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A review by philtatosaxiom
Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera
4.0
After being introduced to Frida Kahlo when I was 13 during my Spanish lessons, I kept being mesmerized by this strong and feminist figure. I had promised myself to read more about her, to discover her life in depth and get to know her more.
I saw this book in Waterstones when I was on a trip and was intrigued. I made the mistake of reading some reviews first which turned my reading into something sceptical and full of assumptions. To be honest, I think it is a good book but it could have been shorter. Some chapters, especially the ones with the retaranscription of her letters, were too repetitive and tended to make me eager to stop reading. I think that one or two letters would have been more than enough to translate the message.
Overall, I got the impression that I was part of Frida's life, at least that I was in a corner of a room, attending every single moment of her interesting and unfortunate life. I also got the feeling that the author wasn't portraying this image that we all have of the painter, a strong and determined woman. I thought that instead, I was introduced to a delicate and almost passive Frida that made me question my reading a lot. I have already planned to read more biographies about her, hoping to add more material to my knowledge.
I saw this book in Waterstones when I was on a trip and was intrigued. I made the mistake of reading some reviews first which turned my reading into something sceptical and full of assumptions. To be honest, I think it is a good book but it could have been shorter. Some chapters, especially the ones with the retaranscription of her letters, were too repetitive and tended to make me eager to stop reading. I think that one or two letters would have been more than enough to translate the message.
Overall, I got the impression that I was part of Frida's life, at least that I was in a corner of a room, attending every single moment of her interesting and unfortunate life. I also got the feeling that the author wasn't portraying this image that we all have of the painter, a strong and determined woman. I thought that instead, I was introduced to a delicate and almost passive Frida that made me question my reading a lot. I have already planned to read more biographies about her, hoping to add more material to my knowledge.