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Title: Nature romance lacks originality
Review: My first Kingsolver novel ... expected much more than formulaic prose where we 1) meet experts of a certain field who 2) confront enemies 3) who conquer and divide quite easily, etc. The book was predictable, and the characters were cliche-ish. The women had the expected traits of feminine heroism, yet with sensitivity towards all life forms. I barely made it through this book. I love nature writing, yet this was overstated, hardly philosophical, except in a very cliche-ish overstated way. The minor characters, the townspeople, were very one-dimensional, portrayed very narrowly, not a complex group at all. The major characters were differentiated from them in a superficial way. If you want to read a much better book which explores themes within nature read "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" by Annie Dillard.
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