I have just finished this book and although I went on holiday for a week in between reading, I managed to get into it again. I think Kingsolver has written the book excellently and I picked out many symbols and underlying messages throughout. I was touched by many of the characters in the book and felt unhappy by the unraveling of the Price family because of the poverty seen in the book I have now been forced to think about less fortunate countries than our own and am truly thankful to Kingsolver for her ambitious novel.