Beth's Reviews > Prodigal Summer

This is my favorite of Barbara Kingsolver's fiction.

Three stories weave together into a beautiful story of nature, love, and family. The biology Kingsolver integrates in the narrative is educational and fascinating.

The three threads begin with "Predators" which follows Deanna, who is a Forest Preserve ranger and lives alone in a small cabin high upon Zebulon Mountain. She unexpectedly begins a romance with a roaming coyote poacher, although Deanna is working tirelessly to protect a hidden den of coyotes. Next is "Moth Love" about newly married Lusa and her adjustment to life on her husband's family farm and the large family that comes along with it. Finally there is "Old Chestnuts" which focuses on Garnett and Nannie, two old folks who have lived next door to each other their whole lives. The cantankerous relationship between them eventually arrives at mutual understanding and a unique sense of harmony.

My favorite character in the book is Lusa, who, for me, is the catalyst for action in the lives of the people she comes in contact with. Kingsolver's tying together of all these characters is subtle, yet powerful int he unknown impact each has on another. This truly is a work of art.