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Animal Dreams | 
 enlarge | Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Rating:  155 reviews
Sales Rank: 15368
Media: Paperback
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0060921145
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780060921149
ASIN: 0060921145
Publication Date: August 1, 1991
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Some wear on book from reading, spine creases, wear on binding and pages.
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Product Description
"Animals dream about the things they do in the day time just like people do. If you want sweet dreams, you've got to live a sweet life." So says Loyd Peregrina, a handsome Apache trainman and latter-day philosopher. But when Codi Noline returns to her hometown, Loyd's advice is painfully out of her reach. Dreamless and at the end of her rope, Codi comes back to Grace, Arizona to confront her past and face her ailing, distant father. What the finds is a town threatened by a silent environmental catastrophe, some startling clues to her own identity, and a man whose view of the world could change the course of her life. Blending flashbacks, dreams, and Native American legends, Animal Dreams is a suspenseful love story and a moving exploration of life's largest commitments. With this work, the acclaimed author of The Bean Trees and Homeland and Other Stories sustains her familiar voice while giving readers her most remarkable book yet.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 150 more reviews...
 Still one of my favorite books.... October 9, 1999
83 out of 88 found this review helpful
I stumbled upon this book in 1991 when the cover art caught my eye. I had finished it by the afternoon, and by the evening, I was back at it with a pencil. The magical way that Kingsolver weaves language had me marking passages in the text and furiously copying quotes into the margins of my dayplanner. I was a college sophomore at the time, and Codi's sometimes brilliant, often hapless search to find her place in the world was familiar and affirming. I quickly bought Animal Dreams for six or seven women friends and family and each of them, whether they read it that day, or years later, raced to their phones or desks when they finished to thank me for selecting a novel that spoke so personally to them. Twenty-something women seem to especially identify with Codi's journey. While her story, and those of Loyd, Hallie, Doc Homer and the others will stay with you, the novel's impact really comes from it's powerful prose. You'll reread the same passages over and over, savoring the remarkable way Kingsolver constructs the simplest sentance. This book still feels like my personal anthem to that time in my life; thanks to Barbara Kingsolver for giving me such enjoyment and insight. If you like this book, be sure to get a copy of High Tide in Tucson, her essay collection. Don't let the "essay" part deter you. I have copied and circulated the title piece to women friends and family ages 16 to 89 and always it always elicits the same marvelled response. It's breathtaking.
Made me cry it was so beautiful December 21, 1999
kerridv (Redmond, Wa)
51 out of 52 found this review helpful
Animal Dreams is a rich tapestry woven of many threads: mystery, love, politics, environment, benelovance, history, culture, and the finding of oneself. When Codi Noline returns to her hometown of Grace, Arizona, she must confront all these things while taking care of an ailing father, worrying about her sister in the fields of Nicaragua, and dealing with the deterioration of the town's river. She is conflicted with who she is and where she is going; she repeatedly reminds her new lover she is not going to stay yet has no idea why. While Codi searches for something to look for, she unearths a town with many secrets and many stories. Like Codi, the reader learns about the powers of culture and history; of politics and environmentalism; and of family and love. Kingsolver's ability to catch colors, emotions, and life makes for a very engaging, beautifully-written book.
another great Kingsolver novel December 27, 2005
B. Emory (Wilmington NC)
28 out of 30 found this review helpful
This is Kingsolver's second novel and its as good as Bean Trees. Also set in the southwest (this time Grace, Arizona), Animal Dreams revolves around Codi Noline who returns to her hometown to care for her father, who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. She is content with being alone because throughout her life she has consistently felt let down- first by the lack of attention by her father, by her failure to become a doctor, and lastly her pathetic personal life. Returning home though brings back her past which she has blocked many memories of, and the resurgence of an ex lover who wants to make amends by loving her right. While at home, Codi faces a lot of unanswered questions including the death of her mother, the disappearance of her sister, and the reasons behind her father's disguising (or simply ignoring the truths). Her father, a once non-emotional, inflexible family doctor must also try and remain the composure he has always held, yet his thoughts and mind race and spill out opening secrets that Codi has always wanted to find out.
What makes this book exceptional is that Kingsolver writes honestly, and doesnt have flowery descriptions or paints her characters as immoral or saintly. They are vulnerable, likeable, and faulty. She builds her characters to become stronger, and considers miscommunication a cancer which if not taken care of will spread and cause trouble for years. Kingsolver also has a way of writing about the southwest that makes it come alive. Codi's heritage is American Indian as well as her lover's, and we learn more about their teachings, practices, traditions, and spiritual beliefs. Kingsolver paints a good description of the importance the American Indian way of life.
If this book appeals to you, then Bean Trees may also be a good choice for your second novel. Kingsolver will not disappoint you, she is an excellent and realistic writer.
A good read, if you don't mind the politics March 31, 2000
Shawn Moses (Baltimore, MD)
27 out of 39 found this review helpful
There are times when it seems that Kingsolver's tales are simply the bait that she uses to trap readers into listening to her stump speeches on minorities, the environment, family values or the plight of the third world. Still, since she is a very picturesque writer, I am willing to forgive her. Animal Dreams follows a year in the life of Codi Noline, a disenchanted young woman trying to find her place in life, and finding it in the last place she expects. Certainly, it is not the most original theme, but Kingsolver executes it well, with a vivid blend of dreams and emotional storytelling. My favorite character in the book was Homer, Codi's withdrawn, emotionally repressed father whose mind deteriorates from Altzheimer's Disease through the course of the novel. I would venture to guess that women would be more likely to enjoy this book, but I, for one, thought it was pretty good.
classic Kingsolver January 6, 2000
Maya Amichai (Los Angeles)
21 out of 24 found this review helpful
As a devout Kingsolver fan, I have only good things to say about this book. Some people complain that it starts off slow, has no plot, is a "chick book", and is just a waste of their precious time, but I will now undo all those remarks. We jump right into the story and are wonderfully introduced to the characters as if they are real acquaintances and future friends. It is the perfect combination of introduction and fast-paced story telling. The plot is a well thought out and magically woven, but is besides the point. Even if it did have a horrendous plot, it is written so beutifully, and has such intriguing characters that it would be irrelevant. But it just so happens that the plot is captivating and quick-paced. Hehehe...a "chick book" well, it is clearly written from a womens perspective, and i have found that "chicks" tend to like it more than guys, but if guys were more patient and compassionate, they would love it as much as women. If guys don't like this book, it is by no fault of the book. Lastly, I can't think of anything better to do with your time than read this book.
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