Flight Behavior - Barbara Kingsolver

Flight Behavior

By Barbara Kingsolver

  • Release Date: 2012-11-06
  • Genre: Literary Fiction
Score: 4
4
From 992 Ratings

Description

New York Times Bestseller

"An intricate story that entwines considerations of faith and faithlessness, inquiry, denial, fear and survival in gorgeously conceived metaphor. Kingsolver has constructed a deeply affecting microcosm of a phenomenon that is manifesting in many different tragic ways, in communities and ecosystems all around the globe.” — Seattle Times

A truly stunning and unforgettable work from the extraordinary New York Times bestselling author of The Lacuna (winner of the Orange Prize), The Poisonwood Bible (nominated for the Pulitzer Prize), and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Flight Behavior is a brilliant and suspenseful novel set in present day Appalachia; a breathtaking parable of catastrophe and denial that explores how the complexities we inevitably encounter in life lead us to believe in our particular chosen truths. Kingsolver's riveting story concerns a young wife and mother on a failing farm in rural Tennessee who experiences something she cannot explain, and how her discovery energizes various competing factions—religious leaders, climate scientists, environmentalists, politicians—trapping her in the center of the conflict and ultimately opening up her world. Flight Behavior represents contemporary American fiction at its finest.

Reviews

  • Very Slow

    1
    By Crush12
    This was my first time reading this author. I couldn’t even finish it. I got halfway through and thought life is too short to read a book that doesn’t interest me.
  • Flight Behavior

    5
    By Chicken I miss you. Come back.
    Kingsolver never disappoints. Loved this book!
  • Fantastically thought-provoking

    5
    By RMerkl
    Kingsolver's characters filled the four chambers of my heart, each with a different feeling: disappointment, empathy, hopelessness, pride in their dogged resilience. It is too easy to simply despise a character, but I must admit, Kingsolver's ability to put me in Dellarobia's brain led me to hope a terrific accident befell Hester. More than once. We all know there are reasons for characters' behaviors, though, and Kingsolver did not disappoint. The best scene that captured the urban-rural conflict/misunderstandings and the disconnect between what our society understands about each other (and the issues?) happens when a man is handing out carbon footprint flyers. Everything about this scene is perfect. The setting. The categories and questions. The reactions of the man and Dellarobia. Read this book. Discuss it with others. It made me think about so much. Thank you.
  • Rush to an ending.

    3
    By Dwayney-Dawne
    I agree with most reviewers who found this novel lacking in depth and commitment to these characters who's thoughts and feelings we hear in great detail. But it was as if someone else wrapped up this story in a hurried manner. It was as if a chapter was left out. Suddenly a main character is gone and we're left to wonder what transpired. It also bothered me that the some of the major events, like Monarchs in a snowstorm, are pretty much fictional, based on my research. Sadly, I had just finished reading the Lacuna, which I loved. Very disappointing, but not typical of this writer.
  • reward for intelligent reading

    5
    By MackWest
    highly intelligent prose and full of philosophical challenges.
  • Boring

    1
    By Barn13
    Rarely do I not finish a book but this was one of those rare occasions. Read 75% of it thinking it would get better but it never did. Just couldn't torture myself any more.
  • Overall good

    4
    By Maria Peace
    I picked up this book thinking it would be about a housewife wanting to get away from her disappointing life. It turned out this this novel encompassed so much more. I found the story beyond the main character's family life compelling. I do have to say, at times, when the story revolved around climate change, it felt heavy handed. I know about climate change and do not doubt it is happening, but the book began to feel preachy. It was annoying, but it did not stop me from reading the book. By the end, I was sad that it ended because I did enjoy the novel overall.
  • Flight behavior

    4
    By La Gite
    Engrossing and beautifully written. It mostly escapes being "preachy" through fine characters and a well wrought story.
  • just could not read this!

    1
    By CathyOM
    Sorry to say I too could not get into this book. I really disliked the characters and it was so tedious to read I gave up. Such a disappointment.
  • Plaintive, Searing, extraordinary

    5
    By tunefiend
    Kingsolver is amazing. I've never read anyone who captures the stark yet dull terror of the poverty of mind so evident in our American south. Raised in poor Appalachia myself she brings it to life yet imbues it with dignity and humanity. A wonderful book by a gifted writer. So grateful for the hours I spent in its company.