A fabulous book. I kept putting it off, but once I got five pages in I was hooked. The voices of the two main characters are perfect, and distinctive. A beautifully written portrayal of some very interesting and difficult times in our history. A great book club book, because there is a lot to talk about here!

Like some of the other readers here, it took me some time to become engaged with this book. In the end, I couldn't put it down.

Lovely read for anyone who might like a different slant on art, politics and history.

I usually really enjoy Barbara Kingsolver's books, and this one was OK, but it just didn't engage me as much as her other books have. I ended up returning it unfinished.

For three quarters of Lacuna I was so bored (or tired?) I nodded off on every other page. I blamed it on my frustration with the genre (shallow narrator meets famous people, has fictitious conversations, does little, by association delivers some regurgitated history to readers who would like to like history but find it tough sledding.) The writing was full of local flavours. It was even highly entertaining writing. But the lack of any purpose or direction or conflict regarding the main character killed my interest repeatedly. Our hero's most endearing accomplishment was letting himself be hauled by tides through an underwater cave. Becoming an internationally renown author took less effort. His sexual orientation was handled so delicately the author might have been writing to children of that era. Ho hum, I thought. The rant that concluded the book, however, saved it for me. Not so much because it turned it into a great novel, but because it became a real novel and because it suited my politics. The "famous (leftist, artist) people" of the first half became elements of a plot beyond being spotlighted in cameo celebrity roles. The Tea Party of my childhood was revisited in all of its shameful ignorance and tyranny. Suddenly there were white and black hats on all the cowhands so it was clear who to cheer for. I cheered. But the resulting "solution," as much as I enjoyed it, hardly justified the book's length or its painfully bland set up.

I loved this book. She brings to life a colorful period in Mexican history When Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Trotsky lived and worked there. Then, in exploring that awful period in American history when McCarthy and other conservatives went witch hunting for Communist subversives, Kingsolver seems to be shining a light on the horrors of our own witch hunts after 9/11.

America, the land of the free? Not so much, according to this riveting account by Barbara Kingsolver. With "The Lacuna," Kingsolver offers us an unflinching unveiling of America's not-so-long-ago past political transgressions. Kingsolver better watch out, or she too might find herself a victim one day of some committee or other charged with investigating un-American activities... like speaking your mind, for example. The story does run on in some places, but the language is beautiful and the ideas are ones we should consider carefully. The role of the media, for example, is portrayed as being particularly culpable. I think there is more than a seed of truth in this observation. Well worth reading.

Historical fiction at its best. The Lacuna is a riveting story about politics, history, Mexico in the 1930's, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Leon Trotsky and the US Committee on Un-American Activities to name but a few. It is also a story told entirely through diary entries and letters by a Mexican-American boy. A fascinating read!

I really liked this book and I'm not a huge Kingsolver fan. It's been hit and miss on several of her books for me. This one really hit the mark for me, the characters and plot are very rich and compelling. I try the read for enjoyment during the school year but its difficult at times as I often don't have the time or can only pick up a book every few days and only read a page or two at all. Most books I end up losing interest in and can't continue. Not The Lacuna, it kept my interest and even though it would be almost a week between readings, I was able to pick up right where I left off. I highly recommend this book.

I have been a Barbara Kingsolver fan for years, but this novel just didn't do it for me. I could not get interested in the story or the characters - I really tried, but gave up after 200 pages. Just plain boring!