This is a man who brooks no discussion in any argument and must be followed in all things. When his daughters have committed a sin, as punishment he makes them write out 100 verses from the bible - the last verse always telling the sin for which they committed. He is brooding and emotionally crippling to his wife and children.
Interestingly enough, this story is told from the perspective of his wife and children: Orleana his wife, and Leah, Adah, Ruth May and Rachel the four daughters.
Leah and Adah are twins, though they are nothing alike. Adah was born crippled on her left side and it is she that finds the Congo most freeing. In American society her crippled body was scorned and pitied, in the world of the Congo, people with ailments come and go all of the time and she is one of many. I found her character most interesting to read as she was constantly coming up with silly palindromes.
Rachel has white-blonde hair and is the stereotypical blonde. She only cares about herself and preserving her beauty.
Ruth May the youngest daughter had a break through with the natives first and taught the other young children to play Mother-May-I in the yard in front of the house.
Living in the Congo in the late 1950s was simply put - much like going native. It was hardest on the women of the family as they were only getting a $50 a month stipend and much of the time it was subsistence-level living.
Having grown up in a religious family myself, I found this book very interesting to read. While I never had to write out 100 verses of the Bible, I had to live by the rule of a very strict God growing up. I felt for these girls and how they wanted to get out from underneath their overbearing minister and father.
This is a truly epic novel spanning years after the family moved back from the Congo and was a great read. I recommend it for anyone looking for an engrossing book.
Rating: 9 / 10
ISBN: 0060175400
Publisher: HarperFlamingo
Edition: 1st Edition