I just finished this book about 3 minutes ago, and love it. I remember when I bought it from work my boss was saying how it was her mother’s favorite book, but I didn’t know what to expect from it. I guess I expected it to be a bit more boring than it was. I love all the characters, and Turtle’s fascination with plants and vegetables was so cute. It was an easy read, page turner, but wasn’t especially exciting. It was more real than anything.

This is Barbara Kingsolver’s first book. I was motivated to read it after being entirely enchanted by “The Poisonwood Bible.” (I read “Prodigal Summer” for the same reason.) The characterization is, like her other books, quite good, and the plot has enough twists to keep you reading and caring about the people involved. However, it really can’t top “The Poisonwood Bible”; if you haven’t read anything by Kingsolver, I’d still recommend “The Poisonwood Bible” over her other work, or at least the ones I’ve read. The voices are stronger, the language is more polished, the setting is more captivating, and story is fraught with more overall meaning. No disrespect to Kingsolver is intended, of course; “The Bean Trees” is a fabulous first novel, and it’s great to see and appreciate the evolution of her writing as she tackles new and different subjects.

This is the first book of Kingsolver’s that I read, and I enjoyed it very much. I’m not the type that wants kids, but it’s hard to resist Turtle!

I am a big fan of Barbara Kingsolver’s writing. I have heard people say that they don’t like the way her writing is so heavily influenced by her politics, that she’s too message-y, but I think that’s part of why I enjoy her books so much. I’ve noticed that there are actually Cliffs’ Notes for this book; I’m tempted to check them out.