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Unsheltered

2018 | Fiction & Poetry

(via goodreads.com) The New York Times bestselling author of Flight Behavior, The Lacuna, and The Poisonwood Bible and recipient of numerous literary awards—including the National Humanities Medal, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the Orange Prize—returns with a timely novel that interweaves past and present to explore the human capacity for resiliency and compassion in times of great upheaval.

Willa Knox has always prided herself on being the embodiment of responsibility for her family. Which is why it’s so unnerving that she’s arrived at middle age with nothing to show for her hard work and dedication but a stack of unpaid bills and an inherited brick home in Vineland, New Jersey, that is literally falling apart. The magazine where she worked has folded, and the college where her husband had tenure has closed. The dilapidated house is also home to her ailing and cantankerous Greek father-in-law and her two grown children: her stubborn, free-spirited daughter, Tig, and her dutiful debt-ridden, ivy educated son, Zeke, who has arrived with his unplanned baby in the wake of a life-shattering development.

In an act of desperation, Willa begins to investigate the history of her home, hoping that the local historical preservation society might take an interest and provide funding for its direly needed repairs. Through her research into Vineland’s past and its creation as a Utopian community, she discovers a kindred spirit from the 1880s, Thatcher Greenwood.

A science teacher with a lifelong passion for honest investigation, Thatcher finds himself under siege in his community for telling the truth: his employer forbids him to speak of the exciting new theory recently published by Charles Darwin. Thatcher’s friendships with a brilliant woman scientist and a renegade newspaper editor draw him into a vendetta with the town’s most powerful men. At home, his new wife and status-conscious mother-in-law bristle at the risk of scandal, and dismiss his financial worries and the news that their elegant house is structurally unsound.

Brilliantly executed and compulsively listenable, Unsheltered is the story of two families, in two centuries, who live at the corner of Sixth and Plum, as they navigate the challenges of surviving a world in the throes of major cultural shifts. In this mesmerizing story told in alternating chapters, Willa and Thatcher come to realize that though the future is uncertain, even unnerving, shelter can be found in the bonds of kindred—whether family or friends—and in the strength of the human spirit.



Published by Harper

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Added this item on Jun 22, 2018

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Unsheltered Reviews & Ratings (2)
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ClareR (5841 KP) rated

Nov 21, 2018  
Unsheltered
Unsheltered
Barbara Kingsolver | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
10
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I think that this is another ‘marmite book’ - you either love it or hate it. There is no in between. Well, I loved it. I like a meandering tale. Some people look at a really thick book and think “Oh no!” - I think “Let me at it!”. What’s more, I like a book that takes its time and is thoughtful. There’s a lot to think about here.
This book is set in two different eras: modern day Vineland, just before and after Trumps election, and 1870s Vineland, just after Darwin’s groundbreaking novel “Origin of the Species” was published.
Both families live in the same house, and both families are experiencing a house that is crumbling around them. The house seems to represent the political and environmental issues in the modern era, in my opinion, and in the past, a community that is failing.
I really enjoyed all of the family dynamics: an elderly Greek father-in-law who rails against the immigrants and blacks (not for one moment seeing the irony); a daughter who is an eco-warrior/ realist, a son whose wife dies, whilst he is left with their newborn; a wife and mother who becomes the primary caregiver to a tiny baby and her infirm father-in-law; and a father who struggled to retain a post as a university lecturer.
In the past, a modern thinking science teacher battles against a headteacher/ principle (principal?) who will not hear of evolution (angel bridges are mentioned - who knew they were a thing?!), and meets Mary Treat, a biologist who really existed and became well known. She exchanges letters and shares information with Darwin and other famous scientists of the time.
This story had so many layers - I loved it. I could feel the frustration of the characters in their respective times, as they had obstacles which seemed insurmountable to them. However, they weren’t, there were ways around their problems. The ‘getting there’ though, was quite a story!
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Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated

Jun 22, 2018  
Unsheltered
Unsheltered
Barbara Kingsolver | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
4
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Exquisite Research and Writing (0 more)
Boring. Slow. Unnecessary Dialogue and Unlikeable Characters (0 more)
Not a favorite
I am typically a big fan of Barbara Kingsolver's books. Her writing is exquisite and reads like a dream. She is usually one of the few writers of historical novels I read as it's not really my most favorite genre, but unfortunately this one was a total snooze-fest. I almost quit several times, I was just SO bored! Honestly, nothing really happens in this book, there are a few deaths, a shooting, and drama of beliefs with the push and pull of science vs. God, but it was just so uneventful and without buildup - I found myself really struggling to get through it.

The book is set in two different eras, in the same town, on the same street, in Vineland, NJ. Willa Knox, present day, is fictional. AS is her family. Mary Treat in 1871, is apparently a real person, a lover of science, plants and creatures. The connection between the two stories is a bit weak I felt. Not sure if it was intentional, but it just didn't really capture my attention in the way I believe it was supposed to. In 1871, Thatcher Greenwood (fictional as well I believe?) meets Mary, and they get along because their beliefs mesh well - they believe in science, and follow Darwin's teachings, and Thatcher finds himself in a bit of jam as the town is "ruled" by Landis, a strict believer that God has created everything, and science is witchcraft.

Willa, is struggling when we meet her - in fact, her entire family - every single one of them seems to have some serious issues! I found it depressing and really didn't find myself liking any of the family very much. We see some similar struggles to Thatcher (their houses are both falling down around them) but not much else mirrors the past.
I do know based on initial talk of this novel, and the title of course, that the joining of the past vs present is in the "Unsheltered" aspect of both of these stories, the way Landis mirrors Trump, the ways a world can come unraveled by rules and rulers, as well as the courage to stand for what you believe in. But it just wasn't there for me - it was so subtle, uninspiring, slow and boring.

I did LOVE the plants and stuff - it's the main reason I wanted to read this book, but sadly they just weren't too heavily featured. The little tidbits of random facts about Pitcher Plants and Venus Fly Traps, and some other plants and bugs was pretty fun and fascinating and I wish there was more of it.

In the end - this just fell really flat for me. I know some of the people and events are real, but some are not (which was hard for me to follow) and Barbara's research and writing is top-notch. I just really wanted an engaging story, with a bit more interest, and a lot less heavy eyelid.