Barbara Kingsolver (2000)
Genre
Literary Fiction
Reading Time
9-10 hours
Key Themes
See below
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In the wild heart of southern Appalachia, a biologist, a farmer's wife, and two feuding neighbors find their lives connected during one summer.
Deanna Wolfe, a wildlife biologist, lives alone in a cabin on Zebulon Mountain in Appalachia. She spends her summer watching a den of coyotes, new to the area. She studies their behavior and diet, seeing their importance in the ecosystem. Her quiet time ends when Eddie Bondo, a young hunter, appears on her land. Eddie, at first seen as an intruder, says he is hunting turkey. He is interested in Deanna's work and independent life. Their first meetings show suspicion and different views on nature and human involvement. Deanna protects her privacy and scientific distance.
Lusa Maluf Landowski, an entomologist from the city, becomes a widow after her husband, Cole Landowski, dies in a logging accident. She is left to manage his tobacco farm, a world she barely knows, with her two young children, Codi and Lark. Cole's family, especially his sisters, push her to sell the farm and move back to the city, thinking she cannot run it. Lusa, however, feels a strong connection to the land and Cole's past. She learns about farming, dealing with tobacco growing, money problems, and local expectations. She wants to keep the farm for her children and honor Cole's memory.
Near Lusa's farm, two older neighbors, Garnett Walker and Nannie Rawley (called Hatchet), have a long, often difficult, friendship. Their main problem this summer is Garnett's old apple trees, which are sick with disease and insects. Garnett, a religious man and traditional farmer, uses pesticides. He blames the 'fallen' world. Hatchet, an environmentalist and 'pagan,' supports organic methods and ecological balance. She sees the trees as part of a bigger system. Their talks, often heated, cover faith, science, nature, and community.
Despite her first resistance, Deanna is drawn to Eddie Bondo's constant presence and real interest. He helps her with tasks around her cabin and shows a surprising understanding of nature, though from a hunter's view. Deanna shares her scientific knowledge of coyotes and the ecosystem. Their talks and time in the wild lead to a close physical and emotional relationship. Deanna, who has kept her personal life separate from her science, finds her strict limits challenged by Eddie's energy and directness. This makes her face her own desires and weaknesses.
Lusa struggles to understand tobacco farming and the local market. She talks to farm agents, reads books, and asks neighbors, including Hatchet and Garnett, for advice. Her in-laws, especially Cole's sisters, keep pushing her to sell, making her doubt herself. Lusa finds Cole secretly planted chestnut trees, a sign of his hope for the future and a possible new crop. This discovery makes her more determined to keep the farm and try sustainable options, despite the many problems and her ongoing sadness for Cole.
As summer goes on, Hatchet and Garnett's arguments continue, but their hidden affection and shared past become clearer. They remember their youth, changes in the valley, and their lives. Hatchet keeps pushing for natural pest control and tells Garnett to think about his orchard's long-term health. Garnett, though unwilling, starts to see some sense in Hatchet's ideas as his trees get worse. Their interactions show the conflict between old farming ways and new environmental awareness, and the strong ties of community.
Deanna learns that Eddie Bondo is not just a casual hunter. He is a professional coyote hunter, hired by local farmers to kill the very animals she studies. This news breaks her trust and makes her rethink their whole relationship. The conflict between their basic views on nature — saving it versus controlling it — cannot be solved. Despite the pain, Deanna confronts Eddie, and he leaves. This experience leaves Deanna heartbroken but also more dedicated to her work and her understanding of nature's complex, often harsh, balance.
Inspired by Cole's hidden chestnut trees and new knowledge, Lusa decides to change the farm from tobacco. She imagines a future with sustainable farming, perhaps growing chestnuts or other native crops. This decision puts her against Cole's family, who see it as a foolish risk. But it strengthens her commitment to the land and her children's future. She starts the hard work of removing tobacco plants and preparing the soil for new projects, showing she is embracing a new life and identity as a farmer.
After much discussion, Garnett, influenced by Hatchet's constant arguments and his own observations of his dying trees, agrees to try Hatchet's organic methods. He lets her bring in good insects and ecological management for his orchard. This is a big change for Garnett, showing he is open to a more complete view of nature. Their making up strengthens their bond and ensures the orchard's future health, a shared legacy. This shows that cooperation and change are possible even in old age.
As summer ends, Deanna, though alone again, finds new purpose in her coyote research. She understands that even loss is part of nature's cycle. Lusa, having dealt with grief and uncertainty, feels connected to her farm. She takes on her role as a protector of the land and a provider for her children. Hatchet and Garnett, having overcome their different ideas, continue their shared work on the orchard. This shows that human relationships, like ecosystems, need balance and respect. The three stories come together in their themes, showing how human lives and the natural world in the Appalachian mountains depend on each other.
The Protagonist
Deanna learns to open herself to vulnerability and connection, ultimately recommitting to her scientific passion with a deeper understanding of human complexities within nature.
The Protagonist
Lusa transforms from a grieving, uncertain widow into a determined and knowledgeable steward of the land, finding her identity as a farmer.
The Supporting
Hatchet steadfastly maintains her ecological principles, eventually inspiring Garnett to adopt more sustainable practices, fostering a deeper, shared legacy.
The Supporting
Garnett gradually opens his mind to alternative, ecological farming methods, demonstrating an evolving understanding of faith and nature.
The Supporting
Eddie serves as a catalyst for Deanna's emotional awakening and subsequent recommitment to her scientific principles, ultimately leaving her life.
The Mentioned
His death catalyzes Lusa's transformation, and his hidden dreams guide her toward a sustainable future for the farm.
The Supporting
Codi grows up on the farm, gradually absorbing the knowledge and love for nature that her mother develops.
The Supporting
Lark is too young for a defined arc, but his presence symbolizes the future generations Lusa is working to protect.
The Supporting
They remain largely static in their opposition, serving as an obstacle for Lusa's character development.
Kingsolver shows how all life, human and non-human, is connected. Deanna's coyote studies show the predators' important role in the ecosystem. Lusa's journey shows her reliance on the soil, weather, and insects. Hatchet and Garnett's talks about organic farming versus pesticides show how human choices affect the environment. The book argues that understanding and respecting these connections are key for survival and well-being. It says that people are not separate from nature but a part of its balance.
“What happens to the land, happens to us. We are one. We are the land.”
The idea of being a good land steward is central, especially through Lusa's efforts to manage her farm and Hatchet's support for organic methods. Lusa's choice to switch from tobacco to chestnuts shows a move toward sustainable practices that respect the land instead of using it up. Deanna's scientific work also supports protecting natural places. The book compares old, often harmful, farming ways with a more thoughtful, long-term approach to living with the environment. It supports a future where people care for nature instead of conquering it.
“The land is not yours, it's borrowed. You're just passing through.”
The book looks at the conflict between different ways of seeing the world. Deanna represents science and protecting nature. Garnett represents traditional Christian faith and standard farming, often seeing natural problems as God's judgment. Hatchet offers a different, nature-based spirituality and organic knowledge. These views clash in talks about pesticides, coyotes, and human duty. The book suggests that even if these views seem opposite, they can be combined and people can learn from each other, as seen when Garnett becomes open to Hatchet's methods.
“God gave us dominion over the beasts of the field. He didn't say make friends with them.”
Despite the isolation some characters feel, the book explores different kinds of love and connection. Deanna's unexpected romance with Eddie Bondo, Lusa's lasting love for Cole and her children, and the deep, often difficult, friendship between Hatchet and Garnett all show people's need for company. These relationships, whether short or long, help the characters deal with their problems and understand themselves better. Love for the land itself also strongly connects the characters to their environment and to each other.
“Loneliness was a kind of hunger, and it had been a long time since she'd eaten.”
Each character faces big challenges that require them to change. Lusa must adjust to being a widow and to farm life, learning new skills and taking on a new identity. Deanna must adjust to her broken solitude and the emotional impact of her relationship with Eddie. Hatchet and Garnett, despite their age, must change their old views to find common ground for the orchard's future. The coyotes themselves show change, having moved into new territory. The book celebrates how both people and nature can survive, change, and find new ways to thrive when things are difficult.
“Sometimes you have to let go of what you think you are, to become what you will be.”
Three distinct storylines that parallel and converge thematically.
The novel employs three seemingly separate narratives – Deanna's, Lusa's, and Hatchet/Garnett's – which are initially distinct but are geographically proximate and thematically linked. This structure allows Kingsolver to explore different facets of human interaction with nature across varying life stages and perspectives. While the characters rarely physically interact, their stories echo and reinforce the novel's central themes, creating a rich, multi-layered tapestry of life in Appalachia. This device emphasizes the interconnectedness of individuals within a shared ecosystem, even when they are unaware of each other.
Representing adaptation, wildness, and ecological balance.
The coyotes that Deanna studies are a powerful symbol throughout the novel. As new arrivals to the Appalachian ecosystem, they represent adaptation, resilience, and the ever-changing nature of the wild. They challenge established notions of predator control and force humans to reconsider their place in the food chain. For Deanna, they embody her scientific pursuit and the wild spirit she both admires and struggles to understand. Their presence also highlights the conflict between conservation and human intervention, as they are both studied by Deanna and hunted by Eddie.
Representing hope, legacy, and ecological restoration.
Cole Landowski's secret planting of American chestnut trees on his farm is a potent symbol of hope, foresight, and ecological restoration. The American chestnut was decimated by blight in the early 20th century, making Cole's efforts to reintroduce them a long-term, visionary act. For Lusa, discovering these trees provides a tangible connection to her late husband's dreams and inspires her to transition the farm towards sustainable agriculture. They symbolize a commitment to a healthier future for the land and the possibility of recovering what was lost through mindful stewardship.
The Appalachian environment is an active force and integral to character development.
The natural environment of the Appalachian mountains is far more than just a backdrop; it functions as a central character in the novel. The flora, fauna, weather patterns, and ecological processes actively shape the characters' lives, decisions, and worldviews. Deanna's work is entirely dictated by it, Lusa's struggle is with it, and Hatchet and Garnett's debates are about it. Kingsolver uses vivid, detailed descriptions of the natural world to immerse the reader and reinforce the theme of interconnectedness, demonstrating how human identity and fate are inextricably linked to the land.
“Solitude is a human presumption. Every quiet step is thunder to beetle life underfoot, a tug of impalpable thread on the web pulling mate to mate and predator to prey, a beginning or an end.”
— Deanna Wolfe's reflections on the interconnectedness of nature in the Appalachian forest.
“What on earth would she do with a man? She had a life. She had a job. She had a dog.”
— Deanna Wolfe contemplating her independence and lifestyle in the wilderness.
“The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope.”
— Lusa Maluf Landowski reflecting on her aspirations after her husband's death.
“Everything you're sure is right can be wrong in another place.”
— Garnett Walker considering different perspectives, especially regarding farming and ecology.
“There is no point in saving a world that has no soul.”
— Deanna Wolfe arguing about conservation and the intrinsic value of nature.
“Love is not a transaction. It's a leap of faith.”
— Lusa Maluf Landowski thinking about relationships and her marriage.
“The forest was a place of such intricate beauty it seemed impossible that it could be so without design.”
— Descriptive passage highlighting the awe-inspiring complexity of the Appalachian ecosystem.
“You can't save everything, but you can save something.”
— Garnett Walker discussing practical environmentalism and personal responsibility.
“A weed is just a plant growing where you don't want it to.”
— Garnett Walker reflecting on human perceptions of nature and agriculture.
“The body remembers what the mind forgets.”
— Lusa Maluf Landowski on grief, memory, and physical sensation.
“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect.”
— Deanna Wolfe observing the balance and imperfections in the natural world.
“We are all just passing through, borrowing the land from our children.”
— Garnett Walker on stewardship and intergenerational responsibility.
“Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same.”
— Lusa Maluf Landowski making difficult decisions about her farm and future.
“The coyote's howl is not a lament; it is a declaration of territory.”
— Deanna Wolfe explaining animal behavior and the misunderstood nature of predators.
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Barbara Kingsolver is a Pulitzer Prize winning American novelist, essayist and poet. She was raised in rural Kentucky and lived briefly in the Congo in her early childhood. Kingsolver earned degrees in biology at DePauw University and the University of Arizona and worked as a freelance writer before she began writing novels. Her widely known works include The Poisonwood Bible, the tale of a missionary family in the Congo, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, a non-fiction account of her family's attempts to eat locally.
