Journal Entry 1 by msjoanna from Columbia, Missouri USA on Friday, August 17, 2007

From Publishers Weekly
Feisty Marietta Greer changes her name to "Taylor" when her car runs out of gas in Taylorville, Ill. By the time she reaches Oklahoma, this strong-willed young Kentucky native with a quick tongue and an open mind is catapulted into a surprising new life. Taylor leaves home in a beat-up ''55 Volkswagen bug, on her way to nowhere in particular, savoring her freedom. But when a forlorn Cherokee woman drops a baby in Taylor''s passenger seat and asks her to take it, she does. A first novel, The Bean Trees is an overwhelming delight, as random and unexpected as real life. The unmistakable voice of its irresistible heroine is whimsical, yet deeply insightful. Taylor playfully names her little foundling "Turtle," because she clings with an unrelenting, reptilian grip; at the same time, Taylor aches at the thought of the silent, staring child''s past suffering. With Turtle in tow, Taylor lands in Tucson, Ariz., with two flat tires and decides to stay. The desert climate, landscape and vegetation are completely foreign to Taylor, and in learning to love Arizona, she also comes face to face with its rattlesnakes and tarantulas. Similarly, Taylor finds that motherhood, responsibility and independence are thorny, if welcome, gifts. This funny, inspiring book is a marvelous affirmation of risk-taking, commitment and everyday miracles. 

Journal Entry 2 by msjoanna from Columbia, Missouri USA on Monday, May 03, 2010

I enjoy Barbara Kingsolver's writing. Even in this debut novel, her voice is strong and her female characters and relationships have life to them that make them compelling to read. That said, this book was average. The book was full of Issues -- immigration, child abuse, rural poverty, motherhood. But there were so many Issues that none of them was really addressed in any depth and the downtrodden characters were all almost too perfect. The two noble immigrants, the fierce lead character, the tire-shop owner who is a hero to all downtrodden--none of them ever made morally questionable choices or wrestled with real demons. While the characters developed over the course of the story, it felt almost like a self-esteem presentation rather than a gritty, real-life story.

I'll probably read the companion/sequel, Pigs in Heaven, since I'm interested in seeing both the changes to the characters and the development of Ms. Kingsolver's writing.

This book will soon go in the mail to Flicki, to whom I offered it in a wishlist relay on Book Obsessed. 

Journal Entry 3 by Flicki at Emden, Niedersachsen Germany on Wednesday, May 26, 2010

This arrived a few days ago - thank you so much! :-)