The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

Everyone told me that Kingsolver had a fantastic writer’s voice and I agree completely – the minute you’re finished with the first paragraph of this book you feel like you’re in the heart of Kentucky. The story is about a young woman named Taylor Greer who buys a piece of junk car just after she graduates high school and heads west. Eventually she settles in Tucson after unofficially “adopting” an abused baby girl (named Turtle). Taylor’s life in Tuscon is filled with colorful characters including Mattie, who owns an auto-repair shop and runs a safe house for Mexican refugees. A lot of the story is about finding Turtle’s heritage, but oftentimes it seems like Kingsolver is trying to make some kind of point about immigration. I wouldn’t necessarily consider this a deeply compelling story, but it was enjoyable and Kingsolver is definitely a gifted writer. Favorite Quote: “There were two things about Mama. One is she always expected the best out of me. And the other is that then no matter what I did, whatever I came home with, she acted like it was the moon I had just hung up in the sky and plugged in all the stars. Like I was that good.”