Sunday, September 2, 2007

*yawn*

I was up way way way too late last night, but for company I had Barbara (god I love her writing) Kingsoliver. Now that was a lovely evening. I was reading Prodigal Summer which is arguably her very best book, although I tend to think that after every book of hers I read. That said, the Poisonwood Bible I didn't adore, but this book.....

It is so good.

With her usual brilliant prose she has managed to interweave the stories of three groups of people and the animals and woods and lives they lead in an empathic, loving, intertwining, multi-faceted, delicate and intricate touch.

The stories are all lovely, about people who need and meet their needs, about the animal-ness of humans, and the human-ness, about all of our interdependence, not just as humans, or within humans.

This is a lovely book, beautifully written, many layered, richly textured and intensely beautiful.

I finished it this morning. The only sad thing about a great book is when you finish it.

4 comments:

Angel said...

that is sooo true...I hate finishing a really good book, I feel so ,....lonely afterwards. I haven't read any good books inb a whilke tho so maybe I'll give this one a try.

Beth said...

Can you believe that I can't remember if I've read this one?
(Believe it - happens to me all the time. I think (I know) I read too much.)
I'm going to check.

oreneta said...

Beth: It is excellent, and lonely is exactly how I feel, you have come to care for the characters, and then their gone.

Beth: If you haven't you really should this one is excellent.

kate said...

Oh, I loved The PoisonWood Bible! But I also really liked Prodigal Summer. Have you read her new(ish) book of essays on food and the environment? I haven't, but it looks good, too.