The Bean Tree by Barbara Kingsolver December 16

When I started this book, I had to go get my book "Pigs in Heaven" by Kingsolver to make sure I wasn't reading the book for the second time. But no, Pigs is a sequel to "The Bean Trees." I should have read them in the correct order, but, oh well. You can read my review on Pigs: http://framedandbooked.blogspot.com/2006/12/page-123-meme.html
It was good to get know Taylor and Turtle better and find out the rest of the story. Alice, Taylor's mother, isn't involved as much in this book which is too bad. I really liked that character. But Taylor quotes her sayings quite often:
"Even a spotted pig looks black at night. This is another thing Mama used to tell me quite often. It means that things always look different, and usually better, in the morning."
I really like Kingsolver's descriptions. She doesn't waste words and is not the least flowery, but she still gets a sharp image across.
"I loved fishing those old mud-bottomed poonds. Partly because she (Alice) would be proud of whatever I dragged out, but also because I just loved sitting still. You could smell leaves rotting into the cool mud and watch the Jesus bugs walk on the water, their four little feet making dents in the surface but never falling through. And sometimes you'd see the big ones, the ones nobody was ever going to hook, slipping away under the water like dark-brown dreams."
There's another great descriptive paragraph in my "Page 123 Meme" just below this post.
Turtle, the little girl, is fascinated with vegetables and notices that wisteria vines have bean-looking pods left after the flowers die, hence the name, bean trees. At the end of the book, they read a horticulture book that explains how rhizobia, little bugs, live on the roots of the vine, enabling it to thrive in poor soil. "It's like this," I explained to Turtle. "There's a whole invisible system for helping out the plant that you'd never guess was there." I loved this idea. "It's just the same as with people. The way Edna has Virgie, and Virgie has Edna, and Sandi has Kid Central Station, and everybody has Mattie. And on and one." The wisteria vines on their own would just barely get by, is how I explained it to Turtle, but put them together with rhizobia and they make miracles.
Pretty great lesson on how we depend on and need each other. Kingsolver is a good storyteller and shows great humor. I liked this book but not quite as much as 'Pigs". But definitely read this one first, it just makes more sense.
Rating: 4.25
3 Comments:
booklogged said...
I love Barbara Kingsolver. She hasn't hadn't anything new out for several years. I wish she'd get a new out there.Love the spotted pig quote - Things look different, and usually better, in the morning.What's up next?
Framed said...
I reading "Life of Pi." It's very funny which I guess I hadn't planned on. Also learning lots of interesting things about animals. I'm guessing there's more to it than this. I'm only on page 48, but, so far, I'm liking it.
Les said...
It's been years and years since I read these books of Kingsolver's. Loved them so much and really should read them again someday. Thanks for sharing the lovely passages.