The Bean Trees (Magill’s Literary Annual 1989)
At a glance:
- Author: Barbara Kingsolver
- Type of Work: Novel
- Time of Work: The 1980's
- Setting: Kentucky, Tucson, and land owned by the Cherokee
- Principal Characters: Taylor (Marietta) Greer, Lou Ann Ruiz, Turtle, Mattie, Estevan, Esperanza
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Bildungsroman, Family literature
- Subjects: Family or family life, Self-discovery, Mothers, Parents and children, Friendship, Abandoned children, 1980’s, Child abuse, Native Americans or American Indians, Ethnic relations, Women’s issues, Women, Adoption or adopted children, Working class, Southwest, Central America or Central Americans, Aliens, illegal, Refugees
Opening mid-anecdote, with the direct voice and assured eye for humorously specific details that have become a hallmark of the new generation of local color writers, The Bean Trees makes an immediate impact. One slows down to savor the rich invention and pointed observations and to appreciate the narrator's spunky, down-to-earth self-awareness. Better yet, before long one comes to appreciate that this first novel by Barbara Kingsolver has a project more ambitious—and ultimately more compelling—than simply to create bits of life that would fit neatly into semiconnected short...
[The entire page is 1918 words long]
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