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jennyluwho's review against another edition
5.0
I take back everything I’ve said about refusing to read any protagonists who are writers. Turns out I’m still willing as long as the book is unique and well done.
This was brilliant.
This was brilliant.
joaniesickler's review against another edition
5.0
This is an extraordinary view of many of today's issues through a lens from the 1950s. The role of the press, liberals and conservatives, art and sexual relations. It's been a thrill to experience Barbara Kingsolver's growth and development as a writer from the Bean Trees through Prodigal Summer to The Lacuna. As I started it, and the action moved slowly, many told me they'd heard it was dry. It's not dry, or if it is it's the dryness that spontaneously erupts in flames. Mexico with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, Washington, DC before, during, and after F. Roosevelt, the country of Virginia, and the hearings of Joseph McCarthy and the young senator Richard Nixon. It's a diverse and exciting journey. Don't miss it.
connie_gatzke's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
stephaniesteen73's review against another edition
2.0
I hate to do this to one of my favorite authors of all time, Barbara Kingsolver, but this book just did NOT do it for me! I wanted to like it, I found the time period (1940s-1950s)and the setting (Mexico) interesting, and I tried valiantly to like it, but I just never forged a personal connection with the main character. I couldn't sustain enthusiasm and actually admit to skimming the last third because I couldn't renew the book any more times. oh well. I'll go re-read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and the Poisonwood Bible as my penance...and hope for a better product next time around...
dreaming_ace's review against another edition
5.0
A fascinating novel about art and life and identity and writing and truth and fiction and meaning and purpose. The last few sections were hard to read because the parallels I see between America's response to communism and its response to many people and ideas today. It was hard to read because having an innocent person hounded by others, in the end, hit a nerve in me and made it hard to breathe. So I would say the story begins warm and cozy and then leaves you chilled but with a small cup of hot coco to keep going. Read this book but be forewarned it is powerful.
slipperose's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
eulrch's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
jennjennsan's review against another edition
3.0
The beginning until the middle of this book were definitely enjoyable and well written. Sadly about three quarters of the way through I lost all will to continue; the story turned bland and it lost the magic that the beginning held.