Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Animal Dreams | 1990 | Barbara Kingsolver | Buy |
| 2 | The Poisonwood Bible | 1998 | Barbara Kingsolver | Buy |
| 3 | Prodigal Summer | 2000 | Barbara Kingsolver | Buy |
| 4 | The Lacuna | 2009 | Barbara Kingsolver | Buy |
| 5 | Flight Behavior | 2012 | Barbara Kingsolver | Buy |
| 6 | Unsheltered | 2018 | Barbara Kingsolver | Buy |
| 7 | Demon Copperhead | 2022 | Barbara Kingsolver | Buy |
Barbara Kingsolver’s standalone novels have made her one of the most respected American writers. Animal Dreams (1990) explores environmental themes in the American Southwest. The Poisonwood Bible (1998) follows a missionary family’s disastrous move to the Congo. Flight Behavior (2012) deals with climate change through the story of a rural Tennessee woman. Demon Copperhead (2022), which won the Pulitzer Prize, transposes Dickens to the opioid crisis in Appalachian Virginia.
Prodigal Summer (2000) weaves three storylines together in a southern Appalachian setting, connecting themes of ecology, farming, and human relationships. The Lacuna (2009) moves between Mexico and the United States during the 1930s and 1940s, mixing real historical figures like Frida Kahlo and Leon Trotsky with a fictional narrator. Unsheltered (2018) tells parallel stories set in the same New Jersey house across different centuries.
Kingsolver’s novels span more than thirty years, and each takes on a different place and time period. What connects them is a steady interest in how people relate to their communities and the natural world around them. The Poisonwood Bible and Demon Copperhead are probably her most widely read books, but every novel in the list repays attention.