The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora: A Novel [Hardcover]

Michael Nesmith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1998

Who is Neftoon Zamora? According to stories, he (or she) was part Zuni, part Martian, part Delta Blues player, and had come from the Great Spirit, Mars, or some place in Mississippi, thousands of years ago. Is Neftoon Zamora merely folklore, a tale told by fools to children? Or does Neftoon Zamora really exist, living in a small, hidden settlement in the mountains of New Mexico? Welcome to THE LONG SANDY HAIR OF NEFTOON ZAMORA, a first novel of magical realism by Michael Nesmith.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hey, hey, he's a Monkee, but is he a writer? Readers will wonder as Nesmith turns his talents to fiction with a polemical New Age novel about a mysterious beauty who enchants wherever she goes. When Nez first hears a tape of Neftoon Zamora at a friend's house in New Orleans, he becomes so enchanted with the bluesy sound that he follows it to its source in New Mexico. There he encounters the many legends surrounding ZamoraAwhom some see as a man and others as a womanAas well as Neffie, a captivating girl whom he initially mistakes for Zamora but who is in reality (or one reality) part of an elaborate scam. Pursuing his fantastic quest, Nez becomes increasingly enthralled by Neffie and by her Utopian hometown, an ancient Anasazi city, self-sufficient and hidden from the world in the side of a canyon. Unfortunately, Nesmith's pedestrian observations and gee-whiz tone undermine his wacky premise, which he plays out at a YA level of sophistication. In addition, the book sometimes devolves into opinions held together only loosely by the artifice of plot. Nez pontificates digressively on everything from "how regimented and bureaucratic names are" to the blatant commercialism of the how-to-succeed industry. Will Nesmith the writer match the success of Nesmith the Monkee? Even readers who agree with his opinionsAe.g., that poets should be more important than football players; that the Net can be a dangerous thingAare unlikely to find themselves whistling "I'm a believer."
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

This book rises in the imagination like a fantastical building in the desert. It is an extraordinary assemblage. You simply have no idea what Nesmith is going to spring on you in the next paragraph--ancient stories, new wisdom, or a sudden damn good joke, all held together with the rhythm of prose which flows like music. America may have temporarily mislaid its soul, but luckily it has been found again and returned intact in the pages of this remarkable book. ----Douglas Adams, author ofThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Long, Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora is a first rate novel, informed by an imagination that turns the story truly in the direction of myth. To read it is to be enchanted. To have read it is to be haunted. Michael Nesmith is accomplished in several worlds. To these accomplishments he now adds a significant contribution to the world of fiction. ----N. Scott Momaday, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of House Made of Dawn

A mystical search through the southwest for beauty and truth, Michael Nesmith writes with a rythym and color that is as enveloping as his terrain. This is a writer rich in humor, with a delighfully canny sense of the modern picturesque novel. It's a wonderful ride with Mr. Nesmith. ----Wendy Wasserstein, author and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of The Heidi Cronicles

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 245 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312192967
• ISBN-13: 978-0312192969
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,381,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Action-packed entertainment, April 26, 2000

By 

Cynthia Sue Larson "www.realityshifters.com" (San Francisco bay area, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora: A Novel (Hardcover)

When I read this novel, I felt like I was watching a movie. This book's plot moves along fluidly, and its characters and setting are enchanting. I especially love the element of uncertainty regarding the title character, Neftoon Zamora, and that of the other main character, affectionately known as "Nez". Michael Nesmith seems to have put much of his own persona into this character... Nez's love of music, cars, and airplanes has a depth that comes from living with those passions full-time. I cared about Nez and whether he would succeed in his quest for the mythological Neftoon Zamora and the amazing blues music he'd heard on a cassette tape so much that I brought this book everywhere I went while I was reading it. I found several passages in this book to be so entertaining that I read them aloud to friends, and I am certain I'll be back to read this book again! I'd also love to see it come out as a movie -- it certainly seems to have been written with the medium of film in mind.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars still marching to a different drum..., August 6, 2000

By 

Carroll "cak813" (Rego Park, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora: A Novel (Hardcover)

Michael Nesmith has defied categorization as a musician so why should it be a surprise to anyone that as a writer he is difficult to pigeonhole, also? I generally go for biographies and history-type books; this was a stretch for me but I read it because it was written by Michael. I got caught up in the first chapters and could barely put it down; I got a little lost with the ending but overall I really liked the book. It has to contain the best description of being in love that I have ever read - that alone is worth the price of admission!! I loved his use of "five dollar words"; I can honestly say that I had never heard of the word "mansuetude"!! Way to go, Nez. Talent, good looks, and a good vocabulary, too - a deadly combination. I know he's working on a second novel (I believe it's called "The America Gene") and I will be looking forward to reading that. Hmmm... a movie of "Neftoon Zamora" - perhaps it's better left to the cinema of the mind.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tapestry of imagination, love, and adventure!, December 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora: A Novel (Hardcover)

From the creative mind of Michael Nesmith comes a epic journey into a contemporary world of inner-self exploration. Set in the mythic desert of the United States Southwest, this rich tapestry of illusion and adventure takes us along for a mind boggling ride of discovery. Michael Nesmith takes up the quill in stylings similar to Richard Brautigan, Tom Robbins, Gino Sky, Douglas Adams, and others. NEFTOON ZAMORA offers the witty mysticism of Charles Finney's CIRCUS OF DR. LAO in a contemporary setting of romance and wonder. Take the time to settle down with this book. I found myself unable to set it down once I read the opening words that spun the tapestry of a richly enchanting tale. Follow Nez on his journey to Chuchen and beyond. You'll be glad you did.