by Barbara Kingsolver
New York : Harper Flamingo, 1998. 546 p. Fiction.
The family of a fierce evangelical Baptist missionary--Nathan Price, his wife, and his four daughters--begins to unravel after they embark on a 1959 mission to the Belgian Congo, where they find their lives forever transformed over the course of three decades by the political and social upheaval of Africa.
In the past, I received so many positive recommendations about Barbara Kingsolver and this book in particular, and I'm so glad I finally decided to pick it up this and read it. The storyline offers the reader a glimpse into colonialism and postcolonialism and is made even more unique as it is told from the perspectives of the four Price daughters and Nathan Price's wife, Orleanna. The daughters' perspectives bring a nice touch of innocence and humor to mature themes (colonialism, religious conflict, racism, sexism). This book has a bit of a slow pace, but I welcomed that fact because it gave me a chance to think about what I was reading. I would recommend this book to those interested in historical fiction and those looking to settle in for a long read (it is 600+ pages long).
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