Great book, especially the way Michener describes the bullfights. He uses the festival of Ixmiq as the thread of the story, to give a historical view of Mexico (the first inhabitants, the colonization by Spain, the wars with America) and a vivid account of the current bullfights. Fantastic!
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I have read quite a few of Michener's books and learned a lot from them. Sometimes they can be a little dry but you learn a lot. This book read differently for me. The novel was about an epic bullfight, along with a lot of information about the rules and traditions. Interspersed in the book came the more usual Michener style of history told through realistic people that helped me understand the complex history of Mexico and the origins of many of its people. I almost thought at the end of the book (over 600 pages) that this really could have been 2 separate books.I really wanted the emphasis to be one or the other. ( )

Moins intéressant que d'habitude; en français, mais rangé avec les autres Michener anglais ( )

This is about generations of the Clay/Palafox family extending back to the Altomec indians and beyond.

The nucleus of the story revolves around bullfighting, and I learned more about bullfighting than I ever wanted to know, but the descriptiveness of the author drew me in, and I was captivated by the history; especially the ancient history. ( )

I loved this. Another of my favorite Michener books. As usual, rich characterization and plotting mix with history and historical figures. Certainly a good look at upper class Mexican life and culture. Helpful to me in understanding Mexico better and a very worthwhile read. ( )