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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
A surprising, compelling and moving book - very well researched.
I loved this! I have such admiration for Kingsolver. Not only is she a lyricist, a wordsmith and a poet, but as a historical novelist her research is superb and she gives voice to the voiceless. I carried this chunker everywhere with me, I couldn't put it down.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm sorry, Heather. I tried and I tried, but I just couldn't get into this book and I finally gave up so I could read other books sitting on my night stand. It's not that it's a bad book. Kingsolver is a wonderful writer. She's just not for me. I don't enjoy her books. She writes like she is taking a long, meandering walk and describing everything she sees, but not necessarily in the order that she sees it. I keep thinking, "I can see the house. Go there now!" but then she finds another path that takes us even further away from the destination. So... I gave up.
I’ve finally given up on Barbara Kingsolver. I loved The Poisonwood Bible. It’s one of my favourite books of all time. After I read it I looked for previously published work and found The Bean Trees, Animal Dreams and Pigs in Heaven. I enjoyed them all but to a much lesser degree, but, I reasoned, they were earlier works, by Poisonwood she had truly honed her craft. So, it was with great anticipation and high expectations that I read Prodigal Summer. I was very disappointed. The writing was great, but it felt like a novel interspersed with lectures. Politically/philosophically she was preaching to the choir; unfortunately I’m a choir who doesn’t enjoy being preached to when I’m expecting to be entertained.
My expectations were much lower when I picked up The Lacuna but I still couldn’t bring myself to finish it. I didn’t feel so much lectured to with this one as I felt I was being educated (which isn’t to say that no axes are ground). The subjects themselves are interesting (Mexican history, Trotsky in exile, the lives of Diego Rivera and his wife Frida Kahlo) and Kingsolver herself is obviously very interested in those topics, too interested perhaps. In theory I love the idea of combining real people and events into fiction but the narrative needs to rich enough and prominent enough to carry the non-fiction elements. In the case of The Lacuna they just bogged it down.
My expectations were much lower when I picked up The Lacuna but I still couldn’t bring myself to finish it. I didn’t feel so much lectured to with this one as I felt I was being educated (which isn’t to say that no axes are ground). The subjects themselves are interesting (Mexican history, Trotsky in exile, the lives of Diego Rivera and his wife Frida Kahlo) and Kingsolver herself is obviously very interested in those topics, too interested perhaps. In theory I love the idea of combining real people and events into fiction but the narrative needs to rich enough and prominent enough to carry the non-fiction elements. In the case of The Lacuna they just bogged it down.
The 2nd half was 4 stars, and the first half was 3.5. It provides a really good glimpse into the anticommunist psychosis of our federal government in the late 40s and 50s - something that I didn't learn about in school at all, and more's the pity since it repeats itself in different guises over and over.
This was also compelling as far as the Mexico sections went, especially once he leaves his mom's grip and befriends the Kahlo/Diego households. There's just a lot of really interesting aspects to the story overall, but it was a bit too dense in my opinion.
This was also compelling as far as the Mexico sections went, especially once he leaves his mom's grip and befriends the Kahlo/Diego households. There's just a lot of really interesting aspects to the story overall, but it was a bit too dense in my opinion.
VERY SLOW TO START... at least for me. Didn't grab my interest right away, but I kept going since this was a bookclub read. I enjoyed the main characters interaction with Rivera, Kahlo and Trotsky. Rivera and Kahlo were represented here very similarly to biographies I have previously read, though my knowledge of Trotsky was very limited prior to this novel. There were so many themes running throughout the book; the main character's homosexuality, which, while obvious, was explored in a very subtle way. Sort of what I imagine it would have been like to be gay during this time period in Mexico/US. The main character also suffers from what seems to be anxiety and agoraphobia, long before these were known conditions. I appreciated all of the descriptions of Mexico, it's cuisine and it's historical sites, though these things hold special value to me, having travelled here in the past. The relationship between Violet Brown and Shephard touched me most of all, which I found surprising because her monologue in the middle of the book annoyed the crap out of me! Without giving away any details, I found the ending poignant and yet uplifting. Shephard's viewpoint of Asheville, NC during the second World War was also a real pleaser for me. Kingsolver subtly and succinctly creates characters in a way that I appreciate.
Well. I'm not happy about it, but looks like I'm rounding this rating down. It's the truth. I didn't like reading this much at all.
It was a little like the tough parts of reading Romola: author, I see you did your homework, but why must you make me feel as if I am also doing homework? The descriptions were endless, but with no actual people in them. I skimmed through so much, waiting to learn a single thing about the character. The narrative form is mostly to blame here: I'm not a huge fan of pretending I am reading someone's journal (or other method of suspending disbelief that a character wrote every word), and here it constricts what we can learn about Harrison Shepherd. Is he happy? Is he sad? He almost never (maybe never) makes "I" statements, so you don't know what he thinks, at all. Just what he sees. Which is every gosh darn fruit fly. And Kingsolver, I guess, put more care into assembling these exterior pieces than in making us think about any of it.
And ok. The thing is, this is on purpose. This is the titular concept, the missing piece. But I don't see why. At some points we're at such arm's length from Shepherd as to be reading about almost nothing. The "archivist" comments on this once: these diaries are like an album with photos of everyone but the photographer. And there you have it. Makes a pretty unexciting book. So... good job? You executed this lifeless plan very well?
But, well. There's likable things. Early in when Diego and Frida show up, THANK GOD, because it would take a lot of work to make them boring. And the portion of the book with them in Mexico is the nicest part. Frida gets to say all the hilarious vulgar things she can think of. Harrison's adoration of Van the secretary is somewhat touching. It all builds to a satisfying conclusion. But once Trotsky is killed (historical record can't be a spoiler, right?), the story is spent and there's still hundreds of pages left.
And then nothing happens. Really nothing. For the rest of the book, Shepherd becomes an author. That's what goes on. In Asheville, NC, though I couldn't say why. It is kinda thoughtful that his books are passionate novels about Mexican history, and he nearly articulates how that connects to his place in the world. He doesn't, though. Then there is some injustice in the press during the red scare, and an unjust HUAC hearing (in case there was any other kind), and then that's it. The ending is kinda sorta good, but I was so unattached to him it didn't really matter how he ended up, and I wasn't interested in pursuing open ends.
Some of the author's choices don't make structural sense either. How come he goes back to visit Frida, but we skip that part? Mostly, the thing that sticks out is the best-written part of the novel: when Harrison, as a teenager, is suddenly living in D.C. for a chapter. It is great actually! Hooray! A great new character is there, and a really interesting event occurs. And then... as soon as that's over he's back in Mexico. So... was she just showing off that she could write a cool action sequence, based on historical research, even though most of her book is taking place elsewhere? It looked awfully convenient. Which is an annoying characteristic for a book. And it's later clear that the most significant event of Harrison's personal life takes place OFF the page during this time. ALSO PRETTY ANNOYING. It makes me unsure why we should read what is there.
And I super hate the cover. Looks even worse with the jacket off.
Sigh. This was not my favorite month.
It was a little like the tough parts of reading Romola: author, I see you did your homework, but why must you make me feel as if I am also doing homework? The descriptions were endless, but with no actual people in them. I skimmed through so much, waiting to learn a single thing about the character. The narrative form is mostly to blame here: I'm not a huge fan of pretending I am reading someone's journal (or other method of suspending disbelief that a character wrote every word), and here it constricts what we can learn about Harrison Shepherd. Is he happy? Is he sad? He almost never (maybe never) makes "I" statements, so you don't know what he thinks, at all. Just what he sees. Which is every gosh darn fruit fly. And Kingsolver, I guess, put more care into assembling these exterior pieces than in making us think about any of it.
And ok. The thing is, this is on purpose. This is the titular concept, the missing piece. But I don't see why. At some points we're at such arm's length from Shepherd as to be reading about almost nothing. The "archivist" comments on this once: these diaries are like an album with photos of everyone but the photographer. And there you have it. Makes a pretty unexciting book. So... good job? You executed this lifeless plan very well?
But, well. There's likable things. Early in when Diego and Frida show up, THANK GOD, because it would take a lot of work to make them boring. And the portion of the book with them in Mexico is the nicest part. Frida gets to say all the hilarious vulgar things she can think of. Harrison's adoration of Van the secretary is somewhat touching. It all builds to a satisfying conclusion. But once Trotsky is killed (historical record can't be a spoiler, right?), the story is spent and there's still hundreds of pages left.
And then nothing happens. Really nothing. For the rest of the book, Shepherd becomes an author. That's what goes on. In Asheville, NC, though I couldn't say why. It is kinda thoughtful that his books are passionate novels about Mexican history, and he nearly articulates how that connects to his place in the world. He doesn't, though. Then there is some injustice in the press during the red scare, and an unjust HUAC hearing (in case there was any other kind), and then that's it. The ending is kinda sorta good, but I was so unattached to him it didn't really matter how he ended up, and I wasn't interested in pursuing open ends.
Some of the author's choices don't make structural sense either. How come he goes back to visit Frida, but we skip that part? Mostly, the thing that sticks out is the best-written part of the novel: when Harrison, as a teenager, is suddenly living in D.C. for a chapter. It is great actually! Hooray! A great new character is there, and a really interesting event occurs. And then... as soon as that's over he's back in Mexico. So... was she just showing off that she could write a cool action sequence, based on historical research, even though most of her book is taking place elsewhere? It looked awfully convenient. Which is an annoying characteristic for a book. And it's later clear that the most significant event of Harrison's personal life takes place OFF the page during this time. ALSO PRETTY ANNOYING. It makes me unsure why we should read what is there.
And I super hate the cover. Looks even worse with the jacket off.
Sigh. This was not my favorite month.
Four stars for the story about a man born in the US, but raised in Mexico, who returns to live in Asheville, North Carolina at the beginning of the McCarthy era. This book spans fifty years and the narration is split between the main character, Harrison Shepherd, and his Asheville secretary.
Two stars for audio-book read by the author that made this an almost unbearable read. Kingsolver tries and fails to cover a Mexican accent, a Russian accent, and even her Southern accent is suspect, which makes no sense for a woman who was raised in rural Kentucky and currently lives in rural Virginia.
Over-all a three star endeavor.
Two stars for audio-book read by the author that made this an almost unbearable read. Kingsolver tries and fails to cover a Mexican accent, a Russian accent, and even her Southern accent is suspect, which makes no sense for a woman who was raised in rural Kentucky and currently lives in rural Virginia.
Over-all a three star endeavor.
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No