"There is no one quite like Barbara Kingsolver in contemporary literature," raves the Washington Post Book World, and it is right. She has been nominated three times for the ABBY award, and her critically acclaimed writings consistently enjoy spectacular commercial success as they entertain and touch her legions of loyal fans.
In High Tide in Tucson, she returnsto her familiar themes of family, community, the common good and the natural world. The title essay considers Buster, a hermit crab that accidentally stows away on Kingsolver's return trip from the Bahamas to her desert home, and turns out to have manic-depressive tendencies. Buster is running around for all he's worth -- one can only presume it's high tide in Tucson. Kingsolver brings a moral vision and refreshing sense of humor to subjects ranging from modern motherhood to the history of private property to the suspended citizenship of human beings in the Animal Kingdom.
Beautifully packaged, with original illustrations by well-known illustrator Paul Mirocha, these wise lessons on the urgent business of being alive make it a perfect gift for Kingsolver's many fans.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Wonderful literate enlightening essays:
I've heard Barbara Kingsolver speak and think she's fantastic. These essays are just as good, so clear, touching, and thoughtful. Highly recommended.
"Inspiring and Encouraging, especially for artists of the written word":
Barbara Kingsolver is an American treasure. This collection of essays is both inspiring and encouraging, especially for artists of the written word. It is a glimpse into the soul of this profound writer.
High tide everywhere:
The title story in this collection is that of a stowaway hermit crab that Kingsolver inadvertently carried from the Bahamas to her home in Tucson in a collection of shells she had collected for her young daughter. As she explains, "If you ask me, when something extraordinary shows up in your life in the middle of the night, you give it a name and make it the best home you can." "Buster's" behavior occasions wide ranging observations (the author's education was as a naturalist), including the desert tides,... more info
All time favourite:
This is my favourite book of all time. I repeatedly go back to chapters to re-read and I have recommended this book to many people over the years.
Barbara Kingsolver's writing and way of looking at the world is thought-provoking and fresh.
My only complaint, as with all of Kingsolver's books, is that one eventually comes to the end!
