I initially was very excited when I saw this book available for request. I, like many, admire Frida Kahlo's work and wanted to learn more about who she was and her life. This book takes a deep dive into her transformative years in the US and how they impacted her as a person, her art, and her relationships.

It's clear that the author has done extensive research and respects Frida. However, I really couldn't connect with a lot of the book. It's written in a way that, though factual, is meant to make you feel like you're there with Frida. This was true at times but I often felt like the choppy writing and the tangents the author went off on took away from this closeness. I skimmed most of the symbolic explorations of her work and read on mostly for the looks into Frida's life and experiences.

I enjoyed the author's thoroughness and I did find myself learning a lot, but the structure of the book and extensive tangents made it difficult to concentrate and made me less interested in the book.

This is such a wonderful dive into the details of Frida's live while she was in America. I learned so much and I consider myself a Frida fan, I've already read a bunch of books and saw the movie starring Selma Hayek. It is a bit dense and reading electronically I found it easier to bring up a copy of the paintings Stahr was talking about so I had a better visual. There is a lot of symbolism I was unaware of previously and Frida has been an amazing historical figure to learn more from.

Frida in America by Celia Stahr is a well researched book about the talented artist Frida. Readers who like biographies, art, and history will enjoy reading this book. We get to know Frida as a very complex person both in her relationships with her father and later Diego. Frida interacted with many famous people throughout the course of her life. She was an independent woman who endured much pain in her life as she developed her style. I particularly enjoyed learning more about the symbolism in her art as it connected to her culture and experiences. After reading this book, I feel like I understand her art on a deeper level. Celia Stahr enables us to make Frida and her art come alive. Great job!

Frida in America provides an interesting look into Frida Kahlo's (and consequently, Diego Rivera's) experience in the United States with some background on their lives before. I enjoyed how the book examined conflicting historical information, highlighting the difficulty of painting an accurate portrayal of the esteemed artist and personality. Kahlo is a bit of an enigma and that was reflected in the book. Though written in simple language, the book still feels quite academic, reflecting the extensive research that went into writing this book. It is not quite a quick read, but definitely a great reference for anyone interested in learning more about Frida. This is a good gift book and resource for deeper reading on Kahlo, her life and work.

I loved learning more about Frida as a fan I loved reading about a time in her life I had not heard about.Reading about her friendship with women who played important roles in her life.Also reading more about her art was fascinating to me.A wonderful book for anyone who is interested or loves this complicated talrntrd woman.#netgalley#Fridain America

I loved this book. Learning more about Frida and her time spent in the United States filled me with such wonder. The most fascinating thing to me was to discover how much her time in New York during the Great Depression influenced both her opinion of America and her art. Seeing how she developed as an artist while in America and learning more about her past before she came to the states made this a wonderful read. She is a complicated and passionate woman and Celia Stahr makes this very clear in her marvelous book. I really enjoyed this book. #fridainamerica

This was a fascinating look at how three years spent in the United States transformed Frida Kahlo into the artist she would become.

It was no small task to be 23 years old and to leave her family and country. Yet, when one is married to Diego Rivera, one must make great leaps and that's exactly what Frida did. By taking this leap, Frida was able to experience everything from tremendous beauty to great poverty and racial tension, among other things, and it would be a sensory experience that would inspire her as an artist and challenge her after a personal tragedy

Although other, more sweeping biographies have been written about Frida Kahlo, this one was fascinating mainly because of its focused study on her three years in "Gringolandia" which fascinated her mainly because she realized she was a stranger in a strange land. It's a riveting snapshot that provides insight into why Kahlo would become the artist she became. Kahlo fans will appreciate this perspective, and they will enjoy Celia Stahr's loving appraisal of her time in the United States.

Rating: 4 illuminating stars

Let me first state that I am a big Frida Kahlo fan. I have read several biographies about her. I have even been to her ‘Blue House’ (family home) museum in the Coyoacan neighborhood of Mexico City. While in Mexico City, I also visited Museum of Modern art, which displays many of her paintings. I am not an art historian, but I do enjoy art, and art history.

This book helped deepen my appreciation for Frida Kahlo’s work, and her tumultuous life. Its primary focus is the three years that she and her new husband, the muralist, Diego Rivera spent in the United States. During that time, they visited San Francisco, Detroit, and New York. I appreciated the way that the author interwove Kahlo’s life events of that visit with artwork she created. It gave me a deeper understanding of the underlying meaning of some of Kahlo’s paintings.

Kahlo was a woman of many layers and moods. She strove to stretch herself personally and artistically. Celia Stahr’s book helped me better understand more of the layers that drove Kahlo to become the artist that the world knows today. This was an interesting and extensive biography of a short period in Frida Kahlo’s’ life. It included the people and events who shaped that life. I found it entertaining and educational.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, St. Martin’s Press; and the author, Celia Stahr, for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fantastic read!! Just the simple fact of reading about Frida is such an honor and privilege!!! I will never get enough!! Thank you for E-ARC!!

This is a substantial biography of one of most iconic 20th century artists and a genuine feminist icon. Celia, after all, is an author who knows her stuff, given that she is a Professor on modern American and contemporary art at the University of San Francisco.

Ostensibly, the book focuses on Frida’s visit to the United States where, across three years, she not only established herself as a figure of fascination for the media and those in artistic circles, but during which time she also emerged from the vast shadow cast by her on her own terms as an artist – but also this was a period where the marital strains between these two icons and egos became too much to bear.

“Frida and Diego’s relationship was also buckling, but it wasn’t due to a lack of money or creature comforts. The emotional constraints of living in a foreign country where all eyes were focused on Diego and where Frida had to minor her behaviour and words had taken a toll.”

However, this 450-page biography is so much more as, after all, what is studying Frida without focusing on her formative years and her artistic output as well as her personal life? And Celia does both justice with the first 100 pages dedicated to Frida’s childhood – the influence of her father, her traumatic accident, and her fascination with identity – before moving on to examine how the USA and her time there influenced both her work and her life.

There are some fantastic passages in here; I particularly loved learning more about the friendship between Frida and Georgia O’Keeffe, understanding what art Frida was drawn to – who and what influenced her – and how she found herself in conflict with the Western art world, which was so often racist, sycophantic and false.
“In San Francisco, Frida had posed for Imogen and Edward, looking regal, intelligent, engaged and beautiful, albeit with hints of the “noble savage” in the way she was portrayed by those artists.”

Frida was an undeniably complex woman and Celia captures much of that internal and external conflict here but I respected her reluctance to spend too much gossiping about Frida’s personal life, instead focusing on how any relationship impacted on her art (it’s worth noting that I read this book with a copy of Frida Kahlo: Masterpieces alongside as Celia goes into great detail on the composition of Frida’s works, explaining their messages and the context in which each painting was created and finished).

This is a book that puts Frida the artist front and centre – and it is a most welcome book for doing just that.

This monumental biography by art historian Celia Stahr is breathtaking. Extensively researched and academic in nature as a reference work, the book is also highly engaging and accessible to art lovers, in general, and especially to those who remain fascinated by the iconic character of Frida Kahlo. Stahr follows Frida's ever-evolving life and ties Kahlo's experiences, values, and beliefs into a study of her art, showing how they are completely connected. Stahr has spent a decade of her life creating this masterpiece: a superior study!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital advanced reading copy. This is a well-written and interesting biography. If you are an art-lover I think that you might be particularly interested because, in addition to standard biographical information, the author provides analyses of Frida's paintings and information about the alchemy symbology that she incorporates into her work. He also provides insight into the psychological underpinnings of her work. I think that the title is a bit of a misnomer because he delves into Frida's childhood and background in Mexico, as well as her time in America. I will admit that I did not finish the book - it's quite long! I don't know how many pages, but the time estimate on my Kindle was over 12 hours to finish the entire book. I will continue reading it on and off in-between other books, but I wanted to make sure to provide my review in a timely fashion.

Frida in America is a biography of Frida Kahlo, during the time she lived in the United States. It’s an intricately researched and intimate look into Frida, her painting and her tumultuous life with Diego Rivera. I have always been intrigued with Frida and Diego and enjoyed the exhibitions of their work. However, I skimmed much of the middle section, as I found It laborious to read. Brava to Celia Stahr for her careful and organized gathering of information. Frida and Diego, a complex couple of genius skill, are brought to life on the pages of this biography. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

'Frida in America' by Celia Stahr is not a book only about the life Frida lived in America, but it also has insights about her life since her birth and to her death. I've read this book with great interest as it is the first biography I read of Frida Khalo. Learning about her childhood, about how she became such a great feminist influencer, and about her events in her personal life I did not know before was a great experience for me.
I would definitely buy a printed copy of this book and recommend it to anyone who is interested in Frida Khalo's life. Though the title suggests it is about her life in America, this book is much more than that.

***I received a free copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Frida is America by Celia Stahr is an intriguing look at the fascinating Frida Kahlo and her three years she spent in America.  The author does give the reader brief information about before and after the three year period but the bulk of the book is set during those three very important years in her artistic career.  Frida was only 23 when she came to America for the first time.  Diego had a commission in San Fransisco. 

The writing is very detailed when it came to describing the the paintings and Frida's clothing.  I stopped a number of times to look up a painting because I was fascinated by the descriptions.  The author is also very detailed about the symbolism that is present in Frida's art.  

This book is the culmination of 10 years of research by Celia Stahr.  She had access to numerous letters, journals, diaries, and newspaper articles.  It is very detailed in every aspect of the book.  I found the history in this book fascinating.  At times I did feel there was too much information on their friends but these friends were well known and influential people that had an impact on Frida and Diego's lives.  This was not a light read but I feel the author did an amazing job putting together such a detailed account of their three years in America.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. 
Biographies & Memoirs
Release Date: March 3, 2020

Frida in America by Celia Stahr is such a complex and detailed book predominantly about Frida Kahlo’s years in America and how they molded and influenced her artwork.

The book starts mostly narrating Kahlo’s early years and the defining moments that shaped her life to come. While her younger years were mostly tragic, they were also diverse and interesting. The different events and people in her life also lead to a highly dynamic mind, spiritual viewpoint, and thought process.

Kahlo had several interesting relationships. Many of these relationships, while with famous and influential people, were extremely unhealthy. Her family had an odd respect for her. They thought she was intelligent but unattractive. Her dad even believed she possessed a demon inside of her. Her very complex family life transfers us into her marriage to Diego.

Her marriage to Diego was all over the place. Their union was sad and so unhealthy. It was said that Kahlo always shared her special people with others.

There is so much detail about Frida’s art. Her art expressed her life’s story is such a unique way. Kahlo’s sexuality is a key component in this narrative and is explored in great depth. It was so influential in her artwork. The details that Stahr researched and included were fascinating. They gave me a fresh perspective on Kahlo’s artwork.

This book contains a secondary story and that is the history of the world along with the thoughts and beliefs of people at the time. The book crosses over a few majour cities and the different art and culture that were prominent at the time, in each area. There are several famous and historic people of interest who are touched on, as well. Like all of Kahlo’s other relationships, these relationships were just as unique and often tragic.

While I enjoyed this book, it was a little much for me. I love well researched books and I really appreciate the time and effort that Stahr put into her work. My favourire component was the historical aspect and the thoughts and culture of the time, followed by the details and symbolism that Kahlo incorporated into her artwork. While, Kahlo’s life is important and the main reason anyone would want to read this, for someone newer to her life there were a lot of details to sift through.

Frida in America is extremely well researched and very detailed account of a transformative time in Kahlo’s life. For anyone interested in her or her art this is the perfect book to start with.

I received an electronic Advanced Reader Copy from St. Martin’s Press through Net Galley. All opinions are 100% my own.

FRIDA IN AMERICA is a deep education in to the gifted artist's work as well as her life. Her work has always fascinated me, as has her life and I was eager to learn more about her through Celia Stahr's book. And that I did.
Kahlo is a rich and intriguing subject for a biography -- and Stahr offers her readers a lot of insight in to the sub-text of her art.

I loved the subject matter, but found the writing dry---if there was as much passion in the text as there was within Kahlo, it would have been an even more rewarding read.

I am grateful to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.

For a biography with this title, this books spends a lot of time delving into Frida's childhood and teen years, as well as with a couple of trips she took back to Mexico while largely living in the USA, but the subtitle of this volume is "The Creative Awakening of a Great Artist." That time she spent and the experiences she had, whether in the US or in Mexico, or traveling between the two, contributed immensely to the intriguing artist she became.

The bio starts out brightly with Frida and her husband, artist Diego Rivera, traveling to and arriving in San Francisco, but that all comes to a jarring halt as we travel back in time for a history of her life up to this point - which occupies fully a quarter of the narrative - before we get back to her life in the US. For me that wasn't so bad because I find the subject of this biography endlessly fascinating, but others might find themselves irritated when the title so boldly promises a US story and they get sent to Mexico for an extended period! Maybe such readers should learn to be less provincial?!

What did impress me was how well researched this is. I've read a variety of books about Frida Kahlo, but never one that was so delving and so revealing of her inner workings as this one is. It was impressive and truly engrossing for me. Regardless of what it meant before, her art takes on a whole new meaning once you're initiated into the symbolism she employed so often in her work. The story picks up back in the US with Diego's commission, his workaholic approach to his painting as well as his endless philandering and his absurd misgivings over his (at least initially) erroneous belief that his wife was as bad as he was. Far too many men project like that, and poor Frida has to deal with all of this largely by herself.

The book has a wealth of detail about their life both in Mexico and in the US, the people they met, the relationships they formed and the impact they had, as well as the experiences that moved them in return. They were very influential on each other too, each taking cues from the other's work, and expanding or amplifying them in their own art. In a way, their art was a way of talking to each other about topics they perhaps felt uncomfortable discussing face to face.

Frida's initial love-affair with the US was an uneasy one at best, and it quickly turned to disappointment and antagonism the longer she remained there. She missed her family and her homeland greatly which didn't help her state of mind, and her husband was very neglectful of her, focusing on the murals he had arrived in the US to paint, and working insane hours, leaving Frida very much to her own devices. She cultivated her own friends and relationships and worked on her art, showing increasing sophistication and steady improvement over her time in the USA. This books explains all of that and excavates, sometimes a bit too deeply for me!) the meaning, symbolism, and origins of her imagery.

If I have a complaint about this book, it's the same one I would have (and have had!) about any such book where art is discussed in detail, and that is the complete lack of any examples of her art, or any photographs of her which were taken during her travels. Fortunately, with the name 'Frida Kahlo' being so very well-known these days, it's possible to find on the Internet a lot of the pictures discussed in this biography, but it's a nuisance to have to halt reading and go searching for them.

Many images, in particular the photographs that are mentioned, I could not find, which was very frustrating. I don't know if the author's intention is to include the images in a print version and they were simply omitted from the review ebook. I wouldn't blame her for that, because Amazon's crappy Kindle format is renowned for mangling anything that's not plain vanilla text, but if the pictures could have been included in a PDF version of the book made available for review, that would have been truly awesome! It made it rather tedious at times to read a long and detailed description of the art or a photograph without being able to readily view it, or in some cases without being able to see it at all.

That aside, I really enjoyed this book and commend it as a worthy read. But then I'm heavily biased when it comes to Frida Kahlo. She probably the first person I'd visit if I ever managed to get my hands on a time machine! I commend this book as a worthy read for fans of art or of Kahlo.

Frida in America is a very thorough account of Frida’s life in America.

What I enjoyed most was that it didn’t just cover her day-to-date. It also delved into what was happening in the background of Mexico and the United States. It was interesting to learn about the different cultural and political aspects of the world in which she grew up and visited when she was traveling with Diego. Rom the clothes that she wore to the popular art of the time, it was great to have a full picture of the times. 



Something else I loved was how Frida carried Mexico with her wherever she went. She had such a strong connection to the country and her family, and this book does a great job of expressing that. 


An annoying thing about this book is the constant italicizing of Spanish words, followed by what they are in English. While possibly helpful for non-Spanish speakers, it felt as if they were just throwing random words in for really no reason. It doesn’t feel authentic.

I found the story of Frida Kahlo’s years in the US to be fascinating, but the book seemed weighted down by a lot of backstory that could have been summed up in fewer pages. It’s a very meticulously researched book and one that can be used for reference.