Prodigal Summer: A Novel

Unexpected story lines, each one twining gracefully with the others. Impossible to not be drawn in completely. So joyful, ultimately.

Amazing, as always.

It was a slow read, but I liked it. This one I had to take in small doses since each chapter switched to one of 3 main characters. But that slow style and my on again, off again, steady pace fit with the story real well. It's set in the country in Appalachia; the forest, the goat farm and the feud between chestnut tree farm and apple orchard. What I liked about this is how much science and ecology there was embedded in each of the 3 stories. It was really cool to see how Kingsolver took the ecological theories of community and food webs and applied it to her story telling, not just by weaving the three stories together, but also by diving into the nature topics within each of the stories. I also loved this underlying theme of coyotes that popped up or at least the evidence of coyotes actually seen by all three main characters. Kingsolver did such a great job of staying true to the science and ecology that I love, like in a nonfiction, while also developing characters and relationships between characters (ever changing/evolving) as maybe a reflection of the science happening on the mountain and on the farms. Beautifully written and great to read on your own, for something pleasant and thoughtful. Also great for a book club or maybe even a science class.

My favorite Kingsolver book. If you love the outdoors, especially the mountains of the Blue Ridge, this book will have extra layers for you to enjoy.