Prodigal Summer (Barbara Kingsolver) Conclusion

The “Old Chestnuts” storyline, which started out seeming almost as a whimsical side-issue, functioning as an amusing set of interludes to the two other, heavier storylines, has become my favorite by the end of the book.  Garnett, in particular, is fascinating in his reactionary, ingrained piety.  His thought processes, though not presented in first person, are artfully telegraphed in the phrasing of each paragraph in which he appears, to show his perspective on events as they unfold.  And though he is probably not a person we would like to become close friends with, he’s a lot of fun to watch.  He is continually righteously outraged by the things that come out of Nannie’s more “modern” mouth; yet, he’s infatuated by her, though he doesn’t realize it – the reader is in on the secret he keeps from himself, and that’s part of the fun.

Lusa’s storyline is much more complex.  She’s wise enough to decide to simply do things her way, knowing that capitulating to the opinions of her new family (surrounded on all sides by the disapproving relatives of her now-dead husband) is a losing proposition, no matter which way she turns.  Believing in herself and her ability to make the right decisions for herself eventually wins the family over, in a big way.  A great message here for those who might tend to live their lives to please others.  Her interaction with the seventeen-year-old “Little Rickie,” especially after it is revealed that he has a huge crush on her, is fascinating to watch.  The realism of the writing here is superb; these fictional characters become real to us to an extent rarely matched in literature, in my humble opinion.

The Deanna/Eddie storyline ends on a somewhat darker note, with him finally giving up on their relationship, totally unaware that he’s leaving behind his child.  Any moral obligation that Deanna has to let him know she is bearing his child is pushed aside, here.   Should this lower our esteem for Deanna, the fact that she decides to have his child without ever telling him?  Kingsolver seems to think it needn’t, or, if it does seem morally questionable that, in this case, a concession should be made.   It’s not as if he was being irresponsible; several references to his condoms have been made.  He had finally read her academic treatise on coyotes and why they shouldn’t be hunted so relentlessly.  His answer was to walk out of her life without saying goodbye, leaving behind only a short note on the last empty page of the treatise:  It’s hard for a man to admit he has met his match.  E. B.  Not the most manly of departures, it must be admitted.

The constant references in each storyline to the other two that are left here and there throughout the book become more frequent until we see that Jewel’s two children, which Lusa is apparently going to adopt, are Garnett’s grandchildren.  Deanna is moving in with Nannie, who was once practically her adopted mother, having been very close to her father for years.  All the final interactions between these characters are left to the future, letting the readers fill in those blanks for ourselves.  We have enough familiarity by now with the people and the nature of the small-town setting to imagine these things for ourselves.

And, fittingly, the final chapter gives us a glimpse of a hitherto unintroduced character, though one that is very important to the story none-the-less.  The mother coyote herself, patrolling her adopted territory, thinking her coyote thoughts and looking to her own future in this fascination setting.  A beautifully depicted final chapter concluding a beautifully told masterpiece.  For me, Barbara Kingsolver has definitely lived up to all the accolades I have read about over the years.  The next book on my reading agenda is her short story collection, Homeland – I can hardly wait!

 

 

August’s book of the month; “Corduroy Mansions,” by Alexander McCall Smith.
 

Week 1 will post on August 8 - See you then!

Week 1:  Chapters 1-25
Week 2:  Chapters 26-50
Week 3:  Chapters 51-75
Week 4:  Chapters 76-100

"Filled with charming eccentrics . . . McCall Smith, a master of weaving the many strands of his complex stories together, does so here with supreme virtuosity."—The Washington Post

The indefatigable Scotsman's latest exercise in grace and good manners . . . McCall Smith is the P.G. Wodehouse of our time, and we should be grateful for his prolificacy."—Richmond Times-Dispatch

"As ever, McCall Smith is droll, philosophical, full of original insights, and above all, entertaining."—Bookreporter

“Quirky and original . . . Told with warmth, wit and intelligence, and McCall Smith’s cast of characters are beautifully observed. It’s a page-turner with many happy endings. Perfect.” —Daily Express

“The author’s gentle humor and playful teasing-out of moral dilemmas great and small are there in abundance.” —The Scotsman

“The seriousness is always sugar-dusted in McCall Smith’s delight in the ridiculous and his perfectly paced humour.” —The Daily Telegraph