Customer Reviews

Frida

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had to keep reminding myself while I read this novel that it is a work of fiction, based on real events. It is so well-written that it is difficult to differentiate between fact and fiction. At times you feel bad for Frida, and her physical and emotional pain. At other times, you simply want to slap her and tell her to snap out of it. The narrator, her sister Cristina, actually deserves less sympathy. She had a "poor me, I'm the lowly sister of a genius" act a little too down pat. This was my first in-depth glimpse into the world of Frida Kahlo, and I will definitely read a true biography to learn more. I recommend this for anyone who is interested in art, the life of an artist, or Mexican culture. Overall it is a fascinating novel, and extremely evocative of a turbulent time, place, and person.

Was Frida insane? You will ask yourself this question while reading this fictionalized biography, written entirely in the form of a conversation her sister has with a psychologist. Cristina was the one no one ever noticed, hidden behind the shadow of her infamous sister Frida. What makes this book work is that we see it all through her eyes, with emotions ranging from hateful jealousy to complete adoration, often times bordering on obsession. The fictionalized approach might not be for everyone, but what I think it manages to do, is capture Frida Kahlo's spirit. With her injuries, rollercoater of a marriage, countless love affairs with men and women, inability to have children and self obsessed portraits; she is fascinating and insane. Often times the two go hand in hand.

Originally rumored to star Madonna, Miramax has just finished shooting the biopic "Frida", starring Salma Hayek. I sure hope she can pull it off!

At the outset, the point of view of Mujica's novel seems intriguing: Frida through the eyes of the sister who betrays her trust. What circumstances led to Cristina's affair with Diego Rivera? What happened to the sisters' relationship in the aftermath? The novel doesn't take full advantage of either of these dramatic elements, almost as though the author were afraid to presume the volcanic possibilities of the emotional lives of the inhabitants of the Kahlo-Rivera household and their extended family. I found myself wishing for Kahlo's point of view, rather than her sister's, with the discovery of the affair and in several other portions of the book dealing with upheavals in her life.

Through the eyes of Frida's sister, Mujica was able to effectively portray Kahlo's and Rivera's narcissism and love-hate relationship--ad nauseum. The litany of affairs, separations and reconciliations, as well as the bitter whining of an envious sister, could have used judicious editing. Setting the storytelling as conversations with a psychiatrist didn't work. Sorry, I don't know of a therapist alive who would say, "Enough about you, get back to your sister."

There are definitely bright spots in Mujica's novel--her descriptions of Frida's and Diego's paintings, for example, are vivid. Ms. Mujica would have done well to further flesh out Cristina's character, her motivations, her blind spots and wekanesses, and her emotional life, to give a clearer voice to the narrative. The book struck me as a strong draft that could have become a wonderful book in collaboration with a skillful editor.

FRIDA by Barbara Mujica

Here's another of the many books out there today about the life of Frida Kahlo, the famous artist and personality from Mexico. In this version of her life, Barbara Mujica tells a fictional version of the story from the viewpoint of her sister Cristina, whose claim to fame is that she is the sister who had the affair with Diego Rivera, who at the time was Frida's husband.

Cristina narrates the story of her life with Frida Kahlo as she lies on a bed talking to a nameless psychiatrist. The reason for him analyzing her is not known and not revealed until the very end of the book. In the mean time, the reader gets a vision of a woman that is torn between love and resentment toward a famous sibling that has always gotten more than enough attention. Although Cristina was obviously not at the scene for many of the events told in this book, she claims that she can easily imagine how things happened to Frida. Every major event from Frida developing polio to her horrific trolley car accident, Diego and Kahlo's wedding to Frida's pregnancies, all are accounted for in this story. However, many fictional events have also been included, with fictional characters to go along with it. Mujica's purpose for this book is to give the reader a general picture of what life with Frida Kahlo may have been like, and how a sibling may have felt, living in the shadow of such an outrageous attention-seeking person.

I enjoyed FRIDA, but always kept in mind that this is indeed a work of fiction. It is not exactly known how Frida died, nor is it known what type of relationship she may have had with her sisters, especially with Cristina. That said, I treated this book as pure entertainment, and not as the bible on the life of Frida Kahlo. For a more accurate account of her life, Kahlo aficionados recommend the biography by Herrera Hayden.

Anyone who has come to know the legendary Frida Kahlo, whether it be through her astounding artwork or historical books about her extraordinary life, should know that Frida is not just your run-of-the-mill famous figure. She represents the quintessential spirit of a passionate, complex, disturbed artist. Barbara Mujica's writing is a tribute to this spirit. She sets a feast of beautiful detail and exquisite imagery for the hungry reader. (Not the reader who just wants to hear what they want to hear.)
An enjoyable read. An incredible adventure.

Wow, this book was amazing. I have always had an interest in Frida, mainly because Diego Rivera is my favorite artist. This book really gave me a sense of what kind of person she was in her own right, not just as his wife/girlfriend/lover. This fictional history is told through the voice of Frida's younger sister and we get to see what life may have been like for someone who knew her. Sometimes I hated Frida and then other times I thought she was amazing. If you would like to learn more about this amazing woman and her life with Diego, you should read this book. I poured through it in one weekend.

i knew nothing about frida kahlo or diego rivera before reading this book, and in fact was not very interested in their art (until reading the book, that is). that i enjoyed it suggests that this is a novel for all, even those who do not already love/hate frida and her work.

Dr. Mujica's approach is fresh and engaging - the narration is not just narration: it is spicy and flavourful. it is a taste of frida instead of just a description of what frida tastes like.

the reader gets glimpses of frida through many eyes - not just those of her sister. a jewish father, a confusing mother, a heckled-but-confident childhood and an adult life sprinkled with sexual independence and infamous relationships colour what _could_ have been a traditional (and boring!) treatment of the life of an artist.

Mujica's style and focus keep our minds open. the parents, the childhood, Diego, the art shows and reviews - they were what they were; Mujica doesn't try to force them all into a neatly-packaged psychology of Frida.

i guess i would call it a good read, and then some.

Frida Kahlo is becoming a tycoon. This book is based on true facts but what is fascinating is how it tells Frida's story. Frida Kahlo was remarkable, outrageous, funny & loving - lived for attention, deep colours, clothes, sensuality, her work & Diego. Mujica's book adds a new dimension to her life as the story is told through her sister. Very well written, Mujica's way of telling dramatic and shows deep insight.

I was excited when I picked this book up and annoyed and deflated when I put it down. The most fascinating character, Frida of course, is seen through the eyes of a pathetic jealous resentful sister - the fictional version of Christina. By the time I finished, I felt like my view of the artist had been tarnished by her fictionalized sister's constant whining and twisting of facts/events to fit her martyr complex. She was tired of living in her sister's shadow and guilty for resenting her. I get it! I'm sure Frida was no saint and that as readers we aren't supposed to take the narrator's voice as absolutely true, but rather as one person's persepctive, but still! I felt like I had to get a bad taste out of my mouth after I put this book down. But I read to the end all the same. Some scenes featuring Frida's rough langauge and outlandish antics had me laughing out loud. I just wish I could have seen more of Frida in this book and less of annoying faux Christina.

First off, let me say that I know a lot of research and effort went into making this book. With that said, I have to say that this book was terrible. The point of telling, through the sister Cristina, was a lousy device for narration. The author spent far too many sentences and time portraying Cristina as dim-witted and jealous. Lines such as "I was my sister's slave" are so melodramatic they border on laughable. Whenever Cristinia apologized to the psychologist the novel switched into a telenovela mode. The character of Frida was more complex, which was a plus for the novel. Another strength of the novel was its inclusion of Mexican history and culture. The author's style of writing, however, was a nightmare. Every woman was described in the most cliche terms: beautiful, sexy, etc... Much of the writing was uncreative. The metaphors were predictable and obvious. I have been fascinated with the life of Frida Kahlo since I was eight and now I'm a woman. This review is for those of you out there interested both in Frida and in a solid, well-written book. Save your time and skip this book.