Crystal Frontier [Import] [Perfect Paperback]

Carlos Fuentes (Author)

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 266 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury; New Ed edition (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0747543941
• ISBN-13: 978-0747543947
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,232,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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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.