The Lacuna

By: Barbara Kingsolver

Narrated by: Barbara Kingsolver

Length: 19 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Terrible performance

I wanted to finish this book, but the reader was so juvenile and vanilla, I simply couldn’t do it.

Mesmerizing...

Learned a lot about Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, and the world and political climate from approx. 1925 to 1950. This long story but it was satisfying to finish it.

Another Kingsolver Treat

Would you consider the audio edition of The Lacuna to be better than the print version?

Books are always the best way to go. I use audiobooks to help keep me alert on the road - works better than coffee.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ms. Brown was my favorite character. Although she was a sweet person full of integrity, I enjoyed the way she expressed her inner struggles with her integrity and her passion.

Which character – as performed by Barbara Kingsolver – was your favorite?

Frieda (as performed by Barbara Kingsolver) was my favorite character performance. I am now even more amazed at the talent of Ms. Kingsolver. Her character performances were spot on - but the character of Frieda was by far the best.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would always prefer to listen to or read a book in one sitting however I am usually limited by my humanity or schedule to a few hours at a time.

Any additional comments?

Ms Kingsolver is one of my all-time favorite authors and this story (and performance / narration) solidifies that opinion even more.

Good story but poor narration

I enjoyed the storyline of this book. My only complaint is that Barbara Kingsolver does the narration. This book needed a professional narrator. There are too many characters and a variety of accents that she did not do well. It was hard to listen to and I wish I would have just read it. Audible should re-record this book.

Lacuna

Kingsolver has woven a wonderful story about a man caught up in a horrible moment in American history linked to such historical figures as Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Leon Trotsky. The lacuna informs and engages the reader in the hidden story of the Mexican-American writer and the simple woman who loves him and who he comes to love. Very much worth the read and the listen.

Loved the narration

What made the experience of listening to The Lacuna the most enjoyable?

I am listening to this book now and logged in to Audible to find out who the narrator was because I have enjoyed the accents and dialects so much. I was amazed to see 1) it's Kingsolver herself and 2) so many reviewers panning the narration! I love accents, and I think she does a really remarkable job with her American protagonist emigre to Mexico, her Russian and Mexican characters, the incredibly flamboyant Frieda, and the American accents from different decades, regions and walks of life. I've so enjoyed the narration that I think reading the book rather than listening to it would be pale in comparison. The story was a little slow to gather momentum in the beginning but I appreciate the time she spent building the foundation for this character. I'm savoring this audiobook.

Which scene was your favorite?

I love it when Soli lapses into a poetic description. He is a writer at heart and it bubbles out of him.

Superb reading of a deeply engaging tale.

I don't understand the criticisms of Kingsolver as her own reader. I think she did a superb job of communicating the subtle personality traits of the diverse characters.
The story was richly engaging, covering such a diverse range of different, engaging experiences and slices of US and Mexican culture in the first half of the 20th century.

Beautifully constructed story

The author weaves this tale with creative dexterity. She incorporates elements of history, politics, ethics and morality with remarkable dexterity and detail. Although the beginning seemed a bit difficult to follow, the story quickly took shape and acquired momentum.
I highly recommend this book!

Powerful story, rotten narration

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I highly recommend reading this book - not listening to it. It is an important slice of history that most Americans are never taught in conventional education. A historical lacuna. And Kingsolver does a beautiful and subtle job unveiling the holes.But Kingsolver is an awful narrator. She really destroys her own work here and in other novels she has narrated as well. She alternately sounds like an elementary school teacher over-articulating a basic reader to a second-grade classroom or a young person whining to go out on the weekend. I hope that Audible wises up at some point and re-records Kingsolver's wonderful writing with a professional narrator. In the meantime, this is the last Audible book I will buy narrated by Barbara Kingsolver. In fact, I may ask for my money back. It's that bad. And by now Audible should be on to the fact that many listeners are unhappy with Barbara reading her own work.

Did The Lacuna inspire you to do anything?

To learn more about the historical events and figures featured in the novel: Diego Riviera, Freida K ahlo, Leon Trotsky, the World War I veterans' protests in Washington.

Thumbs up for story. Thumbs down for performance.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

In all honesty, I cannot recommend the audio version of this book. The narration is so distracting and does a real disservice to the book. It's as though a kindergarten teacher is reading to a class of students. How much better it would be with a professional performer(s) doing the narration!