[.ca] Homeland and Other Stories (ISBN 079279978X)

Not as good as her other work, but still enjoyable reading:
Barbara Kingsolver possesses an amazingly adventurous breadth of literary talent. She has written novels, short stories, essays, nonfiction, and poetry. Although I don't believe her short stories stand out as brilliantly as does the rest of her writing, they are nonetheless enjoyable reading. The two stories in this collection that particularly stood out to me were the title story, "Homeland," and "Covered Bridges." "Homeland" is the moving story of Gloria St. Clair, a native of "a coal town hacked with sharp blades out of a forest that threatened always to take it back," and her "Great Mam," a woman who belonged to the Bird Clan, "one of the fugitive bands of Cherokee who resisted capture in the year that General Winfield Scott was in charge of prodding the forest people from their beds and removing them westward." It is particularly lyrical and full of evocative images, metaphors, and language, drawing on Kingsolver's own Kentucky and Cherokee roots and apparent love of the land and its native peoples. "Covered Bridges" has a familiar Kingsolver protagonist with a background that reflects Kingsolver's own educational and professional background in biology, and particularly her interest in quirky, little-known biological facts. Lena is a specialist in toxicology and operates a poison hotline at the county hospital. We also discover that Lena has a deadly allergy to the stings of bees and wasps. "Covered Bridges" explores the relationship between Lena and her husband and examines the question of whether or not they want to have children. I readily recommend Kingsolver's earlier work, but discourage reading her more recent work, starting with "Prodigal Summer." I admire her most for the risks she takes in tackling new and different projects and genres (even "Prodigal Summer"), rather than rehashing the same, well-worn theme. Reading these stories provides a fuller picture of who she is as an author and where her passions, concerns, and interests lie.

Fun and fast read:
This book was very enjoyable and a fast read. This book has alittle of everything in it for everyone. I thought that the stories got better and better as they went on and each with a little bit more powerful message. I truly enjoyed Quality Time and Rose-Johnny. Overall this is a must read and would make a wonderful gift for anyone on your holiday list.

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like Homeland...:
Picture yourself driving down a quiet road populated with homes that are dusted with the twilight of evening shade. You stop the car and step out to observe. From the roadside in this residential area, all you can see is the glowing window squares of warm, yellow light coming from inside the houses. You know that it's probably time for the evening meal and there are mundane conversations, celebrations and arguments abounding. As an outsider, there is little to see and virtually nothing to hear. Kingsolver changes all of that, when unseen and unheard, she wanders invisibly throughout the homes and lives of each and everyone in the neighborhood. Kingsolver creates a terrific collection of short stories that define no incredible event or A to B adventure. There's no earth-shattering disaster and certainly no crisis to be explained. She takes a very short and innocent peek into the mundane lives of different households and explains what she sees and hears. Dear reader may rejoice that not all he reads requires a roller coaster ride of feeling to make the novel interesting. Sometimes the story only need be simple and sweet.

At Home with Kingsolver:
"Homeland and Other Stories" showcases Barbara Kingsolver's remarkable ear for heartland speech as well as her talent for painting the every day struggles of people through exquisite but understated detail. Kingsolver never falls into melodrama nor does she show disrespect for her characters. This is a beautiful and powerful collection.

At Home with Kingsolver:
"Homeland and Other Stories" showcases Barbara Kingsolver's remarkable ear for heartland speech as well as her talent for painting the every day struggles of people through exquisite but understated detail. Kingsolver never falls into melodrama nor does she show disrespect for her characters. This is a beautiful and powerful collection.