|
| 
 enlarge | Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy New: $4.88
You Save: $19.07 (80%)
New (5) Used (14) Collectible (1) from $3.56
Avg. Customer Rating:  81 reviews
Sales Rank: 567525
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 267
ASIN: B0002D6CFM
Publication Date: May 1, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
 A thought-provoking book......a place for reflection and solace. August 9, 2006
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
I agree with the reviewer who cautioned to take this book in small doses. I was moved to tears by the second page, and realized I needed to pace myself. On that second page, Kingsolver was describing the story of a lost child in Iraq (who was found)....her point of view was from the parents of this child, and the heart-wrenching terror they must have felt as the babysitter came running towards them in tears, without their son. This story has an incredible ending, and an incredible message....as does each essay. Some essays are heavy and may provoke thoughts or ideology that makes you uncomfortable, or disagreeable. That is okay.....that is the point of these essays. (As for the reviewer who noted the author's "sexist" remarks - tell me how many women have started a war. Hello? Open your eyes. That is not a sexist statement, it's a fact). If more people would take Kingsolver's gentle, thoughtful manner of considering how our actions affect the global community and our future generations, maybe we could really improve upon our reputation as uncooperative, self-serving, greedy and over-consumptive Americans. Maybe.
As for reviewers who likened this to an anti-Bush or post-9/11 rant, they obviously didn't read the entire book. There are beautiful essays detailing a trip to the heart of Mexico, gardening with her daughters, and the long-term effects of the food choices we make - among many others.
All in all, I did find myself coming to this book on my lunch hour for a good dose of hope and solace. Sometimes taking time to acknowledge one small wonder in this hectic world can make your mood a little bit lighter.
Be prepared to leave your baggage at the door... June 5, 2006
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
When you embark on this journey with Ms. Kingsolver, if it doesn't make you squirm, you're not paying attention.
I got this book on tape because I loved Kingsolver's fiction. I didn't know it was a running commentary on political and environmental issues that are close to the author's heart. I was delighted to find that the author and I share many of the same what could be called 'liberal' views on various issues. This book will make you think about old issues in a new light... but not a glaring one... more like the light that wakes you gently through your window in the morning.
Yes, you may not agree with everything she says, but that's not the author's goal. She states her beliefs in a steady calm voice (I have the cassettes) and gives reasons she came to her current positions. Kudos to her for doing her research before making a sometimes bold statement on a sensitive issue.
Barbara Kingsolver challenges us to find our own voice in the face of the many controversial issues that face us as individuals living in a sometimes not-so-United country. I don't believe she is pushing her own agenda... more sharing her personal journalling on things that are on her mind, and maybe on yours, too. If you don't agree, don't let it ruin the book for you. Look for ways that it can inspire you to challenge or even strengthen your alternate position on an issue.
In the end, after all, aren't our differences and freedom to make our own choices part of what makes this country so great?
A great collection of reflections December 1, 2005
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I read this book in one sitting on vacation, and was intrigued the whole time. As an expectant mother, I found her candid openness about motherhood and its challenges very beautiful. I find myself thinking more and more about the world in which I will raise a family and the values I wish to instill in my children, and this was a commom theme througout the essays. Kingsolver writes the essays with the same lyrical style as her novels. I highly recommend this as a great, quick read.
An amazing woman, and an amazing book September 5, 2005
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Without being to preachy, Ms. Kingsolver discusses some of the worlds problems, all the while throwing in personal stories of the people and places she loves. She offers her beliefs and commentary in an honest and genuine way. She is truly inspirational, and this is my favorite of her books. This book will not disappoint you!
Recommended -- With A Warning June 7, 2005
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
Having recently read High Tide in Tucson, Barbara Kingsolver's first book of essays, I was looking forward to Small Wonder. I plowed into it, intending to read it in one- or two-hour chunks, in a few days. Big mistake.
The essays in Small Wonder are depressing and serious for the most part. It starts with thoughts on September 11, 2001, and revives the theme often. While we were all obsessed with those events for some time, it was a bit jarring to return to that obsession over three years later. Not that it isn't relevant or that we aren't obsessing about our current crisis, the Iraq War and its consequences. And not that these things aren't obsession-worthy. It was just that after the mainly upbeat and diverse essays of High Tide in Tucson, I found these dark and troubling essays tough going.
Don't get me wrong. I like Kingsolver's writing and I agree with nearly everything she says. I was just overwhelmed by the sadness and gravity of the subjects. I should have read the essays in shorter spurts. Instead I overdosed myself into a funk. Fortunately, a brisk walk to the nearby creek to check up on this spring's first batch of ducklings put things back into perspective.
I highly recommend High Tide in Tucson, and I recommend Small Wonder with a warning -- read in in small doses.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
