Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

[mirime]

. But... I have to confess, I do get a bit annoyed with this book.

Even though I love to read and appreciate descriptive prose, sometimes the tone is a little too... something. I can't put my finger on it exactly. It's like the author is too tickled by her own cleverness and little bits of smugness or righteousness are masquerading as self-depreciating humor. If that makes sense.

I REALLY want to love this book, not just like it. But every so often, that... something... just rankles, and I get annoyed because I start trying to figure out what's distracting me and can't get back into the book. When I do make it back in, I can find inspiration to keep taking my baby steps to get to where she is, and there are sections I just want to take to friends and family and say, "Read this part right here. That's exactly what we've been saying, but she says it way better." But then... something... creeps up on me again, and I find myself limping through it a few pages at a time before setting it aside. ..... Nobody else that I've talked to has had this reaction to the book. ...

I feel MUCH like you do!

I was also kinda annoyed that though she talked about petroleum consumption as one of the basis for her doing local, she never once mentioned the irony of the fact that she flew to Italy!

But mostly I DID enjoy it - I am a Kingsolver fan literature-wise ('The Prodigal Summer' is my fav of hers).

 

[mirime]

I would also HIGHLY recommend the two most recent books by Michael Pollan:

The Omnivore's Dilemma

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

I have never been too gung-ho about watching my diet (I've never gone out of my way to pay more for organic and I eat meat but stick to whole grains more than half the time and try to avoid fast food more than once or twice a month) but I'm going to make some big changes after reading these two books. What an eye-opener!

I'm 1/2 way through "The Omnivore's Dilemma" - great read! And even though I label-read for HFCS often, I do it ALL the time now!

 

[Ron]

I really liked THE OMNI. DIL. but was very disappointed in IN DEFENSE OF FOOD. I thought the second book was just something he dashed off to complete a contracted book. But that's just my opinion, of course. I just didn't get into it.

 

[patandchickens]

I quite liked In Defense of Food, but then that is the only one of Pollan's books I have read, so I would not know if it is somewhat duplicative.

I just finished Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I must say that I am not generally much of a Barbara Kingsolver fan - I have read several of her novels and they are just simply not my kind of thing, sorry. Even in A,V,M I found her writing style frequently irritating, but that's just a matter of taste really.

On the whole, I went into the book expecting to be rather annoyed by it, but in fact kind of enjoyed it. I think I would have enjoyed it more if there were less navelgazing and self-congratulation and Oh Aren't We Part Of A Small Special Club -ness to it, but you know what, most of it seemed basically sensible. And much more readable-in-one-sitting than her novels. In particular, I really liked that they were not all stupidly hardcore about the local products thing, and little bits of commercially produced foods filter in here and there. That, to me, is a sign of good common sense

From someone who basically dislikes her other books, I suppose the above is probably a ringing endorsement <g>

Pat

 

[poppycat]

I like the book. I even got it for my mom for mother's day.
This book is right up my alley, philosophy-wise. I quit eating fast food when I started high school in the 80's, and I've been into petrochemical-free gardening and farmer's marketing since college in the 90's. I'll probably read it again in a couple of years (which isn't something I usually do). But... I have to confess, I do get a bit annoyed with this book.

Even though I love to read and appreciate descriptive prose, sometimes the tone is a little too... something. I can't put my finger on it exactly. It's like the author is too tickled by her own cleverness and little bits of smugness or righteousness are masquerading as self-depreciating humor. If that makes sense.

I REALLY want to love this book, not just like it. But every so often, that... something... just rankles, and I get annoyed because I start trying to figure out what's distracting me and can't get back into the book. When I do make it back in, I can find inspiration to keep taking my baby steps to get to where she is, and there are sections I just want to take to friends and family and say, "Read this part right here. That's exactly what we've been saying, but she says it way better." But then... something... creeps up on me again, and I find myself limping through it a few pages at a time before setting it aside. It should have taken me a couple of evenings to read this, but I've had it for two WEEKS and still have 25 pages to go.

Nobody else that I've talked to has had this reaction to the book. I'm hoping that if I do re-read it in a couple of years, whatever is going on with me will be gone, and I'll enjoy the book so much that I'll jsut fly through it.

OHHHH I've bee waiting for someone else to say this!!!!

I think the thing that gets to me is that, how do I say it, it's a little preachy especially if you may not have Ms. Kingsolver's resources.

If I only had the dough to buy enough land to raise all my own food, and then get paid to write about it, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately I have to work my heiny off to pay for my little weedy patch of earth. Plus I don't like feeling like I'm committing a crime every time I eat.

I've certainly become more conscientious in my eating after reading ALL of the aforementioned books, but I ain't perfect and Animal Vegetable Miracle sure pointed that out!

 

[poppycat]

I quite liked In Defense of Food, but then that is the only one of Pollan's books I have read, so I would not know if it is somewhat duplicative.

I just finished Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I must say that I am not generally much of a Barbara Kingsolver fan - I have read several of her novels and they are just simply not my kind of thing, sorry. Even in A,V,M I found her writing style frequently irritating, but that's just a matter of taste really.

On the whole, I went into the book expecting to be rather annoyed by it, but in fact kind of enjoyed it. I think I would have enjoyed it more if there were less navelgazing and self-congratulation and Oh Aren't We Part Of A Small Special Club -ness to it, but you know what, most of it seemed basically sensible. And much more readable-in-one-sitting than her novels. In particular, I really liked that they were not all stupidly hardcore about the local products thing, and little bits of commercially produced foods filter in here and there. That, to me, is a sign of good common sense

From someone who basically dislikes her other books, I suppose the above is probably a ringing endorsement <g>

Pat

Pat- if you liked In Defense of Food, you should definitely try some of Michael Pollan's other books. I thought IDOF was his worst. My absolute fave is The Botany of Desire. Although some would consider The Omnivore's Dilemma to be his magnum opus.

 

[me&thegals]

I loved AVM, but I know what you all mean. I think Kingsolver is a little bit smug, has a little bit of an attitude of "Aren't I wonderful and aren't you such a unthinking consumer?"

Actually right this moment listening to In Defense of Food. If this is his worst book, I can't wait to read the other ones!

 

[Reinbeau]

I absolutely loved The Omnivore's Dilemma, I've got In Defense of Food up there to read soon, as well as Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I can't imagine being disappointed with either of them.

Barbara has an article in Mother Earth News this past issue, and I know what many mean about the 'smugness' that comes through in her writing. I don't take offense to it, I figure she isn't talking to me in that tone, but to the many out there who are consumers and totally unaware of what their actions are doing to both their own lives and the planet they live on. I have to say I loved Prodigal Summer, that is one of my all time favorite books - I haven't read anything else by her.

That smugness is what turns off many to the message they're trying to deliver (BK isn't the only 'preacher' out there) - it's something I really found Michael Pollan did a good job of avoiding in Omnivore. If more people presented the facts without the judgement I think the message would get out to a wider audience.

 

[me&thegals]

Great points, Reinbeau! I think you nailed both authors perfectly. I personally get way too emotionally involved in my arguments and tend to probably turn people off, something that kingsolver does just a tiny bit. Pollan does a great job in keeping it humble, having a "we all could use a little help" sort of attitude.

 

[patandchickens]

Honestly, to me, the 'smugness' doesn't come across as pertaining to the concept of what she's doing. It seems more like the problem is simply that she's basically a novelist and has that rather annoying (to me) modern precious style of prose in which the author clearly feels tickled pink about the wonderfulness of his/her writing and is certain that the reader will feel the same way too.

I get the exact same feeling from her novels, which is why they tend to give me hives.

The bit towards the end of the book in which she suddenly has a crisis of confidence and has to tell you flat out that certain elements of the book can be viewed in allegorical terms - she says something to the effect of 'the turkeys are not just turkeys, they are also blah blah blah blah' *particularly* turned me off. Self-congratulatory smugness is bad enough, I don't need self-congratulatory smugness explicated to me in words of two syllables or less

But, you know, if you mentally subtract out the annoying prose aspects of the book, I still liked it.

JMHO,

Pat