I finally finished 'The Poisonwood Bible' by US writer Barbara Kingsolver this week. I am usually guilty of reading too fast...skimming even...and I have a terrible habit of finding myself thinking about 'what's for tea?' in the middle of a page...but this time I was as disciplined as ever a girl can be and what can I say...I absolutely loved it. I would have married it, dear reader, except you know (or should know) my thoughts on that game of old tosh by now (sorry, Colin, happy anniversary!).
The bible in question was published in 1998 so it is old news (if good...well, and bad) but being behind the times is not so disastrous and in 1998 I was...obviously doing something else. I don't remember hearing about the book much then...did it get a lot of media coverage? Have any of you heard of it? Read it? Is it considered naff? Is 'naff' itself too passe for words? Good job I'm not bovvered. I think that must be naff by now too. Still funny though.
Rambling alert! Back to the book...why did I like it so much? Because it is one of those rare books that I wanted to read again as soon as I had finished it. Because it covers so much in such a beautifully executed way. Because it is about everything. And also, don't hate me, but partly because it was written by a woman...and as a getting-old-feminist (whatever the hell that word means..) I can't help loving it when a woman shows so masterfully, to anyone who still might be in any doubt, just how brilliant a woman writer can be. And yes, I know there are some brilliant male writers too (and some of undetermined sexual identity too no doubt).
Worryingly my mother also raved about this book (cue - panic of the 'am I turning into my mother' variety). Let's hope it's just because it is such a great book...but if you do catch me watching 'Midsomer Murders' just put me out of my mystery...I mean misery (in a suitably hammy fashion, preferably with a flashy branded kitchen utensil).
Also this week I saw Martin Stephenson at the folk club. He's been around for ages but somehow I've never seen him before. He was fantastic - so funny, so on-his-own-road, so talented, so not everybody liked him...It was nice to read a few poems at the club too...remind myself there is more to poetry than blogging! Thank god and amen and any other religious words I can misuse willy-nilly to that, my friends.
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4 comments:
Ah, Midsomer Murders.
Flashy kitchen utensils alone won't do it. We'd also have to appear at the start of the episode in an innocuous way, and then leave a trail of clues pointing to someone else.
PS Hi. I saw you on Ken's blog :D
Hello and welcome!
Also you'd have to be played by a well-known actor. My Mum solved the basic mystery some time ago - that whichever character is played by the best known actor...that's your murderer!
Somebody wrote into the Radio Times with this scoop too...
I'm really going to have to give this 'Poisonwood Bible' book a go.
It's just I've heard the most awful things about it.
still, never judge a book by its coverer, eh?
Awful things...like what?
I hadn't heard anything about it as I said (which is rare these days...) so I came to it without any prejudice.
It is very much written from women's points of view but several different women with several very different points of view. Also for someone who's a real fan of organised and evangelical christianity...there's plenty in it that would be annoying I suppose.
I can imagine some reviewers hating it...but book reviewers...what do they know?
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