The Crystal Frontier [Paperback]

Carlos Fuentes (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harvest Book | Publication Date: October 15, 1998

From Mexico’s preeminent man of letters, “a Balzacian novel in nine masterly stories” (Vanity Fair) that explores the “uneven and painful meshing of two North american cultures” (Washington Post Book World). A New York Times Notable Book of the Year. A Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year. Translated by Alfred Mac Adam.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Leonardo Barroso is an unscrupulous Mexican oligarch whose fortress of a villa is only a short drive from the "crystal frontier" of the title, and each one of the nine stories comprising this work explores the life of someone touched by him. There's Juan Zamora, whose medical studies at Cornell were made possible by the stratagems of Barroso; the beautiful Michelina from Mexico City, whom Barroso marries; off to his son and then takes as his own, and the working girls of Barroso's maquiladoras, who lust after the gringo male dancers of the clubs. The outrageous racism of Fuentes's Anglo characters, such as Miss Amy Dunbar and border patrol Dan Polonsky, may seem excessive and stereotyped, but it is also hard to deny that such attitudes exist along this troubled border. Fuentes masterfully interweaves Mexican politics, economics, and history within the individual stories, giving a brilliant update on relations between an extremely poor country and the richest in the world. A recent (1995) and highly recommended work by Mexico's premiere novelist.?Jack Shreve, Allegany Community Coll., Cumberland, Md.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Fuentes has no qualms about using fiction as a vehicle for social analysis. When this union between art and commentary succeeds, it generates indelible scenes of tremendous passion, of which there are many in this set of nine loosely connected stories, but when it fails, Fuentes' tales turn awkward. It may be that Fuentes' immense sense of responsibility toward Mexico and its people--a commitment that compels him to dramatize the entrenched corruption and ferocious poverty that drive so many people across the border--at times simply overwhelms the delicate emotional balance crucial to the magic of a story. That said, these are nonetheless gleaming fables about the volatile and urgent relationship between Mexico and the U.S., unnerving stories rich in metaphor, wit, and remarkable characters, from Don Leonardo Barroso, an ambiguous figure of great wealth and power, to Juan Zamora, who leaves his oppressively poor life in Mexico City to study medicine at Cornell, where he discovers both his homosexuality and his deep compassion. Then there's young, vulnerable Marina, who dreams of seeing the ocean as she works assembling televisions in a factory along the border, and the hero of the haunting title story, Lisandro Chavez, who, along with dozens of other men, is flown into Manhattan to spend a weekend cleaning the inside of a glass skyscraper, the latest high-tech form of migrant labor. Fuentes boldly shines his high beams on "the illusory crystal divider, the glass membrane between Mexico and the U.S.," thus illuminating both our vast differences and our manifold connection. Donna Seaman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (October 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156006200
• ISBN-13: 978-0156006200
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Culture Clash, October 17, 2000

By 

Enrique Torres "Rico" (San Diegotitlan, Califas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Crystal Frontier: A Novel in Nine Stories (Hardcover)

Carlos Fuentes is without doubt one of Mexico's most prolific writers. The fact that his novels are filled with social- political commentary makes him controversial. Some people like their novels without the authors views, others love it as they like the added "realism". Fuentes makes no qualms about his views and his portrayl of Mexicans on both sides of the border and the huge differences in cultures which create conflicts. The concept of this book is interesting but falls a little short on substance. Nine chapters detailing different peoples lives on both sides of the border and how they are interelated. The loose interweaving of the characters lives on both sides of the border are accurate and hence disturbing to some readers. The story centers around one powerful Mexican, Leonardo Barroso and various other people on both sides of the border who are loosely connected. The beauty of this book is in the authors insight into the vast differences between Mexico and the U.S. and how this plays out on his characters. Fuentes is a master of language and his imagery is magnificent. His use of language creates a world that takes on a new life as he transports the reader into his world. An example is one of his characters missing life in Mexico " Not a single tile, not one adobe brick-only marble, cement, stone, plaster, and more wrought iron, gates behind gates, gates within gates, gates facing gates, a labyrinth of gates, and the inaudible buzz of garage doors that opened with a stench of old gasoline, involuntary urinated by the herds of Porsches, Mercedes, BMWs that reposed like mastodons within the caves of the garages". Fuentes is a master at drawing vivid paralels as he creates images of Woolworths contrasted with mercados, or his symbolism of the Vatican and Washinton DC or his tirade on American TV pop culture filled with references to Elvis and filled with such diverse topics as Pat Boone, Charles and Diana jewelry from the Home Shopping Channel, credit cards, CD's with greatest hits, and my favorite, diet milkshakes. For people who live along the border this book is a riot at times and at others reflective of a sad and tragic love story, the relationship between cultures in the US and Mexico. As a character in the book reveals on a tatoo on his lower lip, We Are Everywhere. An excellent book for all interested in what makes these two countries "so far from God so close to heaven".

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Un libro muy bueno., June 30, 1999

By 

Christian Anderson (University Park, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Crystal Frontier (Paperback)

If you want to understand the complex relationship between Americans and Mexicans this is an excellent read. You'll get more out of it than any dry textbook on Mexican identity and relations with the US. It's not his best work but it is very good.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insights from the Outsider, January 22, 2002

By 

"pomorie" (New Haven, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Crystal Frontier (Paperback)

Fuentes does not bridge the gap between two colossal cultures, he defines that gap. As a gringo in his own country Mexico, and a foreigner in the US, he is qualified and capable to draw a honest and sensitive picture of these two countries and its characters. He uses the physical divide to draw a picture of what really matters to him - the poverty and impasse existence of myriads of people in Mexico. Luckily, there is only a hint of his (far leftist) politics, and we are allowed to enjoy his cultural insight, deep understanding of characters, compassion for suffering, and sense of humor. A powerful author, but short of the genius of friend and peer Gabriel Garcia Marquez.