Get the best of Oprah.com in your inbox. Sign up for our newsletters!

The Barbara Kingsolver Cram Guide

The author of The Poisonwood Bible returns with her first novel in nine years, The Lacuna. Below, a refresher course in the richly drawn characters and tangled cultural crossings of Kingsolver's fiction.
By Jessica Winter
O, The Oprah Magazine  |  From the November 2009 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
Pin It
  |  
Print
1
Comment
1 of 5
 
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

The Bean Trees (1988)

The gist: Kentucky girl Taylor heads to Arizona, adopts a Cherokee girl, and falls for a (taken) immigrant.

The culture shock: Her eye-opening travels and her beloved's refugee ordeal make Taylor "feel like a foreigner" (as she puts it) in her own country.

The big question: When do you have the right to love somebody who's not yours?

1 of 5
next NEXT

Related Resources

Keep Reading

The Orange Prize Books Reading List

The Orange Prize for Fiction and the Orange Award for New Writers introduce women writers to new audiences. Check out 2010's Orange Prize short list, including well-known authors such as Lorrie Moore and Barbara Kingsolver, plus newcomers such as Jane Bor

The Poisonwood Bible

Biography of Barbara Kingsolver, author of The Poisonwood Bible.

Hillary Clinton's Bookshelf

Why books are important to the U.S. Senator. and a few of her personal favorites.

Your Favorite Women Writers

Oprah.com readers' favorite contemporary women writers cover books from first-time authors like Kathryn Stockett to old favorites like Jodi Picoult, science fiction to self-awareness. Learn more about their books and the stories behind these great reads.

Loading...
Advertisement
IN THE CURRENT ISSUE
Express yourself! We've got 26 ways to tell your story and share it with the world, jeans that make you look 10 pounds thinner, and recipes for the easiest dinner party you'll ever throw.
see all new stories
Advertisement
Advertisement