The Lacuna

By: Barbara Kingsolver

Narrated by: Barbara Kingsolver

New York Times Bestseller • A Best Book of the Year: New York Times, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, and Kansas City Star • Winner of the Orange Prize

“Breathtaking. . . dazzling.” — New York Times Book Review

“Epic and deeply personal. . . . This is thought-provoking, and potentially thought-changing, historical fiction at its best.” — Dallas Morning News

In this powerfully imagined, provocative novel, Barbara Kingsolver, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and recipient of the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguish Contribution to American Letters, takes us on an epic journey from the Mexico of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo to the America of Pearl Harbor, FDR, and J. Edgar Hoover. The Lacuna is the poignant story of a man pulled between two nations as well as an unforgettable portrait of the artist—and of art itself.

Born in the United States, raised in Mexico, Harrison Shepherd lacks a sense of home in either. Life is whatever he learns from housekeepers who put him to work in the kitchen; from errands he runs in the streets; and, one fateful day, by mixing plaster for famed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. He discovers a passion for Aztec history and the exotic, imperious artist Frida Kahlo, who will become his lifelong friend. When he goes to work for Lev Trotsky, an exiled political leader fighting for his life, Shepherd inadvertently casts his lot with art and revolution, newspaper headlines and howling gossip, and a risk of terrible violence.

Meanwhile, to the north, the United States will soon be caught up in the internationalist goodwill of World War II. There, in the land of his birth, Shepherd believes he might remake himself in America’s hopeful image and claim a voice of his own. Through darkening years, 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.

With deeply compelling characters, a vivid sense of place, and a clear grasp of how history and public opinion can shape a life, Kingsolver has created a rich and daring work of literature, establishing its author as one of the most provocative and important of her time.

©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.

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.

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!

A treasure!

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