''Mexico'' is a novel by

James A. Michener James Albert Michener ( or ; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations, set in particular geographic locales ...

published in 1992. Michener began work on the novel in 1961, abandoned it, and returned to it in 1991.

Plot

The main action of ''Mexico'' takes place in Mexico over a three-day period in the fictional city of Toledo in 1961. The occasion is the annual bullfighting festival, at which two matadors — one an acclaimed hero of the sport, the other a scrapping contender — are prepared to fight to the death for fame and glory. Through the memories of the book's narrator, Norman Clay, an American journalist of Spanish and Indian descent, Michener provides plenty of historical background, including a depiction of the fictitious Indian civilization that once flourished on the city's periphery. The story focuses on bullfighting, but also provides insight into Mexican culture. The reader follows the bulls from their breeding to their "sorting" to the pageantry and spectacle of the bullring, where picadors and banderilleros prepare the bull for the entrance of the matador with his red cape.

Reception

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

gave a negative review, criticizing the characterizations and plotting, and wrote that ''Mexico'' "doesn't catch fire as a personal story." Despite this negative review, ''Mexico'' charted at number 8 of Publishers Weekly's list bestselling books in the USA for 1992.

References

1992 American novels Novels by James A. Michener Random House books Novels set in Mexico Fiction set in 1961 Novels set in the 1960s Novels about journalists {{1990s-hist-novel-stub