Prodigal Summer

I finally got around to reading Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer, a book I saw everywhere when it first came out several years ago. Kingsolver weaves together three stories that share ties of nature and relationship. The book received glowing reviews. It is often sexually charged and even humorous at times.

I plowed into the novel and then found myself stalled around page 300, although I did make it to the end and became interested again in the final pages. I had difficulty connecting to the characters. For example, after her husband dies, Lusa must find a way to save her farm and pay the bills. She finds a solution in raising goats, which will be sold and slaughtered for various religious festivals. I kept expecting her to change her mind, but this never came. The relationship between the older Deanna Wolfe and the coyote-hating and hunting Eddie Bondo lacked the depth I was waiting for.

Overall, however, I am happy to have read this novel and will read Kingsolver again to see if another one of her novels will provide the magic for me that so many have experienced.