66 pages • 2 hours read
Barbara KingsolverProdigal Summer
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2000A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
Prodigal Summer intertwines three stories set in rural Appalachia over a single summer: Deanna Wolfe, a wildlife biologist, navigates her passion for coyotes and a complicated relationship with a younger hunter; Lusa Maluf Landowski, a widow, struggles to keep her deceased husband's farm; and elderly Garnett Walker III aims to revive the American chestnut, clashing with his progressive neighbor, Nannie Rawley. This book includes sensitive topics such as terminal illness and the death of a child.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Reviews of Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer are generally favorable, highlighting its lush prose and strong ecological themes. Readers appreciate Kingsolver's character development and the intertwining narratives. However, some critics note that the pacing can be slow and the eco-centric messages occasionally overbearing. Overall, it's praised for its vivid storytelling and thematic depth.
Who Should Read Prodigal Summer?
Readers who enjoy nature, intricate character studies, and interconnected narratives would relish Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer. Fans of Annie Proulx’s The Shipping News or Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits will appreciate its lyrical prose and themes of ecological interconnectedness and personal growth.
RecommendedReading Age
18+yearsLexile Level
870L