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Prodigal Summer cover art

Prodigal Summer

By: Barbara Kingsolver
Narrated by: Barbara Kingsolver
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Summary

Prodigal Summer weaves together three stories of human love within a larger tapestry of lives in southern Appalachia. At the heart of these intertwined narratives is a den of coyotes that have recently migrated into the region. Deanna Wolfe, a reclusive wildlife biologist, watches them from an isolated mountain cabin where she is caught off-guard by Eddie Bondo, a young hunter who comes to invade her most private spaces and her solitary life.

Down the mountain, another web of lives unfolds as Lusa Maluf Landowski, a bookish city girl turned farmer's wife, finds herself in a strange place where she must declare or lose her attachment to the land that has become her own. And a few more miles down the road, a pair of elderly, feuding neighbors tend their respective farms and wrangle about God, pesticides, and the possibilities the future holds.

Over the course of one long summer, these characters find connections to one another, and to the land, and the final, urgent truth that humans are only one piece of life on earth.

©2000 Barbara Kingsolver (P)2000 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Readers will be seduced by [Kingsolver's] effortless prose." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Prodigal Summer

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

truly beautiful

This is my third Kingsolver book and I have to admit that after listening to this wonderful audiobook that I will now be going on read everything she has written.
Prodigal Summer is a rich, complex tale that is expressed with great insight into our humanity and the larger world of which are such an integral part. Kingsolver is a very gifted narrator and to let her words wash over me during this telling - well for me I could ask for nothing more.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb characterisation of people and place

I have become a big fan of Barbara Kingsolver. Her stories are so varied; there's no formula here. She draws deep and engaging characters and clearly knows, or researches, her locations in great depth. This is my first audio of hers; at first I thought the drawl would get on my nerves, but in fact it suits the story perfectly - and even better, it's Barbara herself! Enjoy a wonderful escape, and then go get the rest of her books!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful nature descriptions...

another beauty from Kingsolver, I'm half way in, and totally consumed by the beautiful description of moths, trees, animals and human emotions. the way she weaves the story and guide you through it, building reach worlds and pictures... better than any movie I ever saw! I highly recommend so far.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful thought provoking book

What made the experience of listening to Prodigal Summer the most enjoyable?

I love the characters Barbara Kingsolver has created. they have real depth and they way they interreact and she weave stories around them is very attractive . Also the eco warrior in her provides helpful advice that gives 'ah hah' moments that are worth rewinding to listen again.

What three words best describe Barbara Kingsolver’s voice?

deep south

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Any additional comments?

I don't think Barbara necessarily does justice to the performance. She is a good reader but she doesn't adapt her voice very well to the different characters so it is a little monotone.

However, why have so few of her books been recorded as audiobooks. I was hoping to download a couple more having enjoyed this one so much.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A delight from start to finish

What did you like most about Prodigal Summer?

The characters, the language Kingsolver uses, the sense of place, the message about the damage humans do to the natural world and the science all of which is interwoven into a compelling story and beautifully written. I read this book whilst holidaying in area where the book is set and it added to my holiday experience immensely but the book is so wonderful I would have loved it anyway.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Prodigal Summer?

I liked it when the links between the characters started to become apparent.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Weird but not wonderful

What disappointed you about Prodigal Summer?

The voice, the sex scenes which were not believable, the disjointedness

What was most disappointing about Barbara Kingsolver’s story?

All of it, I really wanted to like it but could not finish it

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I loved it!

I loved the soft South American accent, the descriptive content of the various lives of the characters. I listened to this whilst walking my dog and became thoroughly absorbed in the gentle story and was sad when it ended.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully!!

Yet another beautifully written and poetic book from Barbara Kingsolver. She writes books that you can listen to/read over and over again.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

I didn't want it to end. I wondered if I would find her voice a little slow at first but unsurprisingly it worked perfectly for the story which I just wanted to go on and on.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Simply Beautiful

Thoughtful and beautifully written and narrated…. Amazing characters you wanted to get to know and the intricate connections cleverly developed had me gripped throughout

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