Harriet Klausner's Review Archive
In 1999, he came to Detroit to begin filming a TV special on the famous twentieth century Mexican muralists. However, looking at one of the works, he finds himself captivated by a woman in one of the murals who seems eerily familiar before he realizes that she is his famous great grandmother, Laura Diaz.
He begins to think about the life and loves of Laura. Born in 1898, her lovers include Communists and other activists before she marries and has children. She watches as male members of her extended family die during the constant years of turbulence shaking her country. She becomes friends with some of the artistic elite and ultimately becomes one of them as a renowned photographer. As Mexico lives and dies with each new tremor, so has Laura Diaz.
Renowned author Carlos Fuentes has written his best work to date with the incredible THE YEARS WITH LAURA DIAZ. The story line centers on the life of the title character, but actually serves as a backdrop to the bigger mural of twentieth century Mexico. This entertaining, dark, but powerful novel provides an enlightening look at the nation and its people rarely seen in a novel. Senior Fuentes deserves awards for this classic biographical historical fiction.