I think I’ve found the book that’s spoiled my love affair with Kingslover.
I was introduced (via recommendations here!) through Demon Copperhead, which I thought was just incredible – absolute poetry with words, top class world building and immersion, cracking story. Just completely brilliant. Then I read The Poisonwood Bible and The Bean Trees and was just thrilled to have landed on an author I loved so much who has so much content out for me to catch up on!
I took a break reading some other authors then figured I’d see what Kingslover to pick up next, and was really happy to see that Bean Trees had a sequel – it was such a great book and I was happy to get to spend more time with the characters.
But – I’m just not getting it. That incredible turn of phrase and wit just isn’t landing the same. It feels contrived and stilted. It’s dragging for me. With her other books I couldn’t wait to settle down at night and see where they’re going, but Pigs in Heaven I’m just ‘eh’ – often choosing a night deathscrolling Reddit instead! What happened? If it were an earlier book it would make sense to me that she just hadn’t found her flow, but it’s a sequel to a stonking piece of work! I’m really quite disillusioned.
So I guess my questions are whether anybody else felt the same? I don’t feel like I’ve overdosed on her books, I think her great writing was so varied and strong I couldn’t get too much of it. I don’t think I’m wrong that this one just reads different?
And also, now I don’t feel as assured as I did that I’d found an endless source of brilliant books – which other Kingslover books would you count as top knotch, and which (if any) fall short? Please help me avoid landing on another damp squib!
by GrimFandangle