About this title: In her first novel in nine years, "New York Times"-bestselling author Kingsolver tells the story of Harrison William Shepherd, an unforgettable protagonist whose search for identity takes readers to the heart of the 20th century's most tumultuous events.
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Binding: Hardback
Publisher: FABER AND FABER Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780571252633ISBN:057125263X
Description: BRAND NEW HARDBACK. 512 pages. Presents the story of a man's search for safety in the grinding jaws of two nations, at a moment when the entire world seemed bent on reinventing itself at any cost. this book provides a story of identity, connection with our past, and the power of words to create or devastate. (Hardback) read more
Binding: Audio CD
Publisher: HarperAudio
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780060853563ISBN:0060853565
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: H Hardcover
Publisher: Harper
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780060852573ISBN:0060852577
Description: Fine. 1st ed/1st pr, SIGNED on title page by the author, flat-signed, no inscription. Book is FINE in like DJ, which is protected by a mylar Brodart cover--you'll hop, skip, and click your heels together with happiness when this book arrives at your door! ! ! read more
Description: Fine in Fine jacket. Signed by Author First Edition (first printing). The most recent novel by the author of THE BEAN TREES, the story of a man born in the U.S. but raised in Mexico by a socially striving mother during the 1930's--who becomes an unofficial member of the household of Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo and the exiled Leon Trotsky. Fine/Fine. Signed by Kingsolver on the title page. read more
Description: In her first novel in nine years, "New York Times"-bestselling author Kingsolver tells the story of Harrison William Shepherd, an unforgettable protagonist whose search for identity takes readers to the heart of the 20th century's most tumultuous events. read more
"While I must agree with some critics that this book slows in the center, I would in good conscience urge any Barbara Kingsolver fan to embrace it, and with the caveat that "it IS long" recommend it to any reader who does not know Kingsolver's work. Her language, style, vivid yet credible imaginings of historic charcaters, are totally absorbing. THIS is how I will recall Frida and Diego, and as far as I'm concerned her fictional author, Harrison, is an immortal literary character. I am grateful for new fiction from one of my favorite authors, and for her focusing on an era in history that includes the Mexican experience, the Labor uprisings, McCarthyism, traveling from DC to Mexico to the hills of North Carolina...whew! Readers will delight in her language, and learn some things, too."
"This book started out very strong - the story of a young man who is half Mexican, half American, working as domestic help in the home of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera during the years that Trotsky came to live with them. A fascinating look at Mexican history with a personal touch. Unfortunately, the young man and the story move on to the U.S. during the McCarthy era and the story lost steam. The main character isn't interesting enough on his own without the Khalo and Rivera characters. I felt like it was two separate books with the second one taking on the agenda of the evils of McCarthyism. Infinitely less interesting than the fun and politics of Frida and Diego, let me tell you."
"I have loved Kingsolver since I ventured into "The Bean Trees," that moving, skinny little book. Over time, I put "The Poisonwood Bible" on my top books to cherish, both as a reader and a writer. Do you want to learn how to bring characters into distinct voice? Read "The Poisonwood Bible." And now we have another wonderful book, "The Lacuna."
It is a history, a romance, a commentary on the past and the present, and a philosopher's stone. It is a look into the lives and minds of artists and politicians and writers. I am going to read it again soon, for it poses much to consider. Kingsolver sweeps the reader into a magical world of Mexico and a common enough problem: the mother as sexual bait, a Helen of Troy in Mexico. Her name is Salome.
The story begins with a short chapter of setting and a dive into the ocean. The boy (still unnamed) finds a lacuna, (mouth, in this case an underwater cave).
An archvist intervenes with a "lost" journal entry of one Harrison William Shepherd, a boy whose Mexican mother is married to an American bureaucrat. Salome leaves for Mexico, taking Shep with her. She is in a state of constant angst, looking for love and money and adoration. She tries to keep up with American fashion and American slang. She is a piece of work, as the best of Kingsolver's women always are (best meaning best-created, not best in action). Salome really wants the elixir to keep her forever young and beautiful. She and her lover place Shepin a school for the disabled, since it would be expensive to place him in another school with all the necessary tutoring. His education is limited to his extensive reading; "the maths" give him fits. Salome views her son as a burden, ultimately sending him back to his father when she follows another whim.
Shep asks, "What kind of orphan has two living parents?"
Shep grows up, telling his tale of America in pain, just as he is as he becomes an adult who doesn't quite fit in: the Veterans' Riots, the Depression, World War II. We travel back and forth between the US and Mexico.
In a fortuitous moment, Shep meets Diego Rivera, the artist. He learns to make plaster as he has learned to mix a white-flour cake. Rivera soon finds Shep indispensable although the artist is also prone to travel and bouts of anger. He is not an easy man to work for. Shep becomes closer to Diego's wife, Senora Frida, a friendship that lasts a lifetime. She is not an easy woman to work for.
Trotsky comes to Mexico in search of safe haven. Shep is a cook, a secretary, and a journal keeper. This association will come back into the book when Shep returns to the U.S. and publishes his first novels, both blockbusters about the Aztec Empire and Cortes. He doesn't know what to do with his new fame; he lacks the "lacuna" to hide in or to speak for him as a private citizen.
He finally hires the secretarial services of Violet Brown. Ms. Brown, unfailing in her work ethic and her moral ethic, is a source of inspiration. The reader can feel her love for her isolated and work-obsessed boss.
The ending of "The Lacuna" is one that fits Kingsolver's themes well. The reiteration of this history is meaningful to the world we ponder today. Although it covers years of history and a variety of social circles, "The Lacuna" offers distinct voices, characters to love, and precise dialect and voice.
I never thought I would care about Trotsky's personal life or the manner in which clay is mixed for fresco painting. I love an author who opens my mind to vast new worlds. Barbara Kingsolver continues to amaze us. For those reviewers who found this book "didactic," I can only say, I found it fascinating. It is a long story, but certainly not boring. I thought Michener lost his touch in his final novels. Kingsolver is getting better and better."
"This is quite the novel, as full and satisfying as anything I've read in some time. Its picture of Mexico in the 30's is spot on, and the characters of Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Lev Trotsky feel fresh and sharp.
The political correctness which bored me in Barbara Kingsolver's novels seem naive has developed--she's showing, not preaching. A wonderful read by an author who is at her best."
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