The Poisonwood Bible Audiobook By Barbara Kingsolver cover art

The Poisonwood Bible

Preview
Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Poisonwood Bible

By: Barbara Kingsolver
Narrated by: Dean Robertson
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.00

Buy for $25.00

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

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.

©1998 by Barbara Kingsolver. (P)1998 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Scary
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup

Critic reviews

"Haunting...A novel of character, a narrative shaped by keen-eyed women." (New York Times Book Review)

"Beautifully written....Kingsolver's tale of domestic tragedy is more than just a well-told yarn.. Played out against the bloody backdrop of political struggles in Congo that continue to this day, it is also particularly timely." (People)

"The book's sheer enjoyability is given depth by Kingsolver's insight and compassion for Congo, including its people, and their language and sayings." (Boston Globe)

Multiple Narrative Perspectives • Authentic Southern Accent • Vivid Cultural Descriptions • Powerful Emotional Impact
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
The Poisonwood Bible is high on my list of favorite books. It is a powerful story written in Kingsolver's masterful prose, told in the five unique voices of the Price Family women. Dean Robertson's natural narration is flawless.

This is not an experience to be missed.




***here I will add a request to Audible. Ms Robertson chose (wisely) to change voices with inflection and emphasis rather than a pitch change. Such sustained changes for five different characters would have dulled Ms Kingsolver's unique and natural voice for each character. I sometimes became confused as to which narration I was listening, particularly when I resumed listening. Please consider having this book redone with five different narrators, retaining Dean Robertson's mother. It won't be easy to find four more narrators as accomplished and confident enough to stay out of the way of great prose.

One of the Greats

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Kingsolver is a skilled artist at weaving words together into a story with texture and color. I always feel enriched after reading one of her novels. The plot doesn't have to be about romance or mystery or history or fantasy. The story doesn't have to have a happy ending or tie up all the loose ends. It just has to connect with the human experience. Kingsolver knows how to connect.

Kingsolver is a Word Weaver!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you listen to The Poisonwood Bible again? Why?

Not only was this a fascinating story with laughs, tears and lovable/hateable characters, the Narrator was fantastic. I've lived in the South and this woman nailed it. This book must be heard with a southern accent.

What does Dean Robertson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

You have to experience the nuances of the southern accent as well as the syntax. It is pivotal to the story.

You have to HEAR this book not read it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I wasn't sure I would enjoy this book because it was based around Christian missionaries and I'm not terribly religious. This was a great story with strong, entertaining characters. It was difficullt to stop listening when I needed to do other things (talk on the phone). I'm listening to it for a second time, just in case I missed something, because the reader speaks very quickly.

I loved it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I read this book many years ago and enjoyed it very much- but so many nuances were either lost on me at the time or forgotten. I am glad I decided to "read" it again. This is a beautiful story with characters that will live on in thought long after the book is done. Undoubtable one of my all time favorites.

ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Poisonwood Bible to be better than the print version?

I didn't read it but may have understood it better if I had.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I didn't have a favorite.

Have you listened to any of Dean Robertson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the youngest daughter was snake bitten.

Any additional comments?

Important but disturbing and sad.

Worth a listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Things I like

* The unique voices of five different quirky women
* Historical facts about the Congo and what happened there.
* The conversational tone the author uses when speaking as one of the characters. You feel as if you are sittiing there having a chat with one of them.

Things I don't like

* A little heavy for my tastes. It goes deep into Anti-American talk and Anti-Religion.
* A feeling that you get lost in the characters thoughts instead of the book moving forward.
* One sad things after the other. It needs more humor to be enjoyable, or at least not so many sad things.

Politics and Religion

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I stumbled on this novel while looking for a religious novel to listen to while traveling. While this is novel is not a religious novel in the strictest sense, it is a wonderful listen. Kingsolver has done her homework and while this is a fictional account of events in Africa, the events rivet you to the story. I very seldom want to re-listen to a novel, but I would listen to The Poisonwood Bible again. I am now looking for other Kingsolver publications.

Surprise Find

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I listen to this audiobook again and again because the narrator who gets the voice of the characters so well. Saw some negative reviews on the narrator and vehemently disagree.
Kingsolver weaves a wonderful, multilayered tale that’s gets better with every read.

I love this narrator for this book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I’m a little late to the dance when it comes to Barbara Kingsolver although I have seen her novels in the past on a whim I read demon copperhead. I had to have more. She is simply a great storyteller. never do her books get bogged down or run out of steam. They hold one’s attention from start to finish. magnificently narrated by the perfect diction of Dean Robertson. Kingsolver seems to have a never ending supply of wit, and witticism making her characters seem all the more genuine. Her most endearing quality may very well be her ability to tell the truth in an unabashed believable manner. I can’t wait to download my next Barbara Kingsolver book. don’t miss it.

Joe Lilley

Furthering my education thanks to Barbara Kingsolver

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews