40.13: Flight Behavior, by Barbara Kingsolver (2012 hardcover)

I've always enjoyed Kingsolver's books, most notably Prodigal Summer (2000) and The Poisonwood Bible (2005), and I've read them all. In the range of her work, I'd say Flight Behavior falls right below the two mentioned above--a bit higher than her earlier work, but not quite as strong as those favorites. Essentially, the book is a slow build and it took me some time to become engaged with the protagonist--a poor, young mother in rural Appalachia who lives in a house with her husband and two children on his parents' sheep ranch. As I read on, however, I became more engaged, seeing how her life--and the life of the surrounding community--is affected by the arrival of a global-warming influenced phenomenon. It's a story both modern, for the environmental aspect, and as old as time--a coming-of-age story set in today's rural America.