Frida's Bed

Fascinating book by an unusual author for this topic. Very well written and interesting if you have access to paintings of Frida Kahlo to see as you read about them. The story is painful to read since it elaborates her physically illness and great suffering.

This was a brilliant and enlightening story, in which Kahlo is an occasional narrator. She was born with spina bifida, developed polio at a young age, which caused extreme pain and atrophy of her right leg, and barely survived a horrible accident aboard a streetcar as a young woman, which led to chronic debilitating pain and disability throughout the rest of her life. Her mother gave her supplies to paint during her convalescence from the accident, and she turned to painting to take her mind off of the pain, and as a mode of self expression. She boldly took several of her works to the famed muralist Diego Rivera, referred to as "the Maestro" throughout the book, who almost immediately recognized her talent and her beauty, leaving his wife to marry the much younger Kahlo. Their marriage was a necessary but not happy one, as her art flourished with his support but his wanton infidelities took an emotional toll on her. Drakulic does a masterful job in unveiling Kahlo, and Frida's Bed feels less like a novel than a short autobiography. The author includes several descriptions of Kahlo's portraits within the story, but prints are not included. I had the catalogue from the museum exhibit, Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera, and could quickly refer to these prints. However, someone reading this novel without access to these prints, whether online or on paper, would not gain the same experience and understanding of her work. The last 30-40 pages were somewhat tedious and repetitive, but Frida's Bed was a fascinating psychological, medical and historical analysis of the life and work of Frida Kahlo, and is highly recommended.

Yes, I am astounded that nobody has written a review of this brilliant novel capturing the thoughts and last days of Frida's life. My God! The book has stayed with me even days after reading it. I so connected with Frida and her pains: both physical and mental. The author draws you in completely. I would have only wished for some paintings to accompany the prose...she makes several references to how several of Frida's paintings came about and it would have been lovely to reference them as I was reading. A good companion book to her biography, I'm sure.