BVBook Verdict
Essential Read

The Poisonwood Bible

by Barbara Kingsolver · 1998

Literary Fiction · ranked #209 in category

Nathan Price, a Baptist minister consumed by guilt and religious fervour, moves his wife and four daughters from Georgia to the Belgian Congo in 1959 — and brings his certainties into a world that will destroy them. Told through the voices of the four daughters and their mother, Kingsolver's novel is about colonialism, religion and what it costs those who are forced to follow someone else's mission.

UK visitors: Bookshop.org supports independent bookshops. All links open a search — never a specific listing. As an Amazon Associate and Bookshop.org affiliate we earn from qualifying purchases.

The verdict

Category
Literary Fiction
First published
1998 · 1990s
Author
Barbara Kingsolver
Standing
Essential Read

About Literary Fiction

Literary fiction sits at the intersection of fine writing and serious storytelling — novels that reward attention and stay with you long after the last page. These are the books that alter your sense of what's possible in prose.

More by Barbara Kingsolver

If you liked this

More literary fiction worth your shelf. See the full books like The Poisonwood Bible list. Or try our book club guide.

Featured in

Ready to read it?

Get The Poisonwood Bible

As an Amazon Associate, Bookshop.org and CJ Affiliate we earn from qualifying purchases.

CJ Affiliate · Magzter

Between books? Read magazines too.

Book readers love Magzter — 10,000+ magazines and newspapers on any device, 50% off the annual GOLD plan.

Start Reading — 50% off Annual Plan →