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Das Geheime Buch Der Frida Kahlo (2009)

by F.G. Haghenbeck(Favorite Author)

3.47 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

3458357017 (ISBN13: 9783458357018)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Insel

review 1: I've just finished grading a pile of compositions written by my class of fifteen-year olds. To help them improve, I've compiled a long list of crimes against prose. This book commits every one of them, and possibly more. It is over-written, full of flabby, mis-matched imagery, lacks narrative flow, has an inconsistent authorial voice, and is cliched. Horribly, adverbally, laughably cliched. So bad I laughed out loud at how bad it was. I have book-marked several pages to read to my students, as a warning. On the other hand, this managed to find a publisher, so what do I know. I'd weep for the future, if that wasn't already a cliche. I'm off to look for a decent biography of Ms Kahlo.
review 2: When I first started this novel, it seemed a like it was trying to ha... morerd. The words were too floral, and too many. Sometimes too many descriptors can be distracting. But as the world that Haghenback created started to unfold, the word changed and transformed everyday occurrences into the surrealist paintings of Kahlo. The recipes at the end of each chapter seemed like an afterthought, though. I see what he was trying to do but Laura Esquivel did it better in "Like Water for Chocolate". The recipes were as integrated into the story. They were mentioned once, then brought back at the end of the chapters with a supposed annotation in Kahlo's own words. But the words the author create for Kahlo's voice seem hollow and bitter compared to the rest of his novel, that's so rich in paint.There are a few instances where such great detail is used for dream sequences and the self portraits, and then the author just skims right over big life events, love affairs, etc. It's a bit frustrating when you're trying to keep track of who's screwing who. I'm not sure how accurate it is, so art history and biography fans be wary. But its a read that may transport you if you let it. less

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