The Bean Trees (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Barbara Kingsolver
- First Published: 1988
- Type of Work: Novel
- 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
- Locales: Tucson, AZ
The Bean Trees begins with Missie Greer's first-person account of her youth in rural Kentucky, including how she developed a fear of exploding tires after a man overfilled one and was blown to the top of a gas-station sign. Kingsolver's wry storytelling style in this humorous opening scene sets the novel's tone.
Missie has grown up noticing that many small-town girls experience early motherhood. Her own mother has given her a strong sense of self-sufficiency, and, as soon as she can, Missie buys a run-down Volkswagen and leaves in search of opportunity and adventure....
[The entire page is 813 words long]
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