Frida

Book excerpt: Mexican painter Frida Kahlo life, work, and love are examined through the lens of her sister in this dramatic biographical novel. Frida Kahlo, painter and cultural icon, lived a life of extremes. The subject of an Academy Award(c)–nominated film starring Salma Hayek, Kahlo was crippled by polio and left barren by an accident when she was a teenager. And yet she went on to fall in love with and marry another star of the art world, muralist Diego Rivera. filled with passion, jealousy, and deceit, their story captured the world’s imagination. Told in the voice of Frida’s sister Cristina, who bears witness to Frida and Diego’s tumultuous marriage, this is a brilliantly vivid work of historical fiction. What unfolds is an intense tale of sibling rivalry, as both sisters vie for Rivera’s affection. Mujica imbues the lives and loves of these remarkable characters with sparkling drama and builds her tale to a shattering conclusion. Praise for Frida “A vivid creation. . . . This story burns with dramatic urgency.” —The New York Times “The best kind of fictionalized biography: rich, vibrant, and psychologically astute.” —Kirkus Reviews