Mexico
by James A. Michener
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Book Summary Information
Author: James A. MichenerEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1994-03-02
ISBN: 0449221873
Number of pages: 672
Publisher: Fawcett
Book Reviews of Mexico
Book Review: The Majesty of Mexico
Summary: 4 Stars
Forty-five years ago, James A. Michener walked away from a novel he was writing about Mexico. He had "run out of steam" and decided that some time away from the work would be beneficial. In July of 1992, his notes and manuscripts were rediscovered. Keeping the core of his original work, Michener completed the novel that was published as "Mexico". Although not perfect, it was a very entertaining and extremely interesting 672 pages.
The story involves Norman Clay, and American journalist of Mexican ancestry who has been sent to Toledo, Mexico (the fictional city of his birth), to cover the 1961 Izmiq Festival for a New York magazine. Expecting a spectacular bullfight on the third day of the festival, Clay fills his thoughts with childhood memories and a history of the city as seen from the perspective of his forebears. The landscape of Toledo, dominated by an ancient pyramid and a 16th century cathedral, provides the colorful setting for Michener's often sentimental journey into Mexico's past.
"Mexico" draws the reader into a universe where time is fluid and events that happened 1400 years ago seem just as current and relevant as the contemporary Ixmiq Festival. This idea of connection is Michener's central theme. Early in the book, Clay says, "I could look nowhere without seeing the handiwork of someone in my family, stretching back for more than a thousand years, tied to the harsh red soil of Mexico." The land, its history and its people are the chords that bind life in Mexico together.
Michener has created this historically based world, and filled it with characters who speak and react as real people do for a dual purpose. The technique creates an environment in which the reader can enjoy beautiful sunsets, the grandeur of a proud and ancient civilization, or the intricacies of the bull ring while Michener explores historical, sociological and human issues in an unassming and entertaining manner.
The son of a Mexican mother and an American father, Norman Clay personalizes and symbolizes the ancient and ongoing struggle of opposing forces in Mexico. Clay's need to rediscover a sense of purpose and belonging in his life is an important thread that weaves through the novel.
Michener's descriptions of the fictional civilization of the Drunken Builders, who constructed the pyramid at Toledo is one of the strongest parts of the book. As a result of their excessively comfortable and peaceful existence, the Drunken Builders eventually lost their connection with the things and ideas that gave value and purpose to their lives.
As the Builders' culture declined, they became aware of an enemy that threatened to destroy them, and yet they did not prepare for defense. Instead, they "began to speculate on what life would be like if the invaders triumphed". When they were finally invaded by an aggressor inferior in both numbers and character, they meekly accepted the destruction of their once proud and powerful society.
Michener is very skilled at bringing characters to life, that when the invaders simply walk into the city and conquer it without a struggle, the sense of tragedy, waste and foolishness is almost palpable.
"Mexico", although not perfect, did strike a deep chord. Michener clearly sees and delineates the need to be in some way connected, somehow a part of something more important than ourselves. History is the backdrop on which the mosaic of life gains its value and permanence. Michener uses the past as both a tool and a foundation; his characters gain greater understanding of themselves through knowledge of the past.
Summary of Mexico
"Astounding...Fast-moving, Intriguing...James Michener is back in huge, familiar form with MEXICO."LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
Here is the story of an American journalist who travels to Mexico to report on the upcoming duel between two great matadors, but who is ultimately swept up in the dramatic story of his Mexican ancestors. From the brutality and brilliance of the ancients, to the iron fist of the invading Spaniards, to the modern-day Mexicans battling through dust and bloodshed to build a nation upon the ashes of revolution, James Michener weaves it all into an epic human story that ranks with the best of his beloved, bestselling novels.
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