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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
3.5*
I'm of two minds about this book.
The first half, which I'll loosely describe as "Mexico with Frida, Diego, and Lev" was great, albeit a kind of obvious milieu in which to set a novel. The Poisonwood Bible is one of the best books I ever read (so good that I only read it once, fearing repeated reading would diminish my high regard) and I have been reading Kingsolver's work ever since, always disappointed that it didn't measure up. The first half of The Lacuna--which I don't know how I failed to read until now--nearly does meet that standard. I was prepared to be awed.
The second half of the book, however, which I summarize as "Asheville and the Red Scare" dragged. I don't think it is only because the material was rather grim, nor because I'm currently a bit tired of the subject, having just consumed a fair amount of material about the Rosenbergs. The inclusion of so many newspaper articles--both actual and fictional--became quite tiresome by the second half, as did the slow downward spiral of the protagonist's life. I understand that drawing the story out in this section was done to help the reader feel the excruciating powerlessness and fatalism of the situation. Increased empathy or no, it is prolonged unpleasantness, heightened by the fact that the reader knows how history plays out. The (literarily better) ending did not make up for the slog through the Red Scare.
I'm of two minds about this book.
The first half, which I'll loosely describe as "Mexico with Frida, Diego, and Lev" was great, albeit a kind of obvious milieu in which to set a novel. The Poisonwood Bible is one of the best books I ever read (so good that I only read it once, fearing repeated reading would diminish my high regard) and I have been reading Kingsolver's work ever since, always disappointed that it didn't measure up. The first half of The Lacuna--which I don't know how I failed to read until now--nearly does meet that standard. I was prepared to be awed.
The second half of the book, however, which I summarize as "Asheville and the Red Scare" dragged. I don't think it is only because the material was rather grim, nor because I'm currently a bit tired of the subject, having just consumed a fair amount of material about the Rosenbergs. The inclusion of so many newspaper articles--both actual and fictional--became quite tiresome by the second half, as did the slow downward spiral of the protagonist's life. I understand that drawing the story out in this section was done to help the reader feel the excruciating powerlessness and fatalism of the situation. Increased empathy or no, it is prolonged unpleasantness, heightened by the fact that the reader knows how history plays out. The (literarily better) ending did not make up for the slog through the Red Scare.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm sure that reading this book right now in history (March 2025) for the first time is important in a different sort of way that reading it upon publication would have been. Seeing the political themes that impact the characters' lives being repeated in real life modern day, such as hate, paranoia and suspicion, intolerance really made an impact.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Racism, Colonisation
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Serious, but I liked it a lot. The main character's friendship with Frida Kahlo was worth the whole read!
I did not finish the book. I went out of town and when I came back I did not care enough about the characters to finish it.
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Premise was intreguing... Mexico: tick! Kahlo: tick! Trotsky: tick! Pretty much everything else: zzzzzzzzzzzz. Too long, and while it feels intentional that the main character is a grey man, that doesn't really make for a page turner.
While I have read and enjoyed a lot of Barbara Kingsolver books, I had a difficult time getting into this book and following the characters and story thread. Perhaps this a better book to read rather than audio. In the end, even after getting half way through, I just don’t think I can finish it.