The Old Gringo
Carlos Fuentes
The Old Gringo is a fatalistic novel of the convergence of the lives of three people; an old American newspaper reporter, a general of the Mexican Revolution, and a spinsterish American shoolteacher who are caught up together in the Mexican Revolution.
I thought the book was o.k., but it really wasn't my style. It was interesting enough that I stayed with it to finish it, but that's about it. The title character is said to be based on the authro Ambrose Bierce. It did make me curious enough to think that I might want to read more about him, or read some of his writing someday.
The novel is steeped in a deep fatalism that is at times juxtaposed with a great beauty and a certain , intense lust for life. As I finished the book, I realized that this is probably indicative of Latin American writing and culture, and that it was, perhaps, thre cultural barrier that had kept me from enjoying the book more than I did.
