The Lacuna

The Lacuna: 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. Butt 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.

• The Lacuna - Paperback

  Price

  $16.99 $11.45 (33% Off) Buy from Walmart
  (as of 2012-05-16 1:21 PDT)

  Publisher

  HarperCollins

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  Walmart

  Format

  Paperback

  Publish Date

  Aug 2010

  ISBN

  0060852585

  ISBN-13

  9780060852580

  Pages

  507

  Shipping Weight (in pounds)

  2.0

  Product in Inches (L x W x H)

  5.29 x 1.23 x 8.08

  Product Description / Editorial Review

  In her first novel in nine years, "New York Times"-bestselling author Kingsolver tells the story of Harrison William Shepherd, an unforgettable protagonist whose search for identity takes readers to the heart of the 20th century's most tumultuous events. — Source: Walmart

  

• The Lacuna - Hardcover

  Price

  $12.99 Buy from Walmart
  (as of 2012-05-16 1:21 PDT)

  Publisher

  HarperCollins

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  Walmart

  Format

  Hardcover

  Publish Date

  Nov 2009

  ISBN

  0060852577

  ISBN-13

  9780060852573

  Pages

  507

  Shipping Weight (in pounds)

  2.0

  Product in Inches (L x W x H)

  6.52 x 1.43 x 9.26

  Product Description / Editorial Review

  In her first novel in nine years, "New York Times"-bestselling author Kingsolver tells the story of Harrison William Shepherd, an unforgettable protagonist whose search for identity takes readers to the heart of the 20th century's most tumultuous events. — Source: Walmart

  

• The Lacuna: A Novel (P.S.) - Paperback

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  $16.99 $4.88 (71% Off) Buy from Amazon.com
  (as of 2012-05-19 10:13 PDT)

  Rating

  4.0 (283 reviews)

  Publisher

  Harper Perennial

  Shop

  Amazon

  Format

  Paperback

  Publish Date

  Jul 20, 2010

  Sales Rank

  16165

  ISBN

  0060852585

  ISBN-13

  9780060852580

  Edition

  1 Reprint

  Pages

  544

  Search best deal and alternate versions of "The Lacuna" in US (United States), UK (United Kingdom) and CA (Canada)

  • The Lacuna: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)

  Product Description / Editorial Review

  In this powerfully imagined, provocative novel, Barbara Kingsolver 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. — Source: Amazon

  

• The Lacuna: A Novel - Hardcover

  Price

  $26.99 $2.69 (90% Off) Buy from Amazon.com
  (as of 2012-05-19 10:13 PDT)

  Rating

  4.0 (283 reviews)

  Publisher

  Harper

  Shop

  Amazon

  Format

  Hardcover

  Publish Date

  Nov 3, 2009

  Sales Rank

  36096

  ISBN

  0060852577

  ISBN-13

  9780060852573

  Edition

  1

  Pages

  528

  Search best deal and alternate versions of "The Lacuna" in US (United States), UK (United Kingdom) and CA (Canada)

  • The Lacuna: A Novel (Hardcover)
  • The Lacuna CD (Audio CD)
  • The Lacuna (Audio Cassette)
  • A Novel; The Lacuna Unabridged 16 CDs by B Kingsolver [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] (Audio CD) (Audio CD)
  • The Lacuna (Paperback)
  • The Lacuna LP: A Novel (Paperback)
  • The Lacuna (P.S.) (Kindle Edition)
  • The Lacuna: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)
  • The Lacuna CD: A Novel (Audio CD)
  • Lacuna (Paperback)
  • Lacuna (Audio CD)
  • The Lacuna (Perfect Paperback)

  Product Description / Editorial Review

  In her most accomplished novel, Barbara Kingsolver takes us on an epic journey from the Mexico City of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo to the America of Pearl Harbor, FDR, and J. Edgar Hoover. The Lacuna is a poignant story of a man pulled between two nations as they invent their modern identities. Born in the United States, reared in a series of provisional households in Mexico—from a coastal island jungle to 1930s Mexico City—Harrison Shepherd finds precarious shelter but no sense of home on his thrilling odyssey. Life is whatever he learns from housekeepers who put him to work in the kitchen, 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 meets 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. He finds support from an unlikely kindred soul, his stenographer, Mrs. Brown, who will be far more valuable to her employer than he could ever know. 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, Barbara Kingsolver has created an unforgettable portrait of the artist—and of art itself. The Lacuna is a rich and daring work of literature, establishing its author as one of the most provocative and important of her time. — Source: Amazon

  

• The Lacuna (Unabridged) - Digital Download

  Price

  $47.44 $33.21 (30% Off) Buy from Audible.com
  (as of 2010-07-14 0:00 PDT)

  Publisher

  Whole Story Audio Books

  Shop

  Audible

  Format

  Digital Download

  Publish Date

  Jun 21, 2010

  Length

  19 hours 15 minutes

  Narrator

  Barbara Kingsolver

  Preview

  mwprealmp3

  Promotion

  Sign up AudibleListener® Gold and Download The Lacuna (Unabridged) for Special Offer Price: $7.49

  Product Description / Editorial Review

  Born in the US and reared in Mexico, Harrison Shepherd is a liability to his social-climbing mother, Salome. When a violent incident sends him to North Carolina, he remakes himself in America's hopeful image. But political winds continue to throw him between north and south, in a plot that turns many times on the unspeakable breach - the lacuna - between truth and public presumption. — Source: Audible

  

• The Lacuna (Unabridged) - Digital Download

  Price

  $44.99 $31.49 (30% Off) Buy from Audible.com
  (as of 2010-06-09 0:00 PDT)

  Publisher

  Harper Audio

  Shop

  Audible

  Format

  Digital Download

  Publish Date

  Oct 20, 2009

  Keywords

  RosalieKnecht

  Length

  19 hours 18 minutes

  Narrator

  Barbara Kingsolver

  Preview

  mwprealmp3

  Promotion

  Sign up AudibleListener® Gold and Download The Lacuna (Unabridged) for Special Offer Price: $7.49

  Product Description / Editorial Review

  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. — Source: Audible

  

• The Lacuna (Unabridged) - iTunes Audiobook

  Price

  $24.95 Download on iTunes
  (as of 2012-05-16 1:21 PDT)

  Rating

  5.0 (11 reviews)

  Publisher

  Harper Audio

  Shop

  Apple iTunes Store

  Format

  iTunes Audiobook

  Publish Date

  Nov 3, 2009

  Sales Rank

  44

  Length

  19 hours 19 minutes

  Narrator

  Barbara Kingsolver

  Presented by

  Audible.com

  Product Description / Editorial Review

  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. — Source: Apple iTunes Store

  

• The Lacuna - Hardcover

  Price

  $26.99 $19.43 (28% Off) Buy from Barnes & Noble
  (as of 2012-05-16 1:21 PDT)

  Rating

  3.0 (227 reviews)

  Publisher

  HarperCollins Publishers

  Shop

  Barnes & Noble

  Format

  Hardcover

  Publish Date

  Nov 2009

  Sales Rank

  3545

  ISBN

  0060852577

  ISBN-13

  9780060852573

  Pages

  507

  Alternate Versions

  • eBook - $9.9
  • Paperback - $12.2
  • Compact Disc - Unabridged - $32.3
  • MP3 Book - Unabridged - $23.2

  Annotation

  Winner of the 2010 Orange Prize for Fiction

  Biography

  Equally at home with poetry, novels, and nonfiction narratives, Barbara Kingsolver credits her careers in scientific writing and journalism with instilling in her a love of nature, a writer's discipline, and a strong sense of social justice.

  Library Journal

  Diego Rivera's mural in Mexico's Palacio Nationale was only half complete the day young Harrison Shepherd stood transfixed before it, but he would be forever captive to the extraordinary power of the imagination. A solitary child, a devourer of books, left to his own devices by a mother chasing unattainable men and a father pencil pushing for the government back in the States, Harrison observes and he writes. When a quirk of fate lands him in the home of Communist sympathizers Rivera and Frida Kahlo, Rivera's wife, Harrison becomes enmeshed in the turbulent history that will inform his life and work. Through the distinctive voices of Harrison and his insightful amanuensis, Violet Brown, Kingsolver paints a verbal panorama spanning three decades and two countries. World War I veterans protesting for benefits denied, the unleashing of the atomic bomb, the McCarthy hearings, censorship of the arts, and abuse by the press corps lend credence to the sentiment that the more things change, the more they remain the same. VERDICT As in The Poisonwood Bible, Kingsolver perfects the use of multiple points of view, even reprinting actual newspaper articles to blur the line between fact and fiction. This is her most ambitious, timely, and powerful novel yet. Well worth the wait.—Sally Bissell, Lee Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Myers, FL

  Publishers Weekly

  Kingsolver's ambitious new novel, her first in nine years (after the The Poisonwood Bible), focuses on Harrison William Shepherd, the product of a divorced American father and a Mexican mother. After getting kicked out of his American military academy, Harrison spends his formative years in Mexico in the 1930s in the household of Diego Rivera; his wife, Frida Kahlo; and their houseguest, Leon Trotsky, who is hiding from Soviet assassins. After Trotsky is assassinated, Harrison returns to the U.S., settling down in Asheville, N.C., where he becomes an author of historical potboilers (e.g., Vassals of Majesty) and is later investigated as a possible subversive. Narrated in the form of letters, diary entries and newspaper clippings, the novel takes a while to get going, but once it does, it achieves a rare dramatic power that reaches its emotional peak when Harrison wittily and eloquently defends himself before the House Un-American Activities Committee (on the panel is a young Dick Nixon). “Employed by the American imagination,” is how one character describes Harrison, a term that could apply equally to Kingsolver as she masterfully resurrects a dark period in American history with the assured hand of a true literary artist. (Nov.)

  Synopsis

  In her most accomplished novel, Barbara Kingsolver takes us on an epic journey from the Mexico City of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo to the America of Pearl Harbor, FDR, and J. Edgar Hoover. The Lacuna is a poignant story of a man pulled between two nations as they invent their modern identities.

  Born in the United States, reared in a series of provisional households in Mexico—from a coastal island jungle to 1930s Mexico City—Harrison Shepherd finds precarious shelter but no sense of home on his thrilling odyssey. Life is whatever he learns from housekeepers who put him to work in the kitchen, 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 meets 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. He finds support from an unlikely kindred soul, his stenographer, Mrs. Brown, who will be far more valuable to her employer than he could ever know. 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, Barbara Kingsolver has created an unforgettable portrait of the artist—and of art itself. The Lacuna is a rich and daring work of literature, establishing its author as one of the most provocative and important of her time.

  The New York Times - Liesl Schillinger

  How can the experiences of a fictional loner merge with those of larger-than-life figures who played a pivotal role in world politics? And what can readers learn from their intersection? Those are the questions answered by this dazzling novel, which plunges into Shepherd's notebooks to dredge up not only the perceptions they conceal but also a history larger than his own, touching on everything from Trotskyism, Stalinism and the Red scare to racism, mass hysteria and the media's intrusion into personal and national affairs…The Lacuna can be enjoyed sheerly for the music of its passages on nature, archaeology, food and friendship; or for its portraits of real and invented people; or for its harmonious choir of voices. But the fuller value of Kingsolver's novel lies in its call to conscience and connection. She has mined Shepherd's richly imagined history to create a tableau vivant of epochs and people that time has transformed almost past recognition. Yet it's a tableau vivant whose story line resonates in the present day, albeit with different players. Through Shepherd's resurrected notebooks, Kingsolver gives voice to truths whose teller could express them only in silence.

  The Washington Post - Ron Charles

  …the most mature and ambitious [novel] she's written during her celebrated 20-year career, but it's also [Kingsolver's] most demanding…a novel of capital-L Liberal ideasworkers' rights, sexual equality, artistic freedom…Nevertheless, this rich novel is certainly bigger than its politics. It resurrects several dramatic events of the early 20th century that have fallen out of public consciousness, brings alive the forgotten details of everyday life in the 1940s, and illustrates how attitudes and prejudices are shaped by political opportunism and the rapacious media. But despite this large, colorful canvas, ultimately The Lacuna is a tender story about a thoughtful man who just wanted to enjoy that basic American right: the right to be left alone.

  
  — Source: Barnes & Noble

  

• The Lacuna - Apple iBook for iPad/iPhone 4

  Price

  $12.99 Download in iBooks (iPad/iPhone 4)
  (as of 2012-05-16 1:21 PDT)

  Rating

  4.5 (127 reviews)

  Publisher

  HarperCollins

  Shop

  Apple iBookstore

  Format

  Apple iBook for iPad/iPhone 4

  Category

  Fiction & Literature

  Seller

  HarperCollins

  Language

  English

  Print Length

  528 Pages

  This product is available on iPad/iPhone 4 with iBooks

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  Product Description / Editorial Review

  In her most accomplished novel, Barbara Kingsolver takes us on an epic journey from the Mexico City of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo to the America of Pearl Harbor, FDR, and J. Edgar Hoover. The Lacuna is a poignant story of a man pulled between two nations as they invent their modern identities.
  
  Born in the United States, reared in a series of provisional households in Mexico—from a coastal island jungle to 1930s Mexico City—Harrison Shepherd finds precarious shelter but no sense of home on his thrilling odyssey. Life is whatever he learns from housekeepers who put him to work in the kitchen, 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 meets 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. He finds support from an unlikely kindred soul, his stenographer, Mrs. Brown, who will be far more valuable to her employer than he could ever know. 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, Barbara Kingsolver has created an unforgettable portrait of the artist—and of art itself. The Lacuna is a rich and daring work of literature, establishing its author as one of the most provocative and important of her time. — Source: Apple iBookstore