to your eyes. Very touching.

A wonderful tale which celebrates life in all of its forms, a positive message and a hidden reminder that we should all be more appreciative of what, and whom, we are surrounded by.

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What narratives!

Many people have spoken of this book's excellent content. I speak to its form: Narratives in five different voices, each one completely distinguishable from all the others. A book reader's book, if ever there was one. Kingsolver is brilliant.

Marvelously lyrical prose....

weaves one through the very independent lives of 3 main characters over a summer in and around the Zebulon Valley of Appalachia. Kingslover's writing will be appreciated by those with a love of reading and/or those with a love of nature. She intertwines both with magical storytelling that brings her 3 protagonists to an exciting but peaceful end of the summer. I found a subtle moral in the story, so it gave me something to think about long after I was done reading. Nice....this book lingers with me. I don't know anybody that hasn't loved this book, and now I know why.

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Natural Passion

Published in the year 2001, this novel is surprisingly the last one Ms. Kingsolver has written, as she's since shifted to writing essays and non-fiction. In "Prodigal Summer", she combines her training as a biologist with her experience living in Kentucky to tell three stories about people and nature in Appalachia.

In the first story subtitled "Predators", Deanna is a forest ranger living in virtual isolation on Zebulon Mountain. The opening chapter that kept me away from this book for about five years tells of Deanna falling for animal bounty hunter Eddie Bondo. Lust ensues, then conflict as predator-protector Deanna and predator-pursuer Eddie compare notes. I learned a lot more about the delicate balance between predators and prey than I did about the relationship of lovers from this story.

Story two, "Moth Love", involves city girl Lusa, another trained biologist (the kind who studies moths), less comfortably situated as the new wife of a rural tobacco farmer with four overbearing adult sisters. Tragedy turns her already unsetteled life upside down. Lusa's creative efforts to find both herself and her way among mountain folk are revealing, surprising and entertaining. Kingsolver's knowledge and compassion for country folk and her skill with scenes involving adults and children shine in this section.

The third story, "Old Chestnuts", features two neighboring antagonists, who, like Deanna and Eddie, are set in conflict by opposing views of the relationship between man and nature. 80ish widower Garnett Walker believes in the chemical destruction any and all pests, despite his more life-affiming work trying to save a nearly-extinct form of chestnut tree. Miss Nannie Rawley, a Unitarian of all things, takes a more holistic view of nature that is endlessly annoying to Walker. Kingsolver charmingly depicts the thawing of their relationship.

For the most part standing on their own, but told in an alternating manner, by their end the stories tell us of long-standing relationships among the characters--relationships that help shape their destinies.

Put off for years by the "lust in the moss" opening chapter, but despairing the wait for Kingsolver's next novel, I came back to this book. I'm glad I did, as Kingsolver's knowledge and love of nature combined with her skilled storytelling make for another special reading experience. Four stars for both adult and teenage readers, especially those with a love of the natural world.

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