Reviews

Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

faithemt's review against another edition

5.0

My review is here: https://goldintheclouds-faith.blogspot.com/2020/10/2020-book-review-30unsheltered.html

This was one of the best books I've read this autumn!!

hannah_nichols's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

alexifronek's review against another edition

lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

missyjohnson's review

1.0

this book was a disappointment and a struggle to finish. I did not find the characters developed at all and it was frustrating to try to understand why they even said or did the things that they did. I had a difficult time understanding that if the house was sooooo poorly built and was a shambles, how it had actually stood for 130 years. Why was this a surprise? nothing meshed. Iano was a cardboard cut-out, Zeke was a shallow uninteresting blob, Willa was an ostrich, Tig was the most interesting but still not clearly fleshed out. aaaarrrrrggggg. The Mary Treat sections were ok but the focus on Thatcher was a bore. it seemed as if there was an attempt to cram a ton of history into the story without focus. Mary Treat, Darwin, murder, current political climate mirrored by Landis, suffrage, etc. all in all a sad time spent with this book. I keep hoping that there will be a Poisonwood Bible level offering from Ms. Kingsolver but have not found it so much in the books of hers that I have read.

haroldhv's review against another edition

challenging funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

Some brilliant mother daughter dialogue. Political agenda rather too intrusive (though I agree with it). Cleverly structured

ldillaway's review against another edition

3.0

There are some interesting ideas in this book and Kingsolver’s writing is always very good, but it just never grabbed me and I found myself fairly bored through much of it. It certainly doesn’t reach the heights of The Poisonwood Bible or Demon Copperhead.

kdawn999's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars. I haven’t read a Barbara Kingsolver since high school when I read Poisonwood Bible and Bean Trees. I don’t love this one as much as those, but I liked listening to her voice read her own strong lines and sentence turns. The energy of this book comes from splitting narratives in two timelines—the primary set in 2016 and the secondary set in 1875. I like how the chapter titles pick up with the ending lines of the previous chapter. The characters in the 2016 timeline, located on the same plot of land as those in the 1875, feel fully realized and empathetically explored. That narrative is almost entirely character driven, with little plot. There is politically commentary—lament if you read between the lines—on the turn of that election, though, thankfully, the election is only backdrop and stays out of focus. There is a gripping tragedy at the start of the modern timeline, and the educated yet impoverished family members are trying to cope. Though nothing dramatic takes over after the opening, I found myself sucked into the family’s world. Then there’s the 1875 timeline, which does have some drama. I was surprised to learn the drama is all historical truth and not the author’s entire invention. There are interesting thematic overlaps regarding science versus religious or political fanaticism between the timelines that I found productive. I don’t feel it was beating me over the head politically—perhaps because I mainly agree with the politics of the protagonists—rather, I commiserate with the leads in both timelines on the rejection of evidence and science by so many. A worthwhile read, but not a book striving to be something great. A marker for this unstable decade.

samikoonjones's review

emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

moose_reads_books's review

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

eslx32's review against another edition

2.0

I was so disappointed with this book that I came back on here the day after rating it to leave a written review.

Ive really enjoyed all of Kingsolver's other books but this one was so tough to finish. There was no climax, no character growth. It was a book of dull conversations and sad moments.

I typically enjoy fiction, which is not always the most exciting page turners... To have me saying a non fiction book is dull really says something.