The Bean Trees

Description

The Bean Trees is bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver’s first novel, now widely regarded as a modern classic. “As clear as air. It is the southern novel taken west, its colors as translucent and polished as one of those slices of rose agate from a desert shop.” — New York Times Book ReviewIt is the charming, engrossing tale of rural Kentucky native Taylor Greer, who only wants to get away from her roots and avoid getting pregnant. She succeeds, but inherits a 3-year-old native-American little girl named Turtle along the way, and together, from Oklahoma to Tucson, Arizona, half-Cherokee Taylor and her charge search for a new life in the West.

Written with humor and pathos, this highly praised novel focuses on love and friendship, abandonment and belonging as Taylor, out of money and seemingly out of options, settles in dusty Tucson and begins working at Jesus Is Lord Used Tires while trying to make a life for herself and Turtle. 

The author of such bestsellers as The Lacuna, The Poisonwood Bible, and Flight Behavior, Barbara Kingsolver has been hailed for her striking imagery and clear dialogue, and this is the novel that kicked off her remarkable literary career. This Harper Perennial Deluxe Edition features beautiful cover artwork on uncoated stock, French flaps, and deckle-edge pages.

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 Indian 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.

“The work of a visionary. . . . It leaves you open-mouthed and smiling.” “As clear as air. It is the southern novel taken west, its colors as translucent and polished as one of those slices of rose agate from a desert shop.” “An extraordinary good novel, tough and tender and gritty and moving.” “So wry and wise we wish it would never end….The chatty, down-home audacity of Barbara Kingsolver’s remarkable first novel hooks us on the first page.” “The Bean Trees is the work of a visionary. . . . It leaves you open-mouthed and smiling.” “A major new talent. From the very first page, Kingsolver’s characters tug at the heart and soul.” “An astonishing literary debut….For a deep breath of fresh air, spend some time in the neighborhood of The Bean Trees.” “Idealistic and exhilerating, The Bean Trees is a book that combines the most careful craft with a moral code that is loving and expansive.” “This is the story of a lovable, resourceful ‘instant mother,’ one who speaks, acts and learns for herself, becoming an inspiration to us all.” “This funny, inspiring book is a marvelous affirmation of risk-taking, commitment and everyday miracles…An overwhelming delight, as random and unexpected as real life.” “A lively first novel…an easy book to enjoy.”