Love + Bugs + Coyotes = Strong Women

When people come to the Reader's Services desk and give me carte blanche to pick out a good book for them, my go-to book is Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver.  Why?  Because the story is beautifully written and intertwined with the lives of four brave and strong females.  Taking place in Appalachia, Deanna is a forest ranger who hasn't had much human contact in the last two years.  She is surprised one day when she discovers a den of coyotes and a couple of days later encounters a man who comes knocking on her cabin door.  He's there to hunt the coyotes and in the process steals Deanna's heart.  Just down the mountain Lusa is desperately trying to acclimate to her new role as the widow of a farmer.  Having found herself in unfamiliar territory of all kinds, this New York entomologist is suddenly faced with having to defend her land claim for the farm against her sisters-in-law.  Just down the road a little further, elderly Nannie is feuding with the old man next door about everything from God, pesticides, and how complicated the world has become around them.


Prodigal Summer is rich in flora and fauna, placing us in the midst of these women who take on challenges, strive to mend their broken hearts, and stand for what they believe in.  The strength of the female characters is extraordinary as their stories unfold.  Even the insects remind us that without strong females, there is no existence.  Join Deanna, Lusa, and Nannie as their lives come together in an end that will not disappoint you.  Oh, and the fourth strong and persevering female that brings the story together?  That would be the female coyote -- who is the matriarch of her pack -- as she brings coyotes back to the region after they had been hunted out of existence.


Definitely a book to read when the heat of summer leaves with the need to read.  It'll also fulfill these Bingo squares: Good for a Book Discussion, Recommended By a Friend (me), or Romance.


For other outstanding Barbara Kingsolver books, check out The Bean Trees, The Poisonwood Bible, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.


-- KF