The Lacuna

Liked it.

Opinion:

Kingsolver receiving the Orange Prize

The Lacuna is quite a dense read, and it did take me several weeks to plow through. I had a love-hate relationship with the work, as my opinion of the story oscillated so frequently it was originally hard for me to know whether or not to recommend it.

This is my first taste of Barbara Kingsolver, and I would have to say I enjoyed her writing very much. She did a wonderful job of giving the characters incredibly distinct and personalized voices through style and word selection. I also enjoyed the collision of Mexican, Russian and American history through the eyes of both historical and fictionalized characters. In fact, my favorite section of the book portrayed an account the events surrounding Leon Trotsky's exile and murder.

I wouldn't say this is a good one to casually pick up before the kids get home, especially as you're just getting into the book. However, if you're looking for a well-written depiction of history, saturated in emotionally charged political activism, and you have the spare time, pick up The Lacuna.

Recommend: Sure
Read Again: No

* * *

Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Award: Orange Prize

Summary:

Because this entry has been sitting in my post bank for over a month, simply because I felt the summary of 528 pages to be an incredibly daunting task, I've decided to relinquish the responsibility of said task. If you're interested, here are a few reviews and summaries to give you a flavor of the novel:

Main Characters,  Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera

NPR

The New York Times

The Washington Post

Book Browse

enotes


Pages: 528