Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was assigned this book to read while I was a sophomore in college. It was the Fall of 1990 and the class was "Landscape and Literature". (And the professor was Martha Ackman, and she was great!) It was an interesting class, but I really enjoyed the reading material. At this point, Bean Trees had been around for a couple of years, but I had never heard of it, nor had I heard of Barbara Kingsolver. This novel was so absorbing, I didn't feel it was an assignment at all. I spent a great, warm October weekend sitting on my parents porch and reading this book. I also think that this book has one of the best opening paragraphs in contemporary fiction. I won't give it away, but do yourself a favor and look for it at any bookstore. This novel is funny, sad, and touching. It was my introduction to Kingsolver, and I am glad I got a head start on her before many others did. This is a book that you'll ant to hold onto, to give to friends, to discuss... Taylor Greer is one of the most engaging heroines in literature, and her unconventional story is infused with a real contemporary feel. What does that mean? I just mean that Kingsolver disucsses issues and people that many authors don't in popular american fiction (native american issues, central american politics, refugees, mixed marriages and Protestantism and catholicism all merge in one novel), and as a result, Kingsolver holds up a mirror of our world where we can see ourselves and society much clearer than before. I know that I sure did. Ten years later, I still can remember this book so vividly, it's never left me.