The Poisonwood Bible
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Narrated by:
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Dean Robertson
About this listen
“A powerful new epic... [Kingsolver] has with infinitely steady hands worked the prickly threads of religion, politics, race, sin and redemption into a thing of terrible beauty.” - Los Angeles Times Book Review
The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it - from garden seeds to Scripture - is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family’s tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.
The novel is set against one of the most dramatic political chronicles of the twentieth century: the Congo's fight for independence from Belgium, the murder of its first elected prime minister, the CIA coup to install his replacement, and the insidious progress of a world economic order that robs the fledgling African nation of its autonomy. Taking its place alongside the classic works of postcolonial literature, this ambitious novel establishes Kingsolver as one of the most thoughtful and daring of modern writers.
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As a devoted son, as a passionate husband, and above all as a father, Chabon's memories of childhood, of his parents' marriage and divorce, of moments of painful adolescent comedy and giddy encounters with the popular art and literature of his own youth, are like a theme played by the mad quartet of which he now finds himself co-conductor. At once dazzling, hilarious, and moving, Manhood for Amateurs is destined to become a classic.
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Terrible
- By Ken on 10-14-09
By: Michael Chabon
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Essays of E. B. White
- By: E. B. White
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Legendary author and essayist E. B. White writes, "The essayist is a self-liberated man, sustained by the childish belief that everything he thinks about, everything that happens to him, is of general interest." Covering a large number of subjects, this classic collection features 31 of White's most memorable essays.
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E.B. White writes honestly, fearlessly and clearly
- By Bonny on 09-03-17
By: E. B. White
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The Emissary
- By: Yoko Tawada, Margaret Mitsutani - translator
- Narrated by: Julian Cihi
- Length: 4 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Japan, after suffering from a massive irreparable disaster, cuts itself off from the world. Children are so weak they can barely stand or walk: the only people with any get-go are the elderly. Mumei lives with his grandfather Yoshiro, who worries about him constantly. They carry on a day-to-day routine in what could be viewed as a post-Fukushima time, with all the children born ancient - frail and gray-haired, yet incredibly compassionate and wise. Mumei may be enfeebled and feverish, but he is a beacon of hope, full of wit and free of self-pity and pessimism.
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Tedious. Waste of time.
- By Kenneth McGovern on 02-17-19
By: Yoko Tawada, and others
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The Magic of Ordinary Days
- A Novel
- By: Ann Howard Creel
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Olivia Dunne, a studious minister's daughter who dreams of being an archaeologist, never thought that the drama of World War II would affect her quiet life in Denver. An exhilarating flirtation reshapes her life, though, and she finds herself banished to a rural Colorado outpost, married to a man she hardly knows. Overwhelmed by loneliness, Olivia tentatively tries to establish a new life, finding much-needed friendship and solace in two Japanese American sisters who are living at a nearby internment camp.
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I purchased this audio book not 15 minutes ago...
- By Kim on 09-15-16
By: Ann Howard Creel
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The Bridges of Madison County
- By: Robert James Waller
- Narrated by: Kelli O'Hara, Steven Pasquale
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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The legendary love story and the major motion picture starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. This is the story of Robert Kincaid, the photographer and free spirit searching for the covered bridges of Madison County, and Francesca Johnson, the farm wife waiting for fulfillment of a girlhood dream. It shows readers what it is to love and be loved so intensely that life is never the same again.
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Like a beautiful photograph
- By David Reinwald on 08-23-15
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Middle C
- By: William H. Gass
- Narrated by: Jeremy Arthur
- Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Gass’ new novel moves from World War II Europe to a small town in postwar Ohio. In a series of variations, Gass gives us a mosaic of a life - futile, comic, anarchic - arranged in an array of vocabularies, altered rhythms, forms and tones, and broken pieces with music as both theme and structure, set in the key of middle C. It begins in Graz, Austria, 1938. Joseph Skizzen's father, pretending to be Jewish, leaves his country for England with his wife and two children to avoid any connection with the Nazis, who he foresees will soon take over his homeland....
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All the world was a stage. But not for all the wor
- By Darwin8u on 06-07-14
By: William H. Gass
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The Probable Future
- By: Alice Hoffman
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Women of the Sparrow family have unusual gifts. Elinor can detect falsehood. Her daughter, Jenny, can see people's dreams when they sleep. Granddaughter Stella has a mental window to the future - a future that she might not want to see.
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Nice, gentle story for when you feel bad.
- By Anonymous User on 05-28-17
By: Alice Hoffman
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A Hunter's Fireside Book
- Tales of Dogs, Ducks, Birds, & Guns
- By: Gene Hill
- Narrated by: Ray Childs
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The legendary American outdoor writer’s finest collection. For decades, Gene Hill’s articles and books have captured the spirit of the outdoors in a way that inspires and entertains millions of readers. A Hunter’s Fireside Book captures the essence of the life of a sportsman and explores the full spectrum of the hunter’s experience: sunrises in the duck blind, an unforgettable hunter’s moon, the camaraderie of men who know the pleasures of being wet and cold and a little bit lost.
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Beyond acquiring meat, this is why we go afield
- By Ray C on 02-28-20
By: Gene Hill
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Varina
- A Novel
- By: Charles Frazier
- Narrated by: Molly Parker
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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With her marriage prospects limited, teenage Varina Howell agrees to wed the much-older widower Jefferson Davis, with whom she expects a life of security as a landowner. He instead pursues a career in politics and is eventually appointed president of the Confederacy, placing Varina at the white-hot center of one of the darkest moments in American history - culpable regardless of her intentions. The Confederacy falling, her marriage in tatters, and the country divided, Varina and her children escape Richmond and travel south on their own, now fugitives.
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Read it rather than listen
- By Anonymous on 08-31-18
By: Charles Frazier
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Barbara, can we have a "re-do?"
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Good book, but not unabridged...
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In her second poetry collection, Barbara Kingsolver offers reflections on the practical, the spiritual, and the wild. She begins with "how to" poems addressing everyday matters such as being hopeful, married, divorced; shearing a sheep; praying to unreliable gods; doing nothing at all; and of course, flying. Next come rafts of poems about making peace (or not) with the complicated bonds of friendship and family, and making peace (or not) with death, in the many ways it finds us.
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A Joy to Read
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Holding the Line
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Didn’t finish - not interested
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Provocative author, One Note Narration
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Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon. Orphaned by their mother’s death and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution.
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An Epic Medical Novel
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Demon Copperhead
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Una rivisitazione in chiave moderna di David Copperfield ambientata nella Virginia dei giorni nostri. Demon, figlio di una madre single e adolescente e nato in una roulotte, non possiede altro che un’arguzia feroce e un talento per la sopravvivenza. Tra i pericoli moderni dell’affidamento, il lavoro minorile, l’abbandono scolastico, il successo nello sport, i primi amori, la dipendenza e sconfitte di vario genere, Demon dovrà fare i conti con una società per la quale è invisibile, in cui persino i supereroi hanno abbandonato la provincia a favore delle grandi città.
What listeners say about The Poisonwood Bible
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- William
- 08-16-08
One of my favorite fiction books
Parts of this book were so beautifully written that I had to listen to them repeatedly. Couple this with the research on Africa and the rich characters and you have a fantastic book.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Paula
- 03-01-13
Ignore the Naysayers! This is a Wonderful Story!
I have to confess that I almost didn't spring for this book because of the reviews denouncing the narrator. I am so glad I didn't listen to them (although I did wait to buy it on sale just in case they were right!)
The narrator is just about perfect for this story. She provides the perfect inflection and pace, including using varying levels of cynicism and cockiness, in the five voices of the main characters. (I especially loved how the author included miss-pronounced and miss-chosen words in the narration just as would have been likely in the conversation of young girls.)
This is an amazing geo-political story that will make you think long and hard about the virtues of missionaries bringing "the light" to the Congo, and think even harder about how the US government involves itself in the politics of the world, often at the dire expense of the people in places such as the Congo.
At the core of this story is how a family, under the sadistic rule of a brutal, intolerant man, crumbles when facing adversity in the Congo. At the same time, it is a story of how each of the surviving women find the means to accept their pasts and live out their lives.
Kingsolver's writing is incredible and the narration poetic. This is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed and will likely listen to again.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Kathleen
- 07-30-09
A wonderfully entertaining saga
Barbara Kingsolver spins a fascinating tale of family life in the Congo as the country spirals into chaos. The novel has a wonderful sense of place - we can almost smell the jungle - and we come to know each character intimately. A gripping story, told with empathy and humor.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Bonnie
- 01-26-09
Unforgettable
It has been two weeks since I have finished Poisonwood Bible and my mind still hears the characters' voices. I can't forget it. I don't want to forget it. It is one of those books of a lifetime. Kingsolver is a magnificent author.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Marilyn
- 04-18-14
Excellent Book, excellent performance
What did you love best about The Poisonwood Bible?
The story. The first half had me laughing out loud, the second half was a good history lesson of what has taken place in Africa which was totally left out of my schooling
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Poisonwood Bible?
When Ada describes how everything in Africa happens for a reason and all worked well until they were colonized. How the ants got rid of the unwanted, people made what they needed from what was around them since travel was so difficult. What seems bad, in reality might actually be good.
Which scene was your favorite?
To many to pick.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I laughed during the first half and cried during the second at what was done to these countries.
Any additional comments?
The performer was excellent. Her inflection of voices was superb. You could see Rachel's eyes roll when she talked, even though it wasn't said, just like any teenager would do.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Emily Myers
- 01-17-09
Hearing is believing...
..a family story. The narration, read a southern accent, entices the reader to travel into Africa where the continent and family membrs come together and part in heart rending ways.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Michael Blanchard
- 06-20-23
A wonderful tale, beautifully told
An excellent story of family, religion, and global politics. Everything we touch is changed, and changes us.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Jamanosa
- 10-25-24
Poor reader. What could've been..
The story was very solid. The vastly different perspectives portrayed required a more experienced reader willing to convey in her voice the voices of the very different people painted by the book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Story
- Pam334
- 08-18-13
Great story but lacking in narration.
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would recommend this book to a friend because the characters are rich and unique from one another. I would suggest my friend read the book as the narration is nothing special and does not change between characters.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Poisonwood Bible?
One of the many memorable moments of the story was when the village was over run with ants that were painful when they bit. The family scrambled to the river to catch a canoe and they were separated. The natives who were leery of the family, made room for the family on their boats/canoes.
What didn’t you like about Dean Robertson’s performance?
This book was read by a woman who I suspected to be Barbara Kingsolver. The narrator did not identify each character with their own voice.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When the mom finally had enough of her overbearing husband's self-righteous alienating pulpit chastising behavior and decided to pack up her remaining girls and leave the Congo.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Pippapig
- 07-21-20
Capturing Read.
Just when you think you have life all figured out, Barbra Kingsolver reminds you that you don't. it's hard to believe that this is a work of fiction! This story is raw, thought-provoking, maddening, beautiful and hopeful all at the same time.
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