Currently I am reading this book in my English class. Everyone pretty much hated this book saying it was too hard but seriously, I really liked it. So just because someone you know says this book stinks like french cheese, you should try it anyways because different people love it and others hate it. In my opinion this book is more for girls than guys.

I had high hopes for this book after enjoying "The Poisonwood Bible" and "The Bean Trees", but unfortunately this book seemed to encapsulate the weaknesses of both those books and none of their strengths.

I found the majority of the characters annoying and unlikable, particularly the main character, just as I did in "The Bean Trees". The ending was too pat and simplistic, as in "The Bean Trees", and it needed some severe editing, as did "The Poisonwood Bible".

I can't emphasize enough how much I disliked the main character of this book. That, combined with the unrealistic plot, made this book a struggle for me to get through. I was counting the pages, as I did in the last third or so of the vastly superior "The Poisonwood Bible."

Maybe Kingsolver's writing skills (and decisions about major characters' personalities) will improve with more time. I know she has the potential, so I remain hopeful.

This is a beautifully written story about a young, single (and emotionally isolated, by choice) woman, Codi Noline. The story takes place in the magical Southwest, in a Spanish speaking community in southern New Mexico. Kingsolver's writing about the land in the Southwest reminded me of the draw - the pull - that this part of the country has on many people. Throughout the story, Codi learns to trust her memories, her heritage, her emotions, but most importantly, the relatiionships in her life. Her sister Hallie, although not physically with her in the story, is a significant part of Codi's maturing process.
Topics that the story deals with: pregnancy, miscarriage, Native American heritage, Nicaragua and US politics, sisters, how plants & humans interact, how animals & humans interact, mines, aquatic life, sex.
A beautifully woven story - you'll love it!

Kingsolver has really outdone herself this time! She has indeed created for her readers a book bursting with flashbacks, dreams, and half-remembered images that lay before you the course of the story. It is even enhanced along the way by letter-format correspondances from the main character's sister, Hallie. The main character in Animal Dreams is a young woman named Codi on a quest for her true home. Among literary fanatics, this is what is known as a "coming of age" story. She IS on a quest, although she doesn't realize it; although she actually stays put in one little town after all her years of tromping all over the country (or rather, all over the world). And throughout her quest, Codi (who narrates her own tale) pulls us along on her pyschological travels, along the rough road she follows, with all its dips and turns and steep inclines.

You know you've got the work of a superior writer in your hands when you're reading and you are suddenly depressed in the midst of a depressing scene, or elated at the onset of a joyous occasion. Yes, Barbara Kingsolver is certainly a literary mastermind. Her descriptions sometimes boarder on being "Steinbeck-ish", but when you're talking about fiery Southwestern sunsets and gorgeous desert mountains, then elaboration like that gets a thumbs up from enthralled readers (readers like me, anyway).

I would recommend Animal Dreams to no one under say, 13. Only because someone younger than that might not understand it (it does have a rather complicated plot), and there are a few, let's say, VERY romantic scenes. Another really great thing about Animal Dreams is that it highlights several really important morals of society: Big corporation's pollution of small-town rivers, refugee rights (i.e. Nicaraguan rebels vs. U.S. contras), Teen Pregnancy, and even high school apathy. So if you ask if there's anything more to learn from Animal Dreams than new vocabulary, yes! Kingsolver throws a bunch of social justice and relationship based struggles at you. Justice fought for in one's own mind, justice fought politically: group against group, and justice fought for the environment. Barbara Kingsolver is the kind of author that does not hesitate to promote justice of all kinds!

Animal Dreams is an engaging novel. Not quite the type that'll have you on the edge of your seat, but I'll attest to the fact that it certainly does keep you reading on: eyes consuming page by page, while your mind looks to coming chapters and wonders: what could happen next?

This is a book to savor. Animal Dreams was the second Kingsolver book I read -- the first being the Bean Trees -- and it was so good that I forced myself to only read one chapter per day so I could enjoy it for a greater length of time. Kingsolver is so adept at getting inside the heads of her characters that you feel you know them like family. I miss Codi and Loyd very much.