If you enjoy reading books by Barbara Kingsolver then you might also like the following authors:
If you enjoy Barbara Kingsolver, Ann Patchett is another author worth your time. Her novel “State of Wonder” follows Marina Singh, a scientist who travels into the Amazon. Marina searches for a missing colleague and checks on a secretive research project.
The story explores decisions around science and nature through interesting characters and realistic dialogue. Patchett writes thoughtfully, often focusing on human relationships and difficult choices.
Toni Morrison is an author who writes novels about family, history and identity. Her stories often take place in communities where past and present connect closely.
One of her best-known novels, “Beloved,” is about Sethe, a woman who flees slavery and tries to build a new life in freedom. Sethe lives with memories from the plantation called Sweet Home, which she struggles to leave behind.
One day a mysterious young woman appears at Sethe’s home, causing the characters to face secrets from the past. Morrison’s storytelling moves back and forth in time, revealing slowly what happened years ago at Sweet Home.
This story shares some similarities with Barbara Kingsolver’s novels, especially in the way Morrison carefully develops strong, memorable characters.
Alice Walker writes stories with strong characters who face difficult times yet keep hope alive. Her novel “The Color Purple” looks at the life of Celie, a young woman in rural Georgia who survives many hardships.
Walker shows Celie’s honesty, courage and spirit clearly in letters Celie herself tells the story through.
As with Barbara Kingsolver, Walker takes complex characters and puts them in challenging situations, allowing readers to follow closely the struggles and small victories of their lives.
Jhumpa Lahiri writes thoughtful stories about everyday people who move between cultures. Readers who enjoy Barbara Kingsolver might like Lahiri’s “The Namesake.” It follows the life of Gogol Ganguli, a young man from an immigrant family in America.
Gogol struggles with his unusual name and tries to figure out where he belongs. Lahiri carefully captures family relationships and the experience of living in two worlds. Her clear and sensitive storytelling gives life to ordinary characters in memorable ways.
Willa Cather was an American author known for writing novels about people and places in the American West. One of her best-loved books is “O Pioneers!,” a novel about Alexandra Bergson, a determined young woman who takes charge of the family farm after her father’s death.
The book follows Alexandra as she struggles to turn prairie land into a successful farm while facing complex relationships with family and neighbors. The story explores how hard work and connection to the land shape characters like Alexandra.
Readers who appreciate the thoughtful portrayals of family dynamics and strong heroines found in Barbara Kingsolver’s novels may also enjoy Cather’s realistic depiction of frontier life in “O Pioneers!.”
If you enjoy Barbara Kingsolver’s storytelling style, Isabel Allende might appeal to you too. Allende writes powerful fiction that often blends history with detailed character stories. Her book “The House of the Spirits” follows a family across several generations in Chile.
The novel mixes extraordinary events with realistic family drama. In this story, Clara, one of the main characters, can see the future and move items with her mind.
Although the book centers around personal stories, it also reflects the social and political turbulence in Chile during the twentieth century.
Sue Monk Kidd writes stories that explore family relationships and people’s connection to nature. In her novel “The Secret Life of Bees,” Lily Owens, a fourteen-year-old girl, runs away from home with her caretaker Rosaleen.
They find shelter in the home of three sisters who keep bees. The sisters teach Lily about bees, honey, and the ways people care for one another, changing the way Lily thinks about family.
Readers who enjoy Barbara Kingsolver’s books may appreciate Sue Monk Kidd because she describes places and characters in an honest way, showing ordinary lives clearly and quietly.
Barbara Pym was an English novelist known for her sharp observations of everyday life. Her novel “Excellent Women” tells the story of Mildred Lathbury, a single woman in 1950s England who finds herself involved in her neighbors’ personal affairs.
Mildred’s quiet, ordinary life takes some unexpected turns when new neighbors move in, and she meets people who challenge her comfortable routines. Readers who enjoy Barbara Kingsolver’s close look at relationships and human nature may appreciate Pym’s clear and humorous style.
Louise Erdrich is a talented author who explores the lives and heritage of Native American families. Her novel “The Round House” tells the story of Joe, a 13-year-old boy whose mother survives a terrible assault on their reservation.
With justice slow to arrive, Joe sets out to uncover the identity of the attacker himself. The novel portrays life in a small community, the bonds of family and friendship, and the difficult journey toward justice.
If you’re a reader who enjoys Barbara Kingsolver’s focus on family and community ties, Erdrich’s sensitive storytelling in “The Round House” may also appeal to you.
Margaret Atwood is a Canadian author known for stories that blend vivid characters with sharp explorations of society. If you like the style of Barbara Kingsolver, you might also enjoy Atwood’s novel “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
This book is set in the near future in a place called Gilead. In that world, women are stripped of their rights and valued especially for their fertility. The main character, Offred, must navigate this harsh new reality to survive.
The story shows a chilling view of what society could become, told through the eyes of a woman struggling for freedom and hope.
Zadie Smith is a British author known for capturing complex characters and everyday families in simple, genuine stories. Her novel “White Teeth” follows the lives of two families over several decades in London.
The story begins with friendship formed during wartime and continues across generations, cultures and experiences. There are funny, bittersweet and even awkward situations in the book.
Smith writes characters clearly and warmly, and readers drawn to Barbara Kingsolver’s honest portrayal of people and relationships will likely connect easily with this story too.
E. Annie Proulx is an author known for stories set in vivid rural landscapes, with characters who feel authentic and real.
Her novel “The Shipping News” centers around a man named Quoyle, who moves with his two daughters back to the harsh coast of Newfoundland after personal setbacks. Quoyle takes a job at a small local newspaper and rebuilds his life among the unusual and lively residents there.
The book reveals the humor and hardship found in small-town lives, similar in feel and depth to the community portrayals common in Barbara Kingsolver’s novels.
Jane Smiley is an author who tells thoughtful, realistic stories filled with characters readers can deeply care about. Her novel “A Thousand Acres” introduces us to the Cook family, owners of a large farm in Iowa, whose quiet lives hide layers of family secrets and tensions.
When the father divides his farmland among his daughters, old resentments and painful memories come to the surface. For readers who enjoy Barbara Kingsolver’s stories about family relationships and complicated emotions, Smiley’s novel offers similar depth and sensitivity.
Amy Tan is an author who writes stories about family relationships and cultural identity. Her books often deal with the experiences of Chinese-American families. In “The Joy Luck Club,” Tan tells the story of four Chinese mothers who immigrate to the United States.
They meet regularly for mahjong and share food, memories and stories of their lives back home. Their daughters, born in America, struggle to understand their mothers’ traditions and expectations.
Tan weaves together the mothers’ past experiences in China with their daughters’ present-day lives in California. The novel thoughtfully shows how cultural differences and family history affect personal identity.
Readers who enjoy Barbara Kingsolver’s honest storytelling style about family and society may appreciate Amy Tan’s thoughtful portrayal of mothers and daughters in “The Joy Luck Club.”
Annie Dillard is an American author who writes thoughtful stories about nature and life experiences. Readers who enjoy Barbara Kingsolver might also appreciate Dillard’s book “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.”
This book describes one year the author spent exploring nature near her home by a creek. Each chapter focuses on her observations of seasons, animals, insects and everyday events, mixing careful detail with thoughtful reflection.
For example, Dillard writes about watching a praying mantis lay eggs or following the quiet flow of water in a clear stream. Her clear descriptions can help readers feel connected with nature through simple everyday moments.