Alburquerque (Mass Market Paperback)

~ Rudolfo Anaya (Author) "Ben Chavez walked into Jack's Cantina and ordered a beer at the bar..." (more)
Key Phrases: river bosque, gambling bill, hot tortillas, Frank Dominic, Walter Johnson, Juan Oso (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Chicano novelist Anaya's explosive study of political patronage and the search for ethnic roots takes its title from a New Mexican legend. In 1880, an Anglo stationmaster reportedly took the first R out of Albuquerque's name, a move that symbolized the emasculation of the Mexican way of life. Set in the present, this absorbing novel focuses on a young boxer, fair-skinned Abran Gonzales, who is shattered by the revelation that his parents adopted him. He meets his real Anglo mother, dying of cancer, on her deathbed, then sets out on a quest for his Mexican father--who, the reader quickly learns, is Abran's acquaintance, the writer/professor Ben Chavez. Unscrupulous, rich lawyer Frank Dominic becomes Abran's manager, promising that he will hire a detective to locate Abran's father and reveal his identity to the slugger during the big comeback fight of his career. Dominic, a con artist who wants to turn Albuquerque into a Venice-like tourist trap, complete with casino-lined canals, is running for mayor against Marisa Martinez, an independent maverick. Dominic acquires nude photos of Martinez in compromising positions, which threatens to derail Abran's true romance and the city's future. Anaya ( Tortuga ) spins a touching love story woven into a tale of treachery, a microcosm of the social and economic dislocations squeezing the American Southwest.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In his fifth novel, the best-selling author of Bless Me, Ultima ( LJ 2/1/73) sets an archetypal quest for the father in the city of "Alburquerque" (according to Anaya, the legendary spelling of the name), in which various characters vie for political power. Abran Gonzalez, a former Golden Gloves champion unaware that he was adopted, learns this secret from his biological mother on the night she dies. The revelation triggers a search for his father's identity that involves New Mexican politicos, a Rocky -like boxing match, and a man who believes his ancestors were bears. Other main characters also have murky ancestry; one Italian American even tries to prove that he was descended from the Duke of Albu(r)querque. At times melodramatic, the work has an intense spirituality that ultimately makes it mesmerizing. Highly recommended.
- Harold Augenbraum, Mer cantile Lib., New York
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 293 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446365440
• ISBN-13: 978-0446365444
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #822,022 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Boxing versus Maturation, October 20, 2002

By	Neil Scott Mcnutt (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book,copyrighted in 1992,precedes the trilogy about detective Sonny Baca beginning with Zia Summer (1995), and then Rio Grande Fall (1996), and the latest Shaman Winter (1999). I read Alburquerque after these three novels and enjoyed them all very much, but I feel that it would have been better to read Alburquerque first before the Sonny Baca novels. This is because some of the characters are presented in full detail in Alburquerque and play a major part in the later novels. It did feel strange to read Alburquerque in which Sonny Baca plays a very minor role. Here the center of attention is Abrán González who undergoes rapid growth of character in relationship to his search for his biological mother and biological father, his relationship to his adoptive parents, and his discovery of his true love Lucinda. Those who find boxing disgusting should still read this, in which the boxing is handled with grace and drama. The story is written in a direct style with great warmth. You find yourself really caring about the characters. The 293 pages fly by as the book plunges into its whirlwind ending.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 'r' is for 'real', July 19, 2000

By	Melissa Hardie "mjh1963" (Potts Point, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

According to Rudolph Anaya, Albuquerque lost its first `r' back in 1880, when the railroad reached Alburquerque and a stationmaster, unable to pronounce the Spanish word, dropped the letter. The title of this novel restores the `r' and by implication the "real" Albuquerque, seen through the eyes of the main character, Abran Gonzalez. The novel's plot is convoluted, involving an Oliver Twist-like tale of familial loss and restoration, a web of intrigue that stretches from City Hall to the barrio, and scenic tours of the city. It's highly sentimental, and at times rather overwhelmingly "poetic." I did find it very readable, though, and an interesting if overwrought introduction to the city. Anaya's eye on the city is, it seems to me, at least partly guided by the desire to "advertize" New Mexico, particularly in his evocation of its artist colonies, its wide open landscapes, and its self-conscious blend of mythologies and cultural identities. It's an interesting mix.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Could not put it down..., January 1, 2004

By	Kate (Sea Ranch, CA) - See all my reviews

I first read "Bless Me, Ultima" for school and I loved it so I then read "Alburquerque." I enjoyed both books very much. The dreams and healing magic tied into the Catholic religion was very interesting. The characters were unforgetable and the settings in the books I could see in my mind. I could not put it down and I read both in one day.