The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

[napless]

I've been looking forward this ever since I heard she was writing a new novel.

I can't decide whether to get it now - and read it in odd moments in the bathroom and in between tasks - or to save it for summer when I can really savor it.

If it's a lighter book (like The Bean Trees), I'll read it now. If it's heavier (like The Poisonwood Bible), I'll save it.

Any advice from those who have read it?

[oiseau]

I got it for Christmas and finished reading it last week.
I'll preface this by saying that Barbara Kingsolver is my absolute favorite author and I love all her other books.
It's VERY different from her other books. I didn't read it all in one sitting (which is how I usually read books). It's made up of diary entries and letters, so I found it easy just to read little bits at a time. (On a related note, the reason I kept putting it down was because I just wasn't that into it, at least not til the second half. The last third and the end were much more interesting).
I kinda want to say it's lighter than The Bean Trees, but I don't consider The Bean Trees to be light.

[napless]

I guess I don't mean "light" in subject matter, but "light" as in easier to read. I found The Poisonwood Bible a more challenging read.

My very favorite is Prodigal Summer.

Thanks for your reply! I think I'll get on the waiting list at the library now.

[oiseau]

It was a pretty easy read. The only thing I had (minor) issues with is that she uses a lot of spanish in the book and some some of it was a little beyond my spanish language skills. She usually included an english translation in the next sentence, but not always.

[MadiMamacita]

I wondered about the spanish for those who couldn't understand spanish. I don't recall anything that was in spanish that wasn't made obvious with either a direct translation or obvious context right before or after in english. So I don't think you missed much, if anything.

I really liked the first half and the last quarter. the third quarter I thought was a little draggin.

I think it would lend itself well to reading little bits at a time. I couldn't though. I read it pretty fast.

and I could never get into prodigal summer, even though kingsolver is my number one favorite novelist!

[oiseau]

Originally Posted by MadiMamacita

I wondered about the spanish for those who couldn't understand spanish. I don't recall anything that was in spanish that wasn't made obvious with either a direct translation or obvious context right before or after in english. So I don't think you missed much, if anything.

I would call my spanish reading skills moderate. I got the point of most of the phrases, but there were a few times I didn't get the entire thing and a translation wasn't immediately following. Nothing major though.

[christinar]

I *love* Barbara Kingsolver - she's one of my top favorite authors and I've read all of her fiction/nonfiction except for Poisonwood Bible which I just couldn't get into (Prodigal Summer is my favorite of her books too, that and Bean Trees). Anyway, I got Lacuna out of the library and recently returned it... unfinished. I just could NOT get into it; I read the first 150pgs or so before I realized I'd been reading a fraction of the time I usually do because I just didn't want to read it. Disappointing because I was so looking forward to it...

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by napless

I guess I don't mean "light" in subject matter, but "light" as in easier to read. I found The Poisonwood Bible a more challenging read.

My very favorite is Prodigal Summer.

Thanks for your reply! I think I'll get on the waiting list at the library now.

I love The Bean Trees for its lighthearted voice on very heart wrenching political issues.. Prodigal Summer was for me, incredibly steamy in comparison.. I loved both as well though.

[beanma]

I'm reading it now. I'm about 2/3 of the way through. It's not super light. It's heavier in tone/content than Prodigal Summer (which was a bit of page-turner reading for me), but not as somber/heavy/intense as Poisonwood Bible.

It's told from a male perspective (unusual for BK) and I don't think it gives anything away to tell you that Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Trotsky are important characters. Can't be too light with that kind of cast, y'know, but it's not nearly as intense/heavy as Poisonwood for me.

I'm a big Kingsolver fan so I was going to read it no matter what. I think I've read everything she's written. I'm enjoying it, but I'd be reading it in bits no matter what time of year. I just can't seem to find time to really sit down with a book.