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Carlos Fuentes always entertains his readers, sometimes he is more entertaining than others, unfotunately this novel falls into the other category as it is not one of his best works but good nonetheless. However early Fuentes(written in 1967) reveals glimpses of the brilliance that is his mastery of the written language and knowledge of history and philosophy. Ever the observer of his own novels, often in the form of the unknown narrator, Carlos Fuentes looks upon his written creation from afar like a God overseeing his children. Fuentes invokes his trademark rants about Mexico's modern condition juxtaposed with comparisons to the tragic brilliance of it's past and how this past(the conquered nation) has created a future shrouded in skeptcism of it's rulers and a unknown place in the modern world. The novel is like a road movie where the action and dialogues are between people thrown together by fate , each character with different baggage that they want to leave behind in their quest for a new future. Fuentes uses the characters in the novel to display his knowledge of European and Mexican history, sharing his viewpoints in the guise of the characters, sometimes advocating a point only to make the reader think outside of the box. Four people travel in Mexico in a VW for some misadventures.Didn't everyone travel in a VW in the sixties? Franz, the German, allows Fuentes to reveal his thoughts on the holocaust and nazi Germany with flashbacks of Mendelssohn, German expatriates luring in their new found Argentina hideaways with mugs of beer and sausages with mustard and sauerkraut. His girlfriend Isabel or Lizzie as she is often called when not referred to as "pussycat" is the liberated woman who is always looking for something new. The other woman is Elizabeth or Beth who is madly in love with the Mexican Javier who is to wrapped up in his own unsuccessful life to be bothered with her. Javier is older now and reflecting on his ill fated accomplishments. This cast of bohemian vagabonds are as diverse and unlikely a pairing to be on the road together that one wonders how can they stand each others company. That is the beauty of the writting, it is the perfect avenue for an array of thoughts and musings. They are all on the road to find their nirvana like many young people did in the sixties so in that regard it is a nice portrait of life on the road to discovery in the sixties. Carlos Fuentes appears late in the novel as Freddy Lambert, the genius who moves his characters like puppets on a string through the storied history amidst colorful characters like the Dragoness, Morganna , the White Rabbit and others through the dark alleys and streets of Mexico for some good laughs and thought provoking literature. Recommended for a portrait of Carlos Fuentes early on in his brilliant career.

This is a strange, rambling, but entertaining pastiche which is characteristic Fuentes. Even his best works are uneven, and this novel is decidedly so; but Freddy Lambert's narrative drama is sometimes splendid. The plot concerns a group of friends who trade various ideas and histories with one another (as well as sex) on a long journey into a metaphorical past. On the way, there are long asides regarding the conquest of Mexico, fascism, and literature. All goes well until the conclusion: Fuentes inverts the novel by repeating its major incidents with a set of different (and symbolic) characters, in a sequence which is neither insightful nor interesting. In a way, the novel is a very good summation of its author: the man who said "I am abundant," in reference to his virility has always had more ideas that he can edit.