The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver wasn't widely read until it came out in paperback on it's 10 year anniversary. When it was first published, however, its author was unknown. Word of mouth spread slowly among booksellers, librarians, critics and readers with a passion to share their favorite books. In The Bean Trees they found a spirited protagonist. It is now a standard in college literature classes across the nation and has been translated for a readership stretching from Japan to Romania.

"Clear-eyed and spirited, Taylor Greer grew up poor in rural Kentucky with the goals of avoiding pregnancy and getting away. But when she heads west with high hopes and a barely functional car, she meets the human condition head-on. By the time Taylor arrives in Tucson, Arizona, she has acquired a completely unexpected child, a three-year-old American girl named Turtle, and must somehow come to terms with both motherhood and the necessity for putting down roots. Hers is a story about love and friendship, abandonment and belonging, and the discovery of surprising resources in apparently empty places."

This was a short book and easy to read. I enjoyed the characters - as I do all of the creations of Kingsolver. You can't help but root for Taylor, Turtle, Lou Ann, Mattie and all the others. 

Even as a teen Taylor, who had changed her name from Marietta, liked bright colors and had decided if she couldn't dress elegant, she was going to dress memorable. She is a woman with spunk and a determination not to wind up having to stay in her poor situation because of getting pregnant as a teen. 

After experiencing a rather horrible day at the hospital where she worked, she threw up twice and decided she wanted to quit. But later, she decided she had seen the worst that she would ever see so there was no reason to quit now. A determined woman with gumption and personality!

Kingsolver touches on poverty, child abuse, friendship "but two of the greatest influences in The Bean Trees are the Cherokee Trail of Tears, the geographical trek that the Cherokee Nation was forced to travel when it was moved to the Oklahoma territory from the southeastern United States, and the Sanctuary movement, designed to help Central Americans flee oppressive governmental regimes and relocate — usually secretly and illegally — in the United States." [from cliff notes] 

I would suggest this book to any book club. The discussion could take so many different directions. 

"Barbara Kingsolver was born in 1955, and grew up in rural Kentucky. She earned degrees in biology from DePauw University and the University of Arizona, and has worked as a freelance writer and author since 1985. At various times in her adult life she has lived in England, France, and the Canary Islands, and has worked in Europe, Africa, Asia, Mexico, and South America. She spent two decades in Tucson, Arizona, before moving to southwestern Virginia where she currently resides."

You can find more about Barbara Kingsolver H.E.R.E.

She has 13 published books with a new one coming out in November 2012.

I have reviewed The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver H.E.R.E.

I have reviewed The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver H.E.R.E.

I highly recommend this book.