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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
what a great combo - historical fiction in the era and setting of frida and diego and trotsky. This is a movie in the old grand sense waiting to happen.
This book was very dense and slow. It took me forever to read.
That said, it became really worth it about 300 pages in, and ended really beautifully.
Great historical novel that gave me great insights into the history of America's relationship to communism throughout the 20th century.
On top of all that, the main character was unbelievably endearing.
That said, it became really worth it about 300 pages in, and ended really beautifully.
Great historical novel that gave me great insights into the history of America's relationship to communism throughout the 20th century.
On top of all that, the main character was unbelievably endearing.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A story that reveals itself as slowly as its protagonist and rewards sustained, careful attention with a sweeping, compelling historical epic that effortlessly blends fiction and history. It's a rich reflection on both individual and national identity, the power of the media to twist reality and shape narratives, and the enduring affection of friendship. The sections set during the Red Scare feel more relevant than ever and are deeply infuriating and riveting. I found myself pausing, marking passages with book darts, and unpacking it passage by passage. By the end, I was just floored by the scope and depth of what Kingsolver had accomplished.
Oh, I am sad. Sad this book is over. Sad for Harrison Shepard. And sad for us in the present, who inherited it from the past.
This book took a while. I paused it several times while others came off library hold. It did not suffer from my long absences, and returning to it felt like a warm embrace each time. This is my second Kingsolver, and based on this and Demon Copperhead, I’ll read anything she writes.
This book took a while. I paused it several times while others came off library hold. It did not suffer from my long absences, and returning to it felt like a warm embrace each time. This is my second Kingsolver, and based on this and Demon Copperhead, I’ll read anything she writes.
Starting to think that Demon Copperhead was a bit of a fluke….Barbara K. can write really nice prose but damn did this & P. Bible need a huge edit. There’s a great story in it somewhere but the story as-is was not deserving of the ‘time-hopping epic’ treatment. The use of a million different stylistic devices was also crapsville.
There was some redemption in the fact that I’m interested in Communism & The Red Scare. But not enough!!
There was some redemption in the fact that I’m interested in Communism & The Red Scare. But not enough!!
The book wasn’t what I expected, but I did enjoy it. The novel spans several decades and intertwines itself with major, real-life people (Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in particular) and historical events in the U.S. and Mexico that cast an interesting spell over the novel. I’d actually only read up on Frida Kahlo a few weeks before (I’d seen her picture everywhere but had little idea of why she was famous) and so it was interesting that immediately afterward I picked up this book and was introduced to her in a mostly fictional way.
The prose is beautiful and Kingsolver paints an enchanting portrait of Mexico that comes alive on the page. From a craft perspective, I felt that the narrative itself was… disjointed? Hard to connect to? It’s a story about a man who speaks about himself rarely, and the idea is that he reveals himself through the things he witnesses and sees in other people. He’s a quiet character. And yet… I felt I knew too little of him, this man who connects every event in the text. I felt more intellectually compelled than emotionally. But this is a minor point in a very engaging, worthwhile, complicated but rewarding read.
The prose is beautiful and Kingsolver paints an enchanting portrait of Mexico that comes alive on the page. From a craft perspective, I felt that the narrative itself was… disjointed? Hard to connect to? It’s a story about a man who speaks about himself rarely, and the idea is that he reveals himself through the things he witnesses and sees in other people. He’s a quiet character. And yet… I felt I knew too little of him, this man who connects every event in the text. I felt more intellectually compelled than emotionally. But this is a minor point in a very engaging, worthwhile, complicated but rewarding read.
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An extraordinary novel from a masterful writer. So many lessons about nationhood and belonging, youth, dogma, and America.