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Homeland and Other Stories (Abridged) Audiobook
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(3.00) - 3,968 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
New York Times bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver delivers a collection of 12 original tales in Homeland and Other Stories that are every bit as emotionally resonant, humorous, and heartfelt as her much-beloved novels.
In settings ranging from eastern Kentucky to northern California and the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, Barbara Kingsolver uses her distinctive voice and vast knowledge of human nature to address some of her favorite themes: the importance of personal and cultural heritage; how the past effects the present and the enduring power of love. Kingsolver’s characters, many single mothers, struggle to make sense of their lives and find meaning in a difficult world.
Praised for her memorable characters and poetic prose, Kingsolver again proves why she is a literary force to be reckoned with.
This edition includes a P.S. section with additional insights from the author, background material, suggestions for further reading, and more.
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"Subtlety is Kingsolver's strength, and she does it especially well in short stories. I didn't care for all the stories in this collection, though all were enjoyable. It particularly appealed to me because Kingsolver chose to concentrate on people in small towns, and she must have lived in one herself, because her detailed nuances of personalities and relationships were completely accurate. My favorites were the title story, Islands on the Moon, and Why I am a Danger to the Public."
— Elaine (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Kingsolver’s humanity sounds the clearest note...telling us about characters in the middle of their days, who live as we really do, from one small incident of awareness to the next.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“Kingsolver understands...the significance of the ordinary, the fleeting moment that may become lost or become catharsis. She writes with refreshing clarity, humor, and honesty.”
— Detroit Free Press -
“Every [story] supports Kingsolver’s newly won reputation...Her perceptions are touching, her phrases felicitous, her characters memorable.”
— Arizona Daily Star -
“With this dazzling array of stories, demonstrating a wide range of characterizations, settings, situations and narrative voices, Kingsolver confirms the promise of her astonishingly accomplished first novel, The Bean Trees. Most of these dozen tales ring with authentic insights, leaving the reader moved, amused, or enlightened. Kingsolver’s knowledge of human nature, and especially domestic relationships, is breathtaking...Kingsolver handles every other narrative device with delicacy and subtle skill.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Kingsolver’s voice is sure and her narrative skill accomplished. Highly recommended.”
— Library Journal -
“Kingsolver’s voice has remarkable range...Her stories are sharply defined and deftly constructed.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Homeland and Other Stories Listener Reviews
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" Kingsolver started out with a bang in this collection of short stories. There are parallel's among stories, reoccurring characters, and complementary themes. But some of the later stories just drag on, with seemingly unrelated themes - it feels that they were tacked on to make the book a decent length. Oh well. It's still worth reading, even if you only read the first few stories. "
— Jessica, 2/11/2014 -
" Love this author, but this was not my favorite book by her. "
— Jenn, 2/11/2014 -
" I read this a long time ago, and don't recall being overly impressed, feeling that she is better with the novel. However, some of the reviews make me want to read it again, since I really do like short stories. I will re-rate it if I need to. "
— Jan, 2/11/2014 -
" A great collection of short stories by the wonderful Barbara Kingsolver. Most of them deal in some way with choices women make in love and life. "
— Sara, 2/5/2014 -
" Some very good short stories from one of my favorite authors. "
— David, 2/4/2014 -
" I've never read any Barbara Kingsolver before, and I don't think I will again. These stories were just depressing. Even the stories that weren't about people doing horrible things to other people still had a vaguely sinister tone to them. I don't mind demoralizing stories when they are written well... Roth's Everyman, for example. However, I wasn't impressed with Kingsolver's writing, so there wasn't anything to redeem the stories. I got tired of the fact that almost every single story in the book had the same tone to it. I would have liked a little more breadth. "
— Camille, 1/25/2014 -
" A great collection of short stories; the characters are vivid enough that the reader can connect with them in the space of a few pages. "
— Nancy, 1/22/2014 -
" As with all short story collections, some are better than others. I think I like her novels better than her short stories. "
— Christa, 1/21/2014 -
" This is good but not as good as her others. "
— Willow, 1/20/2014 -
" This is yet another brilliant example of Kingsolver's writing. It's a collection of short stories and the main characters including both genders and all ages. I enjoyed each story as a quick glimpse into that person's life and love Kingsolver's use of imagery. "
— Amy, 12/26/2013 -
" I love Barbara Kingsolver. She speaks my language. This collection of short stories - all of the ways we may or may not find home - is beautiful and simple. No matter where we came from we can find ourselves in each story. "
— Rebecca, 12/25/2013 -
" good short stories "
— Gina, 12/21/2013 -
" Kingsolver loves her characters. Trouble is, she pulls you into them enough that you want to stick with them, not just for a short story, but for the rest of the story. Damn. "
— Rachel, 12/21/2013 -
" Wonderful capture of dialogue. Kingsolver's characters are alive. "
— Katharine, 12/21/2013 -
" Not into short stories but I liked a few of them. "
— Cindy, 12/8/2013 -
" I really enjoyed these short stories--I pretty much love anything by Barbara Kingsolver. Some of the stories definitely resonated with me more than others, but I have to admire the breadth of topics and perspectives she used throughout. "
— Becky, 10/21/2013 -
" This is an anthology of some of her early (1980s) short stories that appeared in various periodicals before being compiled. My favorite was "Bereaved Apartments". Still like her novels Bean Trees, Animal Dreams and Pigs in Heaven the best. "
— Denise, 8/21/2013 -
" just re-read this after 14 years and got a lot more out of it, I think. "
— Kat, 7/16/2013 -
" She makes me feel like I'm wearing my robe and slippers when I read her stories. (A good thing!) "
— Lorene, 7/4/2013 -
" Kingsolver writes beautifully in this book of short stories. Very touching glimpses of life--mostly in the south. "
— Holly, 6/19/2013 -
" Her novels are better but this was OK in a pinch. "
— Laura, 5/3/2013 -
" Some of the stories were sweet, in her transparent, elaborately descriptive sort of way. The rest could've been better. "
— Diane, 1/3/2013 -
" While some of the stories - "Survival Zones," for instance - make it to my list of favorite short stories, many others were repetitive or just plain boring. "
— Sharon, 10/6/2012 -
" I enjoyed this immensely. Kingsolver is just as good with short stories as she is with novels and I envy her that. I also appreciate the strong, flawed and utimately successful women who populate her fiction. "
— Larrirosser, 7/4/2012 -
" Read all four books in the series. It's about modern day Indians on a reservation. "
— M.R., 5/14/2012 -
" Lots of these short stories are set in the Midwest and I first read this while I was in Haiti, and it made me very homesick - in a good way. "
— Molly, 5/10/2012 -
" For me, this was only OK. The writing was great, as Kingsolver's always is, but I'm really not a short story person, so not my cup of tea. "
— Sally, 1/10/2012 -
" not that good, don't bother "
— Shannan, 11/1/2011 -
" A collection of fantastically written short stories. "
— C., 8/28/2011 -
" Not my favorite kingsolver. She voices we're at times inauthentic and I felt confused about whether the characters were all connected. My favorite story was Rose-Johnny. "
— Melissa, 8/12/2011 -
" I loved these short stories by Barbara Kingsolver! "
— Barbara, 6/20/2011 -
" Barbara Kingsolver creates such good, credible characters! I'm not always able to read several short stories back to back, but these are all good page-turners. "
— Almeda, 5/1/2011 -
" definitely my least favorite Kingsolver fiction so far. "
— Laura, 3/7/2011 -
" I liked reading this, but it's not one of my favorites of her books because it's a little uneven. There are a few stories that are completely compelling - the story about the couple deciding whether they want to have children just haunts me - but there are one or two that barely held my attention. "
— Marisa, 2/8/2011 -
" Love this author, but this was not my favorite book by her. "
— Jenn, 1/22/2011 -
" Not nearly as impressive as Kingsolver's other pieces! "
— Amelia, 1/7/2011 -
" I love short stories, and this is a collection of gems. Barbara Kingsolver creates characters so captivating and beautiful. "
— Fayth, 11/19/2010 -
" For me, this was only OK. The writing was great, as Kingsolver's always is, but I'm really not a short story person, so not my cup of tea. "
— Sally, 10/13/2010 -
" I read this about 4 years ago. I usually don't like short stories, but anything Kingsolver writes is fantastic no matter the length. "
— Shannah, 8/5/2010 -
" Read the first story and loved it, looking forward to the rest... "
— Kim, 7/18/2010 -
" Short stories. I generally love Barbara Kingsolver’s writing, but didn’t find these stories too great. Luckily each one was short. "
— Peggy, 7/11/2010
About Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver is the author of more than ten New York Times bestsellers, including works of fiction, poetry, essays, and creative nonfiction. Her work has earned literary awards, including the National Humanities Medal, our country’s highest honor for service through the arts, as well as the prestigious Dayton Literary Peace Prize for her body of work. She is the founder of the PEN/Bellwether Prize.