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Prodigal Summer: A Novel Paperback – October 16, 2001

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 6,538 ratings

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National Bestseller

“A blend of breathtaking artistry, encyclopedic knowledge of the natural world. . . and ardent commitment to the supremacy of nature.” — San Francisco Chronicle

In this beautiful novel, Barbara Kingsolver, acclaimed author of The Poisonwood Bible and the Pulitzer-Prize winning Demon Copperhead, and recipient of the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguish Contribution to American Letters, weaves together three stories of human love within a larger tapestry of lives inhabiting the forested mountains and struggling small farms of southern Appalachia.

Over the course of one humid summer, as the urge to procreate overtakes the lush countryside, this novel's intriguing protagonists—a reclusive wildlife biologist, a young farmer's wife marooned far from home, and a pair of elderly, feuding neighbors—face disparate predicaments but find connections to one another and to the flora and fauna with whom they necessarily share a place. Their discoveries are embedded inside countless intimate lessons of biology, the realities of small farming, and the final, urgent truth that humans are only one piece of life on earth.

Prodigal Summer is a hymn to wildness that celebrates the prodigal spirit of human nature, and of nature itself.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A lush, bountiful, opinionated novel of social conscience” — Washington Post Book World

“As illuminating as it is absorbing. . . . Resonates with the author’s overarching wisdom and passion.” — New York Times

“Full of ... tenderness, humour and earthy spirituality.” — Christian Science Monitor

“[Kingsolver’s] sexy, lyrical fifth novel renders our solitary yearnings with a finely trained eye and ear.” — People

“A blend of breathtaking artistry, encyclopedic knowledge of the natural world. . . and ardent commitment to the supremacy of nature. . . . .Barbara Kingsolver remains a voice readers have come to respect and love, a writer we will keep reading for as long as she continues to grace us with her bounty.” — San Francisco Chronicle

"A triumphant return to the southern Appalachians of her own childhood." — Orlando Sentinel

“A warm, intricately constructed book shot through with an extraordinary amount of insight and information about the wonders of the invisible world.” — Newsweek

"Ms. Kingsolver's writing is generously well-grafted; choice moments ... radiate from nearly every page." — Wall Street Journal

"As lush, rich and abundant as nature itself ... Prodigal Summer is quietly breathtaking, and its vista awe-inspiring." — Buffalo News

“Kingsolver deftly addresses the struggle between mankind and nature . . . . A lush. . . novel of love and loss in Appalachia.” — US Magazine

“Compelling ... Lives that are less simple, and far more passionate, than they appear.” — Glamour Magazine

From the Back Cover

Barbara Kingsolver's fifth novel is a hymn to wildness that celebrates the prodigal spirit of human nature, and of nature itself. It weaves together three stories of human love within a larger tapestry of lives amid the mountains and farms of southern Appalachia. Over the course of one humid summer, this novel's intriguing protagonists face disparate predicaments but find connections to one another and to the flora and fauna with which they necessarily share a place.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial (October 16, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060959037
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060959036
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 870L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.96 x 5.38 x 1.09 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 6,538 ratings

About the author

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Barbara Kingsolver
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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 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.

Her books, in order of publication, are: The Bean Trees (1988), Homeland (1989), Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike (1989), Animal Dreams (1990), Another America (1992), Pigs in Heaven (1993), High Tide in Tucson (1995), The Poisonwood Bible (1998), Prodigal Summer (2000), Small Wonder (2002), Last Stand: America's Virgin Lands, with photographer Annie Griffiths (2002), Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (2007), The Lacuna (2009), Flight Behavior (2012), Unsheltered (2018), How To Fly (In 10,000 Easy Lessons) (2020), Demon Copperhead (2022), and coauthored with Lily Kingsolver, Coyote's Wild Home (2023). She served as editor for Best American Short Stories 2001.

Kingsolver was named one the most important writers of the 20th Century by Writers Digest, and in 2023 won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel Demon Copperhead. In 2000 she received the National Humanities Medal, our country's highest honor for service through the arts. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages and have been adopted into the core curriculum in high schools and colleges throughout the nation. Critical acclaim for her work includes multiple awards from the American Booksellers Association and the American Library Association, a James Beard award, two-time Oprah Book Club selection, and the national book award of South Africa, among others. She was awarded Britain's prestigious Women's Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize) for both Demon Copperhead and The Lacuna, making Kingsolver the first author in the history of the prize to win it twice. In 2011, Kingsolver was awarded the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for the body of her work. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

She has two daughters, Camille (born in 1987) and Lily (1996). She and her husband, Steven Hopp, live on a farm in southern Appalachia where they raise an extensive vegetable garden and Icelandic sheep.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
6,538 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and thought-provoking. They praise the writing style as lovely, elegant, and unique to each character. The natural setting and descriptions are praised as beautiful and lush. Readers become invested in the characters, with some feeling like they know them. The interconnection between human and animal lives is also appreciated.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

275 customers mention "Readability"275 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They praise the descriptive prose and engaging stories. Readers appreciate the well-developed characters and natural settings. The storylines interconnect as the book progresses.

"...I read Overstory and even though that book started out pretty good, it petered out for me as if the author got bored with the story and the..." Read more

"...growth, decay, and death across seasons and years is well presented by lyrical descriptions and discussions of the life phases of moths, beetles,..." Read more

"Loved this book. It was a college course in learning about nature and its gift to us all...." Read more

"A beautifully written stunning story of lives, so intertwined, the way everything is. I’ll read it again, sometime. Well worth the read!" Read more

162 customers mention "Thought provoking"153 positive9 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and educational. They appreciate the natural world and biology woven into the story. The prose is meaningful and awakens a better understanding of our wonderful world. Readers learn about different flora and fauna, character development, and science.

"...The meditations on ecology, wildlife preservation, forests, and organic farming made me believe this was a better environmental novel than Overstory...." Read more

"...Over all, this book has a certain sensuality and is not without its educative aspects, but is not a particularly riveting story." Read more

"...It was beautifully written and was funny, insightful and informative. I couldn’t put it down. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the Kingsover books." Read more

"...claim to be expert at the subject matter, I do believe she puts some time into research, due to her books' varied cultural and historical..." Read more

133 customers mention "Writing style"121 positive12 negative

Customers enjoy the writing style. They find the prose lovely, elegant, and unique to each character. The writing is lyrical and easy to read, making it an enjoyable experience. Readers appreciate Kingsolver's talent with expression and relatable themes.

"...It was beautifully written and was funny, insightful and informative. I couldn’t put it down. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the Kingsover books." Read more

"...By that I mean her prose is lovely and she has something to say - this is not fluffy drivel...." Read more

"...This does because it is a beautifully written book and because the stories are touching, small and deeply intimate...." Read more

"...could play a role in the miracle of creation, but the masterful writing style and the beauty of nature shine through...." Read more

126 customers mention "Nature"126 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's nature descriptions lovely. They appreciate the author's depictions of wildlife and Appalachian culture. The book is described as a delightful, sensual frolic that enjoys both human and animal nature.

"Reflective of the author's biology background, this novel is a paean to nature: its rawness, mystery, fecundity, delicate balance, etc...." Read more

"...The characters and their situations, as profound, rich, and colorful as they could have been, seemed of secondary importance, merely acting as a..." Read more

"...My next favorite story is Moth Love about a young woman coming to terms being part of a farming family as she is a stranger from the city and a..." Read more

"...of creation, but the masterful writing style and the beauty of nature shine through...." Read more

107 customers mention "Character development"100 positive7 negative

Customers find the characters engaging and well-developed. They appreciate the multiple characters with depth and sometimes shallowness, as well as the loosely woven characters and the author's character trajectories. The storyline is engaging and each woman is well-portrayed.

"...The men are for the most part set pieces. As it turns out, the characters are connected...." Read more

"This book has 3 different character stories which I’m usually not a fan of that writing style but I loved each story as they were unique and..." Read more

"...I loved the characters, living their lives the best way they knew at the time, albeit in ignorance to some degree, but so very human and real...." Read more

"...My favorite gift from the author is the trajectories she creates for her characters...." Read more

26 customers mention "Interconnection"26 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the interconnection in the book. They find it satisfying to discover how lives become entwined, with the theme of interdependence and biological/emotional mutuality. The connections between people and nature are subtle and intimate, tying them together at the end.

"A beautifully written stunning story of lives, so intertwined, the way everything is. I’ll read it again, sometime. Well worth the read!" Read more

"...written book and because the stories are touching, small and deeply intimate...." Read more

"...Ms Kingsolver is a master teacher of the natural world thru story. Deeply touching, each of the key characters are fully formed and I felt like I..." Read more

"...This one focuses on three relationships and how lives become entwined, while supporting the important message of how we need to protect our..." Read more

17 customers mention "Strength"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an emotionally engaging story about strong women. They describe it as a well-crafted, multi-layered tale of survival, independence, and relationships. The main characters are three strong women and one very shaken old man. The themes of nature, families, and connectedness are mentioned.

"...The main human characters are three strong women and one very shakey old man surrounded by a cast of characters which, with the exception of the..." Read more

"...Lots of wonderful weaving of Family, of Love,resiliency and making the best of life doesn't just happen...." Read more

"...Her book pulses with this cohesive life-force. Unlike other reviewers here, I was not bothered by any obtrusive ecologocial preaching...." Read more

"...Strong into the need for conservation though given with a light touch...." Read more

69 customers mention "Plot twists"36 positive33 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the plot twists. Some find the story engaging with surprises, humor, and technical aspects. They enjoy the multiple storylines and relationships intertwined with interesting technical aspects. However, others feel the ending is abrupt and clumsily presented, weakening the storyline. Overall, the book leaves some feeling bored and wishing for more plot and better characters.

"...'s biology background, this novel is a paean to nature: its rawness, mystery, fecundity, delicate balance, etc...." Read more

"...This book deserved an award. Last, an epilogue would have been nice. I did not really like the last chapter of the book. I didn’t understand it...." Read more

"...not a fan of that writing style but I loved each story as they were unique and interesting...." Read more

"...overall, the environmental facts were clumsily presented and weakened the storyline...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2022
    I thoroughly enjoyed this book about farm life in the Appalachia. The stories start out as separate pieces, but then eventually start to intertwine just a little. There are a lot of other reviews that have done a great job summarizing the book so I am just going to leave some thoughts.
    I didn’t buy the Deanna and Eddie Bondo romance. The parts where she was having deep discussions with him about the importance of coyotes or when she was wondering the woods herself were so beautiful and detailed that I just loved getting lost in the book. However, I had a hard time believing that she would even want to be intimate with someone so against her personal beliefs. It did not make Eddie at all a very appealing person to me and it made me wonder how she could stand him being around. He was almost an intruder in my opinion and the story may have been more intriguing if he were.
    After Cole died, Lusa looks into putting together a goat herd to sell the meat to her family in New York City. I loved that Kingsolver had this character do something original. After having a long conversation about it with Little Rickie, you would think that she would need his help getting the goats. Instead, Kingsolver skipped over this and she just went and got the goats herself and it all seemed pretty seamless. It would have been interesting to hear more about the new challenges of raising goats; especially being an inexperienced farmer. I would have loved for Rickie to be 18 or 19 and Kingsolver blossoming that romance a little more.
    The introspective discussion after Eddie killed a turkey left me wishing I was there to say a few things. On page 325, Eddie kills a turkey in the woods. Deanna writes it off saying that it was a male and probably was old or sick enough that it would have made a meal for a bobcat or other predator on the mountain. Eddie teases her surprised she is not a vegetarian for all her talk about caring for the animals on the mountain. She says the concept of vegetarianism is not so simple, because to farm wheat a lot of animals get killed by the machinery. I know this is Kingsolver’s opinion being inserted here, but vegetarianism and veganism is not about purity, it’s about doing the least amount of harm in this world as possible. Much of the grains that are grown are to feed animals that are raised for meat. Less meat, less wheat, less mice and rabbits that are killed and probably more forests don’t need to be cut down. Also, earlier Deanna talks about cats being unnatural predators. I agree with this; however, in this discussion about the turkey, how are humans not also considered unnatural predators? Wasn’t she denying the bobcat or coyote a meal?
    The meditations on ecology, wildlife preservation, forests, and organic farming made me believe this was a better environmental novel than Overstory. I read Overstory and even though that book started out pretty good, it petered out for me as if the author got bored with the story and the characters. This book held my attention the entire time as if Kingsolver was in love with the story and all the details. This book deserved an award.
    Last, an epilogue would have been nice. I did not really like the last chapter of the book. I didn’t understand it. I would have loved instead for there to be an epilogue on what happens to these characters after ten years. If I could write it, Deanna and her daughter inherit Nannie Rawley’s farm and she continues to grow organic produce. Garnett’s grandchildren continue with the Chestnut farm and they achieve the beginnings of a grove that is free of Chestnut blight. Lusa and Rickie after a few years eventually do marry and start a family continuing the Widener name on the ancestral farm. I think the stories were all going in this direction, but it would have been nice to see the narratives through to the end.
    23 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2010
    Reflective of the author's biology background, this novel is a paean to nature: its rawness, mystery, fecundity, delicate balance, etc. Set in rural Appalachia, the author is determined to make her ecological points through the interleaved stories of three resilient women: Deanna Wolfe, 47, a ranger living in isolation on a mountain, Lusa Widener, 28, newly widowed and living on a tobacco farm, and Nannie Rawley, 75, the operator of an organic apple orchard. All of these women, whether through academic training or experience, are opposed to any actions that upset nature's ecological balance, such as the indiscriminate killing of predators or the use of pesticides. An essential part of their lives is their resistance to or education of those, especially men, who actively or inadvertently do harm to the eco-system.

    The author hardly shrinks from the necessitous sexual, reproductive elements of nature; her characters do not escape its pull. The normally wary Deanna, especially when it comes to protecting a fledgling coyote family, is breathlessly overwhelmed by the rugged, 28 year old Eddie Bondo, an itinerant hunter, who simply appears one day on her mountain. Lusa, the despised widow of the favored youngest son of a family of Appalachian rednecks, finds her sexual awareness awakened by the raw attraction of a teen-age nephew.

    The relentless cycles of birth, growth, decay, and death across seasons and years is well presented by lyrical descriptions and discussions of the life phases of moths, beetles, coyotes, plants, herbivores, carnivores, etc. The characters seem at times to be more mouthpieces for the author's environmental agenda, than fully fleshed out. The men are for the most part set pieces. As it turns out, the characters are connected. However, the tribulations of Lusa in recovering from the death of her husband constitutes the main plot thread. Over all, this book has a certain sensuality and is not without its educative aspects, but is not a particularly riveting story.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2024
    Loved this book. It was a college course in learning about nature and its gift to us all. It was beautifully written and was funny, insightful and informative. I couldn’t put it down. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the Kingsover books.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2025
    A beautifully written stunning story of lives, so intertwined, the way everything is. I’ll read it again, sometime. Well worth the read!

Top reviews from other countries

  • Helen Dowse
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling!
    Reviewed in Canada on October 25, 2021
    The novel will take you away from the every day.
  • L. S. Tate
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 29, 2019
    I loved Prodigal Summer. It has all the earthy sensuality, lyricism and raw honesty I expect from Kingsolver, and it left me moved, smiling, satisfied and full of admiration. Three apparently self-contained narratives bring their own moods, from awakened physical intensity to grief to sharp humour, and are gradually and deftly connected. It's the love of nature that underpins the whole, and each character is driven by a fascination and passion - for coyotes, for bugs, for chestnuts. The passions are contagious and I learned a good deal, but I felt a lot more. Like all beautiful novels this one has a deep sadness at its core but also a huge appetite for life. And like all the fiction that stirs and compels me, it feels very real, its drama unforced and even for this ageing Brit who knew nothing of its landscape, universal.
  • ECamaldulensis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!
    Reviewed in Australia on March 17, 2017
    I haven't read any of Barbara Kingsolver's books, but this book is alive with the plants and people and animals of North America. It is often lyrical and utterly engaging, my best read in a long time!
  • celia berry
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner
    Reviewed in France on March 13, 2016
    This author is outstanding and has proved this yet again with this well-researched, interesting novel. Her character descriptions are first class and very easy to imagine. I was gripped and lucky enough to be on holiday, so was able to spend happy hours every day reading through this book.
  • stefania m
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another gem
    Reviewed in Italy on June 1, 2014
    Just like all the other Kingsolver's novels I've read, a page turner. I've enjoyed the subtle intertwining of the characters' lives. The characters are so well defined that you feel like you know them and at the end of the book I was missing them. Fantastic book.