Animal Dreams (original 1990; edition 1997)

August 2008 COTC Book Club selection.

So sad, yet I wanted to know these people, these characters; I wanted to see the small town of Grace. Kingsolver's passion for the earth and for peace really shine through in this novel. I kept waiting for Codi to wake up and realize that she actually had it pretty great - a fabulous friend in Emelina, a new family in Loyd and his family, a meaningful job, a community she could care about and love. Not that these things could ever replace those she lost, but they make the loss far more bearable. Barbara Kingsolver really does amazing things with words. ( )

This wasn't as good as Poisonwood Bible, but I did enjoy it. ( )

This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon . Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.

Codi is from Grace, but has spent years running from her past. With the departure of her sister for war-torn lands, Codi can return to Grace and make a new life for herself - but only after she has salvaged her childhood.

This is another American Literature book I read, and the essay question with it was with Ceremony. I can understand why these two books were paired together - they are both filled with symbolism and strange narrative forms. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this novel.

Although some of this novel is memories, particularly the sections by Homero, the rest shows a drive towards Codi reclaiming her memories in the present. This process takes place over two years, between three All Souls' Days. For me, this process was fascinating, and I really didn't know what I expected Codi to do until near the end of the novel - making it a strangely compelling page-turner.

I think if I go on to do further studies in literature of some kind, I would choose American Literature to work on. My only regret of this degree is that English literature (as in, Britain) is not represented in the major. I also really enjoyed Irish literature. Give me something with a decent history and anything but Australian literature.

Although I couldn't recommend this for fantasy readers, if you naturally enjoy general fiction I would definitely recommend it. I'm not even sure precisely why I would, but I just would! I enjoyed it. The neuroses of Codi, her memories, and the unforgettable Loyd - it's just so powerful, losing a mother, a daughter and a sister.

I would even venture to say that if I was required to read some more general fiction for some reason, I'd choose a Kingsolver novel to do it. Yay, Kingsolver! Seriously, go ad borrow it from your local library - you'll find yourself enjoying it despite any preconceived notions you might have. ( )

Utterly, utterly FANTASTIC! This novel nearly knocks The Poisonwood Bible from it's number one spot on my Kingsolver list of favorites! I was pleasantly surprised with how simply erotic and insanely interesting this novel is. I would read it again in a heart beat. If this is the only book of Barbara's that you pick up, you won't be disappointed! ( )

1996: I finished reading ANIMAL DREAMS by Barbara Kingsolver, which was excellent -- I like it even better than her other two books. This one really touched me -- it was about a woman who never felt like she belonged, who always felt like an outsider. She wanted someone to tell her they wanted her, wanted people to tell her they needed her and she was good at what she did. She also was looking for a cause, looking for a good way to live life. These feelings that she had came in part from losing people she loved, from a sense of loss. ( )