Any biography of Frida Kahlo has to begin in the shadow of Hayden Herrera's classic, which formed the basis of the film starring Salma Hayek (which this book made me watch and revisit all over again). While this biography can't resist the temptation to double back shortly after it starts to the bus accident (the blood, the shower of gold, etc) and her adolescent relationship with Alejandro Gomez Arias, for the most part the concept behind the book is strong and the author does herself a favour by sticking to Frida's experience in America, as well as providing some key context for how indigenous fashions and arts were viewed at the time - something also explored by the recent Frida exhibition in London in 2018/19 (?) but neglected by earlier studies. Celia Stahr does a good job of psychonalysing Diego and Frida and showing how the young Frida turned her mischievous side towards the puncturing of self-importance and bigotry, often through comic mispronunciations (I particularly liked 'So help me Goth.') On returning to the film, I paid particular attention to how this part of Frida's life was depicted and this is overall a welcome addition to the beautiful corpus of Frida studies.

Being a huge Frida fan, this book did not disappoint. It covers the time she spent in the U.S and how that influenced her work. Although this book only covers a short period of her life and, these snippets show what she was like both as a woman and an artist. It is an inspiring and fascinating insight into the Mexican artist. I would highly recommend and look forward to seeing the copy in print, complete with illustration and images. 
Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Frida in America" describes the life and work of artist Frida Kahlo. The book melds biographical information about her life with analysis of her paintings and the underlying political and national scene. Frida's stormy relationship with her husband Diego made her life interesting but also difficult. The book is well-researched, with many endnotes and bibliographic information. The material for the book is taken from letters and other source material. 

I found this book to be quite dense, and it seemed to skip around quite a bit, which made it difficult to follow for me. I would have liked a time line for her life to aid in following through the book. Readers seeking a comprehensive biography with analysis of her art will enjoy this extensive work.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Thorough research and empathy for her subject make this a thoughtful and insightful biography of Frida Kahlo, focussing on the three years she spent in the US, and exploring how this time informed her art and creativity. There’s a good balance between the details of Kahlo’s daily life and an in-depth analysis of her paintings. My eARC didn’t have illustrations of these paintings and I missed that (although they are easy enough to find online) but I understand that the printed version does, thus making the book an invaluable reference source. There were times when I felt the narrative strayed into fiction, with a bit too much speculation – this was particularly in evidence in the passages dealing with Kahlo’s miscarriage in Detroit - but overall I found the book an immersive and rewarding read, which gave me a deeper understanding of both Kahlo the artist and Kahlo the woman.

I'm a huge fan of Frida Kahlo's and I always love to learn more about her art and her life. "Frida in America" is an interesting book because it focuses pretty much solely on Frida's time in the US. This was somewhat of a brief time in her life, but she did create some of her most powerful works during her stay. I thought Stahr did an amazing job providing context for what was happening in the US during this time (including racial relations during the Scottsboro boys trial and the cookiecutter assembly line work of car manufacturers) to show how Frida's work would have been influenced by these factors. I enjoyed learning more about these historical events in the frame of Frida's Mexican heritage and upbringing. It was also insightful to get more background about Frida's feminist side and how she worked to upend gender stereotypes and biases. There was a little bit more art interpretation than I expected and some of the history of side characters took me too far away from Frida's story. But the main downside was that there weren't any pictures included in this ebook version of the text. So, I was basically stopping to look up images of her artwork every couple of minutes. Including pictures of her work next to the text discussing them would have made this a more seamless reading experience. Overall, anyone looking for a straight-forward biography of Frida could possibly be deterred by this snapshot of her life. But for ardent fans of Frida's work, this offers plenty of insights into her story and the effects of her stay in the US on her art.

It has been too long since there was a new book on Frida Kahlo, but Frida in America was certainly worth waiting for. The book focuses on the three years Frida spent in the United States in the thirties during the depth of the Great Depression. She followed her husband Diego Rivera across the country as he painted his murals, all the while discovering a country she had always been fascinated with and discovering herself as an artist.

Not only does the book describe Frida’s going-ons during those years with very insightful letters and diary entries from both Frida and her friends, but it also offers a perspective and background information on almost every aspect of American and Mexican life Frida came into contact with during that time. You almost get to know Frida and Diego intimately, offering a good balance between the private Frida and the public Frida, and her personality comes through in every page. The amount of research is amazing, and makes this book about much more than just Frida Kahlo.

Another major aspect of this book is the paintings Frida made during that time. Each painting is not only described, but also physiologically analyzed in detail. These parts of the book make for a slow read and bog down the otherwise swift story which sweeps one along. While it brought up certain aspects of Frida’s work I was not aware of, the focus on alchemy, no matter how important, got a little too much after a while.

I thought I knew quite a bit about Frida Kahlo, but this book offers a perspective which adds to the understanding of Frida the woman and Frida the artist. Frida in America is a great addition to any Kahlo fan’s library.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review of this book.

Frida!

Frida Kahlo. I love her work, her ideas, and the colourfulness of her personality. And yes, when I've visited Mexico I've picked up some wonderful pieces of fun jewelry that represent her, kitsch or not. I enjoy wearing something  that harkens to the talented and revolutionary soul Frida was in oh so many ways.
This book covers the years Frida spent in the United States and how that influenced her aesthetically and politically. Celia Stahr has captured the person of Frida. 
One idea that struck me was that, 'the duality of life for the Aztecs, as for Frida, was a bringing together of opposites. “Everything is all and one."' Added to this was that that "notion of duality remained rooted in the land, and it shaped Frida’s psyche," and is reflected in her work. In its unpacking, a foundational concept about Frida and her creative spirit.
Adding relevant art works or photographs would have enhanced the production, but despite this, Stahr's quite eloquent work about Frida is very readable.

A St. Martin's Press ARC via NetGalley

As a creative person myself I have long had a fascination with frida so when I saw a book on netgalley about her I jumped at the opportunity to request it. 

This book shows just a snippet of Fridas life but even so it is a very in depth view into that small time frame. I enjoyed the break down of her art and the meanings behind them but I sometimes found the writing hard to digest as it seemed to struggle a bit with flow in some parts.

I assume the final copy will have illustrations of her art throughout it so I would he very interested to see or own a final copy as I think with the illustrations it would bring the book to life a bit more and help to understand what some of the book is referring to. 

Nonetheless it was an enjoyable and educational book.

I read and own Hayden Herrera's Frida biography and compared this new biography focuses on her time in America. I find Frida absolutely fascinating and I enjoyed the in depth look, her thinking and the quotations.
However I believe this book isn't necessarily for everyone as there are longer passages and detailed analysis about the symbolism in her paintings.
The eARC doesn't contain any images but I believe the finished copy will.
A great addition.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.

As much as I actually like Frida Kahlo´s art, I know very little about her life, apart from the really well known stuff like her accident and her marriage to Diego Rivera. This book was very interesting and while it focuses on a relatively short period of her life, it gives me greater understanding of her, both as an artist and a woman. And it made me want to learn more about Frida. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about art in general, especially the lives of artists. And of course for everyone who loves Frida´s art and surrealism. Thanks to the good people at #Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of  #fridainamerica

My thanks to St. Martins Press for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Frida in America: The Creative Awakening of a Great Artist’ by Celia Stahr in exchange for an honest review.

This biography focuses upon the years that Mexican artist Frida Kahlo spent in the USA (1930-34) when she accompanied her husband, world famous muralist, Diego Rivera, after he was commissioned to paint murals in various cities including San Francisco, Detroit, and New York.

Stahr details how Kahlo’s interaction with other artists as well as the vibrant culture brought about changes in her style of painting. While there she also witnessed poverty further increased by the Depression, racial tensions, and the rise of anti-Semitism. This last element was being propagated by one of their hosts, a man admired by Hitler.

While my eARC didn’t contain any photographs or examples of her art discussed in the text, I contacted the publishers and understand that in the finished edition there will be a full colour insert containing eighteen photos/paintings.

While focusing on Kahlo’s years in the USA, Stahr also touches upon her early life and the years after her return to Mexico and her rising profile as an artist. 

In her acknowledgements Stahr outlines her research that including having access to the diary kept by Lucienne Bloch, the close friend of Frida and apprentice to Diego who had been with them during the years covered. In addition, she accessed hundreds of letters that Frida had written to family and friends. The book contains copious notes.

I found this a fascinating account and as a student of art history I appreciated Stahr’s in-depth analysis of the symbolism in Frida’s artworks, especially her exploration of their alchemical imagery.

It is certainly a book that I would recommend to those interested in the life and work of Frida Kahlo. 
I have now ordered my own hardback copy.

Frida Kahlo is an artist I have admired for years, and I really enjoyed this biography about her. I learned a lot about her, as well as her husband, Diego Rivera, and it is one I look forward to reading again. The book focuses mainly on Kahlo's time in the United States and the influence it had on her art and creativity. It also references Frida's life prior to her time in America, including biographical information about her parents. This book was beautifully written, with vibrant imagery reminiscent of Frida's colorful paintings. I really recommend it, even if you're not familiar with Frida Kahlo or her work.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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.

Frida in America by Celia S. Stahr is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late December.

Kahlo's travels through the U.S. with Diego Riviera to San Francisco, New York, and Detroit as told through lilting, lyrical, evocative prose, but not so deep or difficult that a high schooler could not read it. More specifically, it's about her witnessing and strongly disapproving the gap between the rich and the poor, especially in the years before the Depression; her physical and emotional condition, correspondence with her mom, critique of race, standards of beauty, love, and pride/strength; themes of rebirth, symbolism, and Mexican myth within her art and a colorful persona honed during her youth in Mexico; the further changes in her after she meets and settles down with Diego Riviera, his many muses and affairs, along with her own acquaintances and relationships.

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.