Early Works
* The Bean Trees (1988): This is a beloved novel about a young woman who finds an abandoned baby girl on a bus and decides to raise her. It's known for its humor, warmth, and exploration of community.
* Animal Dreams (1990): This novel delves into the life of a woman in the American Southwest, who grapples with family secrets and the changing landscape.
* Holding the Line (1989): This is a novel about a group of environmental activists who fight to protect the Appalachian forests from coal mining.
Later Works
* The Poisonwood Bible (1998): A powerful and complex story about a Baptist missionary family living in the Congo during the 1960s, this novel explores themes of faith, culture clash, and the consequences of colonialism.
* Housekeeping (1980): This lyrical novel tells the story of two sisters who are raised by their eccentric aunt in a remote Idaho town.
* Prodigal Summer (2000): This novel focuses on the lives of three people—a farmer, a wildlife biologist, and a young woman—who are interconnected by the land and its secrets.
* The Lacuna (2013): This historical novel follows a man's life as he navigates the political turmoil of Mexico and the United States during the 20th century.
* Unsheltered (2018): This dual-narrative novel tells the stories of two families in different time periods, both grappling with social change and challenging norms.
Other Works:
* High Tide in Tucson (1995): A collection of interconnected short stories.
* The Moccasin Flower (1985): A novel about a young woman's journey of self-discovery.
* Another Country (2021): A novel about two families whose lives are intertwined.
This list is not exhaustive, but it represents some of Barbara Kingsolver's most popular and critically acclaimed works. Her novels often explore themes of family, community, nature, and the challenges of social change.