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Michael Nesmith

The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora: A Novel Hardcover – November 1, 1998

by Michael Nesmith (Author)

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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.

Print length

245 pages
Language

English
Publisher

St. Martin's Press
Publication date

November 1, 1998
Dimensions

6.5 x 1 x 10 inches
ISBN-10

0312192967
ISBN-13

978-0312192969
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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

Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (November 1, 1998)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 245 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312192967
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312192969
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1 x 10 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #103,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #11,455 in American Literature (Books)

Customer Reviews:
40 ratings

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Michael Nesmith

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Michael Nesmith's career in music and television took him from starring in The Monkees to a celebrated run of albums as a solo artist and in the First National Band. He created the TV show Popclips, a forerunner of what would become MTV, and produced the films Repo Man and Tapeheads. He is the author of two novels and the founder of the Pacific Arts Corporation, which produces projects in the worlds of audio, video, and virtual reality, including Videoranch 3D. He lives in Carmel, California.

Photo Credit: Alex Battaglia

Customer reviews

5 star		58%
4 star		11%
3 star		14%
2 star		9%
1 star		8%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Amazon Customer

A very enjoyable listen

Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2011

Verified Purchase

This is an interesting little story, told in first person. It starts with a musician (Nez) who gets a tape from an old, wise doctor friend who lives in the swamps of south Louisiana (my neck of the woods). The tape is really engaging. Nez wants to know who made the music, finds out it's someone named Neftoon Zamora. He goes on a search for this Neftoon person.

The search takes him on a weird journey through the Southwest. Nez meets all kinds of interesting characters during his search, some of whom might or might not be Neftoon Zamora. There are all kinds of ancient native American (and other) legends of Zamora--has this person been around all this time? Is Neftoon a man or a woman? Is s/he around now?

Nez ends up in a strange place, somewhere in the mystical Southwest, and as events proceed, "who Neftoon Zamora is" becomes less important. Nez ends up committing some life-changing acts--life-changing for both him and the people he encounters. The reader (or listener) ends up realizing that the music that started the whole journey selected Nez, not the other way around (oooh, deep).

I enjoyed this book very much. It is clearly written, and like Mr. Nesmith's music, has kind of a dreamy, ethereal quality. He paints locales in the reader's/listener's mind that are compelling. The characters are all interesting, and, in my opinion, well-developed though subtly described. The author ties in several native American philosophies and makes interesting musical references. And I've felt like listening to this audiobook over and over again.

I just didn't like that the ending kind of happens all of a sudden, like it was tossed together to tie everything up in a neat bundle.

The audiobook is read by the author, BTW.

5 people found this helpful

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Corinne

Outstanding Read!!Love it!!

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2021

Verified Purchase

Brilliant!!! This book was such a wonderful surprise. I knew Mike was an outstanding song writer and singer. I never knew he was also an accomplished author. He puts the meaning of faith and love in a whole different realm in this book. His writing is supurb! I found two other books he wrote and I ordered them too! Thank you Mike!

Helpful

Richard A. Tucker

The best of what novels can be about

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2006

Verified Purchase

I'll put this as simply as possible: this is a wonderful book if you let yourself go. Drop all your real world fixations and and let this tale unfold. What's great is it's relevance to the real world while also loyal to the soul of music. That soul is our yearning for answers that will always be out of reach and yet painfully close enough to see. Neftoon Zamora is a legend and a reality. This one man's journey of discovery, both about himself and the world around him. And, that world is not always what it seems. I can't recommend this book enough but I admit some will find this book to be odd. In this case odd is good.

6 people found this helpful

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sandra blanton

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2017

Verified Purchase

I love it! Of course I'm a huge Nez fan so I love anything he does!!

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A reader in Montana

Different, not a page-turner

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2013

Verified Purchase

I got this because I absolutely had to read something from Michael Nesmith. I think he has a pretty good story and maybe his next book will be awesome.

2 people found this helpful

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Jerry Caveglia

An author much like the Monkees were musicians

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 1999

Verified Purchase

I really wanted to like this book, but boy is it shallow. It has no real plot or message. It has some nice sentences. Its alot like the Monkees' music....... a sham.

2 people found this helpful

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plug not

what did you expect?

Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2012

Verified Purchase

Carlos Castaneda meets Tom Robbins...halfway.

And 30 years too late.

Join the amateur author now, as he utilizes decades of daydreams to reinvent geography, geometry, physics, optics, history, anthropology, race relations, and the social contract...or whatever else pops into his head.

There's an outside chance you'll even be glad you did, at last part of the time.

One person found this helpful

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Bex

Dont waste your money on this boom

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2016

Verified Purchase

Awful book...yuk

One person found this helpful

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