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| May 10, 2001 |
The Years with Laura Diaz
Carlos Fuentes
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An epic tale from Carlos Fuentes that spans no less than the entire twentieth century. The tale is told almost exclusively in Mexico and traces the path of one woman, Laura Diaz, through her life and her loves. Sometimes it felt like a bit of a slog through the political rhetoric associated with the rise of Communism, the Spanish Civil War, and even McCarthyism, but the character of Laura came shining through it all and kept me reading. The best parts of the book for me were her interactions with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, and any discussion of art in general. In fact, it was a fabulous payoff when after her many years of living Laura finally discovers her own artistic talent. "It was impossible to have art and life at the same time, and in the end Laura Diaz was thankful that life had preceded art—for art, premature or even prodigal, might have killed life." Exactly.
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