The Lacuna

De: Barbara Kingsolver

Narrado por: Barbara Kingsolver

From the Mexico City of Frida Kahlo to the America of J. Edgar Hoover, The Lacuna tells the poignant story of a man pulled between two nations.

Born in the United States, but reared in Mexico, Harrison Shepherd finds precarious shelter but no sense of home on his thrilling odyssey. Life is whatever he learns from housekeepers and, one fateful day, by mixing plaster for famed muralist Diego Rivera. When he goes to work for Rivera, his wife, exotic artist Kahlo, and exiled leader Lev Trotsky, Shepherd inadvertently casts his lot with art and revolution.

Meanwhile, the United States has embraced the internationalist goodwill of World War II. Back in the land of his birth, Shepherd seeks to remake himself in America's hopeful image and claim a voice of his own. But political winds continue to toss him between north and south in a plot that turns many times on the unspeakable breach - the lacuna - between truth and public presumption.

©2009 Barbara Kingsolver (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

My favorite novel

I relisten every year. Every sentence is a masterpiece. I cry in several places, out of sheer beauty. I’m so grateful this book exists.

Glad I ignored the warnings about the narrator

I almost decided to get the book instead of the audiobook due to the bad reviews the author got as a narrator. But I really liked her voice. The reading was not as smooth as in "Prodigal Summer", but it was competent and it did not get in the way of the story. I enjoyed the book and I'm eager to get Kingsolver's next one.

The Lacuna

Absolutely fabulous! The time setting is wonderful, so full of history as it probably happened, could have happened, I felt like I was there. The narration is perfect. So good, I recommend listening rather than reading!

Thoughtful and historically interesting

The history in this story is great, and well researched. Trotsky and Frida Kahlo come alive, and the accounting of our government's Communist hunting during the 1940's and early 50's is chilling. It is well read, though the story moves a bit slowly. I am a huge Barbara Kingsolver fan, and did not find this storyline as engaging as some. Its worth reading for the history.

A treasure!

What an unexpected surprise! This book has many unexpected treasures hidden within a wonderful story...

Love The Lacuna!

I have read or listened to a bunch of Barbara Kingsolver books over the years. This book had me hooked within about 4 minutes with it's howler monkeys and this beautiful story of a boy with is both American and Mexican and neither. I became friends with Shepard, Violate, Freda and Lev. This is a wonderful book that I will suggest to my family and friends, and I will revisit for years to come.

Slow but worth the effort

I usually really like Kingsolver's books and was starting to wonder where this story was headed. Finally it picked up and was worth pushing through the first half.

Houston

I have long been a Kingsolver fan and was eager to read this new book. Harrison Sheppard, the main character, is highly compelling and the historical aspects of the book make it even more interesting to read. For me, getting to know Frida Kahlo was especially intriguing because I have long wondered about her appeal. The Lacuna touched me deeply will stay with me for a long time. Harry says in the book that the best part of art, including books, is what is left unsaid. So much is implied in this book and so much pertains to the political and economic situation today without actually being that.

Glad I read it

This book moves a tad slow, but I am really glad I hung in and finished it. It's a lovely story. I especially loved the time the main character spent with Frida.

A compelling story, compellingly narrated

Unlike other reviewers, I loved the author's narration of her book. Because she knows her characters so well, her narration gives them life. Her voicing of Violet Brown is perfection.

That said, I found the story riveting, from the beginning discovery of the Lacuna passageway and its secrets, to the final pages of its reappearance as a central character in the story.

Kingsolver is a fine writer, a master storyteller, and a wonderful narrator of historical events through her characters' eyes.