Ten years ago, Barbara Kingsolver published a first novel that is well on its way to becoming a classic work of American fiction. The Bean Trees is a book readers have taken to their hearts. It is now a standard in college literature classes across the nation and has been translated for a readership stretching from Japan to Romania.
When it was first published, however, its author was unknown. Word of mouth spread slowly among booksellers, librarians, critics and readers with a passion to share their favorite books. In The Bean Trees they found a spirited protagonist, Taylor Greer, who grew up in poor in rural Kentucky with the goals of avoiding pregnancy and getting away. But when Taylor heads west with high hopes and a barely functional car, she meets the human condition head-on. By the time she arrives in Tucson, she has acquired a completely unexpected child and must somehow come to terms with both motherhood and the necessity for putting down roots. Hers is a story about love and friendship, abandonment and belonging, and the discovery of surprising resources in apparently empty places.
Most readers of The Bean Trees discovered the novel in its paperback edition. On the 10th anniversary of its first publication, HarperFlamingo is proud to offer readers this special hardback edition, redesigned to be easy on the eyes and priced to be accessible to every lover of good fiction.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Great first novel:
This was Kingsolver's first novel. At first I felt disappointed that the writing was not as poetic and lyrical as in PRODIGAL SUMMER, but then realized that that type of writing would not have fit this story. It needed to be gritty and real. I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a young woman's coming into her own and deciding what was important to her. I'm looking forward to the sequel, PIGS IN HEAVEN.
a simple pleasure:
I just re-visited this book...I tend to do that with favorites. It is a non-traditional family tale about a woman finding her way...including a move from Kentucky to Arizona, the "adoption" or a child, and the forming of new roots. It is told in a simple but lovely prose. I tend to pick slightly more "literary" novels but this is a reliable, easy read that always warms the insides.
Heartwarming Novel from Kingsolver:
Taylor Greer grew up in a town in rural Kentucky where the most expected out of most girls was to get pregnant early, marry the fathers of their illegitimate babies, and then raise those babies to do exactly the same things they did. Our protagonist refuses to succumb to this future, and finds work in a hospital, saving up enough money to buy a broken-down VW bug that has no windows and requires a special procedure to start. She decides to leave her dump town and drive across the United States without ever... more info
Great Character, Good Book:
"The Bean Trees" makes for a nice summer read. Kingsolver's remarkably evocative prose swept me up into the lives of her characters. Taylor, Lue Anne, Matty, Turtle, Estevan, Experanza, and the rest of the characters were so well drawn that they seemed like real people. The characters and Kingsolver's penchant for using wildly creative imagery are the best parts of this novel, which--as enjoyable as it was--sometimes verged on preachiness. The novel is about Taylor's... unconventional adoption of a... more info
