Customer Reviews

The Delight Makers a novel of prehistoric Pueblo Indians

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Bandelier first published this work in 1890, hoping to reach the general public with the facts he had uncovered (literally) about the Indians of the Four Corners area. As a scientist, he was thorough and certainly the authority on the ancient Pueblos. As a writer, he was more an historian than a story teller. Nevertheless, you will gain a lasting and factually accurate impression of "the way it really was" if you can overlook his stereotyped comments and presumptuous views. Considering the Mesa Verde fires of 2000 (which uncovered several hundred new Anasazi sites) this book rekindles interest in the ancient mysteries of the cliff dwellers. It is easy to see Bandelier's Queres Indians as the Anasazi, and derive a relationship between his Koshare (Delight Makers) and the ongoing affection that modern man holds for Kokopelli. As tedious as some of the reading may be, finishing the book will leave you with a feeling of accomplishment; and you may even retain some words from the language of the times.

I taught a high school senior elective called Literature of the American West and included The Delight Makers. It was the highlight, along with Owen Wister's original Western, The Virginian, of the class. Bandelier reimagines the lives of the cliff-dwellers, based on his first of a kind, primary, on-site research, and tells a story that is captivating, vivid and extraordinary, bringing us into the heart and mind, albeit envisioned by a white European male, of the native American culture. But, I for one, think the spirit in which he envisioned and wrote his tale is of the same spirit which guided and fostered and, eventually, destroyed the cliff-dwellers. If my not-above-average high school seniors delighted in this book -- you will, too. Once you get into the story, any awkwardness to Bandelier's language is washed away in the ongoing stream of an amazing narrative.

The Delight Makers is an interesting book from historical, anthropological and sociological perspectives. It looks at prehistoric life in the Native American communities in New Mexico. That part is great. The author, Adolph Bandelier, was a pre-eminent scholar in this field in the late 1800. His knowledge and scholarship shine through in many places.

Unfortunately, Bandelier chose to share his knowledge in the form of a novel. His prose tends to be stilted and there are long passages that get bogged down in sociological details. These are fascinating, but they don't suit the format of a novel. It made reading The Delight Makers rather tedious at times.

Also, the choice of fonts in the paperback edition was a poor choice. Sometimes parts of letters were not visible, punctuation was missing, and similar types of problems. It made me slow down my reading at times just to literally figure out what was supposed to be on the page.

i downloaded this book on my kindle and i recieved
nothing on my kindle i don't know what happened
i was really dissappointed.