Pros: easy reading; likable characters; good morals about the importance of family
Cons: profanity, long chapters (some are 30 pages)
The Bottom Line: I would recommend The Bean Trees to mothers and other women. The ways Taylor finds a family, a roommate, and many friends out of nothing made me smile.
bibliophile55's Full Review: Barbara Kingsolver - The Bean Trees
The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver (author of The Poisonwood Bible) is a very good book. I hate to be that blunt, but there's really no way to put it. I began this book for my book club, not really knowing what to expect, as I had not read The Poisonwood Bible yet. I was very pleased with this author's work, and I have even reserved The Poisonwood Bible at the library!
This book is about two young women struggling to stay on the right path. The more highlighted of the two, Taylor Greer, learns to deal with driving cross country, settling in a new place, finding and quitting a job, living in some people today may call squalor, being literally handed a young girl to keep, and many other obstacles along the way. The other lady, Lou Ann Ruiz, had been left by her husband when she was seven months pregnant. The first few chapters highlight one girl at a time, but they collide soon in the book. (I think it was chapter five.) She also has to try and keep Turtle (her new daughter), adjust to her mother's remarriage, and just stay on the right path. There are many people to help Taylor, however. Mattie, Sandi, Lou Ann, Virgie Mae and Edna are all there in Tucson to look out for Taylor's well being.
There are many themes in this book. They include family, friendship, helping each other, happiness/doing the right thing, belonging, loneliness, and making something happen out of what looked like nothing at all. These themes recur in geography (the desert of Arizona, grasslands of Kentucky, plains of Oklahoma), nature (night-blooming cereus, rhizobia, bean tree, tug fork water), and people (Turtle, Mattie, Estevan and Esperanza, Lou Ann). Each person embodies a theme, and although they may seem like small, insignificant characters, they all provide a deeper, truer meaning to the plot.
This is a novel about the peculiarities of family. From The Bean Trees I learned the value of family, and the lengths that true relatives will go to preserve the shelter that having a family offers. However, the word “family” is not confined to blood relations. Family is anyone who loves you for you and cares only about protecting your well-being. Family is also about going out of your way to help other family members in need. Mattie, a member of Taylor’s 'family', gave Taylor food, shelter, job, and a head start at survival in Tucson. Lou Ann gave Taylor a home, a friendship, and a shoulder to cry on. Consequently, Taylor gave Estevan and Esperanza a trip to Oklahoma, where they would be safe from the authorities. Most importantly, she provided her beloved Turtle with a family, a mother, and a place to call home.
This is a light read, with many jokes sprinkled here and there to keep the reader awake. For example: "Estevan (an illegal immigrant friend of Taylor's) and I talked about everything you can think of. He asked me if the alligator was a national symbol f the United States, because you saw them everywhere on people's shirts, just above the heart." I like how Kingsolver wrote in a vernacular that even the mediocre reader could understand. Anyone can read this book, and everyone can enjoy it.
Plot Summary: The wisteria vines on their own would just barely get by, is how I explained it to Turtle, but put them together with rhizobia and they ...More at HotBookSale
Taylor Greer grew up poor in Kentucky in the 60s and 70s, managed to avoid pregnancy through high school, and earned enough money to buy a Volkswagen ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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