The Poisonwood Bible
American novelist, born 1955. Won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2010 and 2023 and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2023.
The Poisonwood Bible is a 1998 novel by Barbara Kingsolver. It was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 1999.
In family saga
On 5 of the 19 lists it was eligible for.
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At a glance
- Author
- Barbara Kingsolver
- First published
- 1998
- Length
- 640 pages (UK paperback)
- Awards
- Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist, 1999
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction shortlist, 1999
- Genre
- Literary fiction, Family saga, Empire and colonialism, Religion and faith
Is The Poisonwood Bible worth reading?
5 of the 19 best-of lists it could have made include it, among them Readers' top 100 novels (The Guardian) and 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (Amazon.co.uk).
| List | Place | Original |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (Amazon.co.uk, 2014) | Listed | See the list |
| Oprah's Book Club picks (Oprah's Book Club, 1996-) | Listed | See the list |
| Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (winners and finalists) (Columbia University, 1999) | Shortlist | See the list |
| Readers' top 100 novels (The Guardian, 2026) | No. 31 | See the list |
| Women's Prize for Fiction (winners and shortlists) (Women's Prize Trust, 1999) | Shortlist | See the list |
Best edition of The Poisonwood Bible
The edition we link to is the Faber & Faber paperback (2017), 640 pages.
- Publisher
- Faber & Faber (paperback, 2017)
- Pages
- 640
- ISBN
- 9780571339792
How critics, prizes and readers rate The Poisonwood Bible
Readers rate it most highly: it earned 49% of the points available on readers' and booksellers' lists, against 33% on prize lists and 0% on critics' lists.
Share of the available points it earned on each kind of list it was eligible for. How the scores work
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