The Lacuna

A Novel

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.

Worth the wait for a new Kingsolver novel

I listened every spare moment (and some not so spare) to this compelling love story about a kind man and his devoted stenographer living through relatively recent history from Trotsky to McCarthy. 50 years ago, but such a different time.
At first, I wished for another reader than the author herself, it worked better in "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle"
But Kingsolver drew me in with her gentle narrative and subtle characterizations.

A wonderful listen. Made this grown man cry (and laugh and think.)

Great story!

Although I admire Kingsolver for her courage in reading her own book, this most excellent story could certainly have benefited from a professional reader.

Would have loved it in print

Great language, imagery, characters. Had I read this in print, I'd have underlined dozens of meaningful and vivid phrases and passages. Barbara Kingsolver would have been better served by a professional actor/narrator. She does a creditable job, but overall it doesn't work. This was not nearly as enjoyable as it might have been. I'm OK with author-narrated non-fiction, but in this, my first author-narrated novel, I learned my lesson.

Hire a professional to read!!

This was a beautifully crafted book that I enjoyed immensely when I wasn't annoyed at the sing-sing quality of the reader's voice. At times it was like nails on a chalkboard and if I hadn't been so thoroughly enthralled by the words, I surely would have turned it off and walked away. Barbara Kingsolver is a gifted writer and she has certainly earned the right to read and savor her own words but, please Ms. Kingsolver, for the sake of your dedicated readers, PLEASE hire a professional to read your next audiobook.

This is a story to listen to for hours at a time

Barbara Kingsolver creates a total world, bringing the time and place and characters vividly to life. This is a book you can listen to for hours; I pick up a knitting project and settle in for the afternoon so that the book can flow over and around me without stopping. She writes about significant themes, exploring them through the characters' lives, in this book, the role of the media, conveying the truth of a man or a situation, the love of friendship and the many forms of romantic love, the purpose of government, the needs of the ordinary man. Above all, her writing is poetic with words that cause you to stop, take notice, and appreciate the phrase or sentence. This is a book that only improves with each re-reading, or listening to the performance of Barbara Kingsolver herself, which is even better than reading.