Anaya has captured the nature of men and their beliefs in this simple tale juxtaposing evil and good, right and wrong, Catholicism and paganism, child and man. While the novel is very pensive, Antonio as a character is far too old for his years, even if he is a child of the 1940's. His introspection and maturity are simply not that of a 7 or 8 year old child. A novel of ideas more than a novel of action, the plot bumps along slowly from one senseless, violent death to another and interspersed with long periods of tedium. This novel does give a voice to the Chicano population in northern New Mexico and showcases early magical realism and it has some sociological significance as a result. Overall the book was a slow, sometimes mesmerizing read but isn't one that I'd suggest to most readers, knowing they'd be bogged down with the pace.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Review: Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Anaya has captured the nature of men and their beliefs in this simple tale juxtaposing evil and good, right and wrong, Catholicism and paganism, child and man. While the novel is very pensive, Antonio as a character is far too old for his years, even if he is a child of the 1940's. His introspection and maturity are simply not that of a 7 or 8 year old child. A novel of ideas more than a novel of action, the plot bumps along slowly from one senseless, violent death to another and interspersed with long periods of tedium. This novel does give a voice to the Chicano population in northern New Mexico and showcases early magical realism and it has some sociological significance as a result. Overall the book was a slow, sometimes mesmerizing read but isn't one that I'd suggest to most readers, knowing they'd be bogged down with the pace.
2 comments:
I have had to disable the anonymous comment option to cut down on the spam and I apologize to those of you for whom this makes commenting a chore. I hope you'll still opt to leave me your thoughts. I love to hear what you think, especially so I know I'm not just whistling into the wind here at my computer.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Popular Posts
-
Book clubs can make you go outside of your usual reading choices. This can be wonderful, allowing you to discover books that you would ne...
-
Not too long ago there was a list going around the internet to determine if you are an introvert. I didn't really need to take it to kn...
-
A tale of adultery that manages to withhold judgment as it traces the impact on all four people touched by an affair, Kylie Ladd's After...
-
I first read Kate Atkinson's Behind the Scenes at the Museum more than 20 years ago and was impressed by the creativity and writing ta...
-
What would you do if you opened the door to find a man you hadn't seen in 14 years standing on your doorstep, a man who disappeared from...
-
If someone came up to you on the street and told you that he was Jesus, would you believe him or would you think he escaped from the closes...
-
Cinco de Mayo is not the celebration of Mexican Independence. It's actually a regional celebration celebrating the victory of Mexican f...
-
Thanks to the lovely folks at Hachette Books I am giving away three copies of The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker. This ...
-
Read the synopsis: When Rebecca Brown goes to New Orleans to stay with her voodoo-obsessed aunt, she finds the beautiful city haunted by the...
-
After I finished school, diploma clutched tightly in my hot little hand, I realized that degree notwithstanding, I had some holes in my educ...
Looks great!
ReplyDeleteThis looks really intriguing, though bleak. I'm not sure whether this is something I'd want to read. I did enjoy your eloquent, thoughtful review.
ReplyDelete