Prodigal Summer

Hard to get interested in...

Haven't finished it - cant get interested in it. Nothing to peak or hold my interest.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Really Boring

I don't understand what all these other reviewers saw that I didn't see, but I thought this book was very boring. Way too many details about everything. I breezed over a lot to try and just get through it because I don't like to give up on a book, but I put this one away unfinished.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A terrific book altogether! It made me hungry for a sequel to discover how the many touching characters fared ultimately. The future is hinted at, temptingly. I wanted more.

All of the characters came alive as I followed their storylines, intersecting then beginning the underpinings of merging into families. The only part where I felt a trifle indoctrinated was with the need to preserve predatory animals. Deanna went on and on, reinforcing a zealous theme. I got it, I got it!
Each of the characters was totally enticing. Did Luba make a good profit on her lambs? Did Little Ricky get a girlfriend or become a world traveler? How did Crys fare after her mom died? Did Deanna stay with Nanny and raise the baby in town? Did the cayotes live in peace?

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Some kind of Summer

Yes, it is detailed and lengthy as other reviewers suggest; but that is part of the beauty of the novel.

Another winner from Kingsolver

I could not put this down! What a wonderful book about people learning to change and who find love in unexpected places. I will never look at nature the same way after reading this book. I learned so much. I highly recommend this fascinating story.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Summer Escape

Barbara Kingsolver is my goto summer read! This book transports you, educates, and shows you lives in appalachia filled with transformation. I would definately read Animal Vegetable Miracle to follow this one. Farmers' Market and canning jars here I come!

Brilliant!

The powerful writing and strong story line make this novel a wonderful reading experience. The characters are real and memorable and painted with perception and compassion. I wished the book never ended. Ms. Kingsolver is a truly gifted writer.

WASTE of Anybodys time!!!

I have read several of ms Kingsolver's book. Her best book by far it "The Poisonwood Bible" which I have read several times. But this book is totaly disappointing. She has three female characters who are so much alike that they are practically identical. She gets on her soapbox and lectures and preaches page after page...chapter after chapter..about the evils of nonorganic farming and killing wolves. OK...fine by me. But over 300 pages of that doesn't make a story and never will. Then...when you think the story is FINALLY going somewhere (around page 315 or so) she just stops. Like she ran out of paper! Ridiculous waste of time. Do NOT buy this thing!

I want to live in this book!

The most elegant, lyrical writing I have seen in a long time. It's also obvious that Kingsolver knows her way around the naural world. A must-read!

One of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors

This book is very sensual and the descriptions of summer and the way all animals and insects communicate through non-verbal methods is beautiful and memorable. It is beautifully written and a great introduction to this author if you haven't read her before. If you like Barbara Kingsolver you will love this book.

excellent read

Prodigal Summer is one of my favorite books, by one of my favorite authors. It tells the story of three different people over the course of one summer in Appalachia.


Deanna Wolfe, works for the Forest Service and lives an isolated existence tracking and protecting coyotes. Lusa Landowski is a young entomologist who moved to a small farm to be with her now deceased husband. Garnett Walker is an 80 year old man trying to bring back the chestnut trees to his region and battling with his neighbor Nannie, whose organic farming methods threaten his project.


Kingsolver deftly weaves these stories together with an appreciation and understanding of humans and their impact on the environment and nature. Kingsolver has a way of drawing you into the story and making you care about her characters.


I would put Kingsolver in the same class as Alice Hoffman in her ability to tell a story that makes you feel different, feel moved by reading one of her novels. I even got a biology lesson during this read, but I was so enthralled with the story that I didn't even notice I'd learned anything until it was all over :) Kingsolver writes beautiful and poetic prose but always has important themes within. This is a lighter read than The Poisonwood Bible. If you have never read one of her books, this is a good one to start with and I highly recommend it
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fascinating and beautiful....

This is the second time (so far) that I've read Prodigal Summer and I love it just as much as I did the first time. This thought provoking novel is full of so much relevant dialogue. And I never thought I'd learn so much about the natural world just by reading a novel! There are in depth discussions about coyotes and predator/prey relationships as well as insects and a whole host of other living creatures. There are interesting arguments about the use of pesticides and the harm that they do. But this book isn't just about trees and coyotes, it's about human interaction as well. Prodigal Summer is a fascinating, beautiful testament to nature.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Consider past, present and future

This book was a required reading for a club I belong to. When I first began to read it I was disappointed - thought it was going to be a 'romance' of sorts. As I continued to read (and opened my mind) I found this book to be stimulating, moving, enlightening and certainly thought provoking. I want to better understand the relationship we have with our environment and how we can benefit from it while protecting it. This book was wonderful. I am so glad I read past the first part. I appreciate the way Kingsolver taught the reader through beautiful narrative. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who knows it is time to protect and enjoy what we have.

My favorite book of all time

This is my favorite book and I reread it every year, delighted with the story, the humor, and the poetic prose of Barbara Kingsolver everytime.

Prodigal Summer

This was a life changing book for me. My book club loved it too.

too much of everything

This was not a good read. The details bogged me down and had me skipping paragraphs dedicated to the description of a leaf or moth.
Boring. If you are an animal and nature lover maybe it's for you - but I am both and it was just too much for me.

For lovers of nature and lovers of life, young and old

With this book, Barbara Kingsolver has won the place in my heart as my favorite author. This is a book for lovers of nature and lovers of life, young and old. Beware: It'll make a scientist want to throw off her lab coat and plunge her hands in the soil, it'll make a farmer want to return to the old-fashioned (organic) methods, and it just might make you a better neighbor wherever you live.

I Listened to it

I bought a copy of the book for someone who reads novels. However, she passed away unexpectedly so I gave it to the local library. As for me, I don't like to read novels I have lots of serious non-fiction to read/write, so I want someone to READ novels to me. Aahh, story hours at the library when I was a kid! Anyway, I greatly enjoyed listening to a library copy of 'Prodigal Summer' and thought the intended recipient would, too. As far as analysis of the book, I don't like to analyze, just enjoy and sometimes learn new things.

Profound and beautifully written

This book now tops the list of my favorites. Anything I could write about it will not do it justice. Just read it.