Product Description

Plucky Taylor Greer grows up poor in rural Kentucky with two goals: to avoid pregnancy and to get away. She succeeds on both counts when she buys an old car and heads west. But midway across the country motherhood catches up with her when she becomes the guardian of an abandoned baby girl she calls Turtle. In Tuscon they encounter an extraordinary array of people, and with their help, Taylor builds herself and her sweet, stunned child a life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15761 in Books
• Published on: 2001-03-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 232 pages

Review
'Compelling and very funny' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'A remarkable, enjoyable book ... I'd definitely urge you to read it' NEW YORK TIMES 'An astonishing literary debut' COSMOPOLITAN

NEW YORK TIMES
'A remarkable, enjoyable book ... I'd definitely urge you to read it'

Cosmopolitan
'An astonishing literary debut'

Customer Reviews

Unmissable
This has to be one of my all-time favourites - a glorious, life-affirming and thoroughly gripping read. Taylor, who has spent most of her life so far trying not to follow in the footsteps of her peer group by getting pregnant at a young age, finds herself unexpectedly - and, initially, unwillingly - encumbered by an abused baby girl, whom she names Turtle. This rather unlikely premise sets the scene for a riveting, heartwarming road-movie of a novel. The relationship between Taylor and Turtle is one of the most touching I have ever read and the whole novel cannot fail to leave the reader both entertained and moved.

Highly recommended!

Looking forward to the sequel!
I discovered Barbara Kingsolver with the Poisonwood Bible (brilliant!) and rushed out to discover more of her work. This time she's abandoned the Belgian congo for Arizona - quite a difference! From page one the characters are instantly alive and interesting. Taylor and Lou-ann particularly are well drawn and engaging. I think most women will see something of themselves in both of them - despite their differences. Strength. Cowardice. Bravery. Tenacity. And human weakness too. The landscapes are well-drawn and encouraged me to get out my atlas to discover more about where the story is set - just as I did with Poisonwood Bible! I understand there's a sequel to Bean Trees and will be seeking it out very soon. A great tale, well told.

Better than The Poisonwood Bible
I think this is Kingsolver's first book. I read it after The Poisonwood Bible because I had enjoyed that. This is shorter and in many ways lighter. - Set in the southern USA, it is almost a fable, of a young woman leaving her hometown to travel across the US to start a new life with more hope and possibility than in the smalltown, limited environment where she grew up. On the way she is given care of a young child. It is written in the first person and we read how shefinds a place to settle and the people she meets as she creates a life for herself and the child. We learn something of the child's background and the writer learns about herself. It touches on serious issues about refugees, prejudice, hardship, etc and the meaning of family and friendship, but in a light way.
It is a slight novel compared with The Poisonwood Bible, but worth the investment of a few hours. Some parts I suspect will linger in my memory - pleasantly.
I enjoyed this very much and recommend it