The Old Gringo

The novel is framed as the reminiscence of a woman. An old journalist heads to Mexico during the time of the Mexican Revolution seeking, not a story, but his death. He joins with a band of Pancho Villa’s guerilla fighters, led by General Tomas Arroyo, and witnesses events as they destroy all but the mirrored ballroom of a once great hacienda. And there he encounters a white woman, Harriet Winslow. Harriet had been hired as a governess for the owner’s children, but they had all fled by the time she arrived from the US, and now she is stranded and yet determined to stay and defend the property as best she can.

There has been much praise for this work; it was the first translated work by a Mexican author to become a bestseller in the show more United States. But I had great difficulty engaging with the characters and the plot, such as it was.

Fuentes interrupts the action with long stream-of-conciousness soliloquies by each of his characters. Some of these consist of one long sentence that takes more than a page of text to get through. Now, I’ve read other works with a similar technique – Jose Saramago’s works come to mind – and I’ve enjoyed them. But in this book, I felt that these interludes did nothing so much as interrupt the meager story and make me like the book even less.

Then there are the sex scenes. I’ll say this for Fuentes, he doesn’t pull any punches. But he also has NO IDEA how women think or what motivates them to act the way they do. These are nothing but a macho man’s fantasy. Enough said.

The Old Gringo in the story is based on Ambrose Bierce, an historical figure who disappeared shortly after he travelled to Mexico during that country’s revolution. But the name is mentioned only once towards the very end of the book. show less

Even though this novel came to me as a highly recommended modern classic, I didn't appreciate it that much. This may have more to do with me & my state of mind, however, than the book itself. The novel is a highly atmospheric portrait of Northern Mexico in 1914 at the time of the Revolution. The prose is dense & circular. Two gringos, a 71 year old man (purportedly the journalist Ambrose Bierce) & 31 year old woman, Harriet Winslow, cross the U.S/ Mexico border for differing reasons (the Old Gringo has come to Mexico to die, the younger woman to teach English to the children of Hacienda owners). These landowners have fled, however, in advance of the arrival of a contingent of Pancho Villa's troops commanded by General Arroyo. The rebels show more burn down all but the Hall of Mirrors ballroom. Arroyo grew up on this hacienda, son of an indigenous woman raped by one of the sons of the landowning family. The "action" takes place mostly as interior monologue or in conversations between and among the characters, Old Gringo, Harriet & the General. We also hear the tale of the Moon Woman, Arroyo's "woman." As the back jacket blurb suggests, the novel can be read as a meditation on death, love, the burden of history, border crossing, suicide, patricide etc. It just didn't enrich my thinking on any of these large subjects in any significant way. show less

There's a reason why Fuentes is one of my favorite novelists, and it's probably because he can pick up where history has left off, intertwining stories from our collective unconscious with imaginary personal testimonials. This is his vision of what happened to Ambrose Bierce, a journalist from the late 19th-/early 20th-century, after his disappearance into Mexico during the revolution. It uses a visceral language as a springboard for what is essentially a nostalgic journey, seamlessly bringing together the reality of what has been and the fantasy of what could be.

Everything about this story was deceiving. Despite the fact it was written in 1985 it has an old world language and culture to it. The time frame is supposed to take place in 1914 but to read it, it wasn't full of new language trying to sound ancient. Despite the fact it is only 199 pages long it was packed with histories of places and people, cultures and religions. The language was both accessible and challenging. It reminded me of fun house mirrors. Not everything was as it seemed.
Ambrose Bierce is an American writer and soldier traveling to Mexico to die. He is known throughout the story as simply the Old Gringo. Once in Mexico he meets several characters with equally troubling, mysterious stories. Tomas Arroyo is a Villa general show more who gives the Old Gringo competition when vying for the attention of Harriet Winslow, another American who came to Mexico to teach English. All the characters have a past they can't forget and a future they can't escape. The Old Gringo tells the story of these personalities with the same passion used to describe the Mexican landscape. In the end, the Old Gringo does die, but it is worth the read because there is definitely more to the story than that. show less

Wow! I loved this book. Fuentes' writing is amazing: dreamy, brutally honest, sensual. I expected the story to be more about the Revolution and Ambrose Bierce than it was. Instead I found a romance, an exploration of loss and pain, reconciliation with the past, and a tale of loneliness and humanity. I got a general sense that at least metaphorically it was also about relations between Mexico and the United States, but I don't think it really sank in for me. 4.5 stars.

I am looking forward to more of Fuentes' works. He is one of my new favorite writers.

The old gringo is a former journalist who lost everything due in part to his job. In his own words, he is "A contemptable, muckraking reporter at the service of a baron of the press as corrupt as any I denounced in his name, I attacked the honor and dishonor of all men, without distinction. In my time, I was feared and hated." As a reporter, he also saw many events which disturbed him greatly. As an old man, he comes to Mexico with a mission, to die, to make amends and to fight with Pancho Villa. Only some of his goals are achieved.

Would I recommend................Although I found some of the story muddled with memories most of the novel is written with stark clarity. It's the muddle that prohibited me from giving this novel a 5/5 but show more it came very, very close. I look forward to reading more of Fuentes in the future. show less

First line:
~ Now she sits alone and remembers ~

This was an odd book.

I found the writing lyrical, poetic and, as a result of that, really enjoyed it. It read like a fairy tale a lot of the time. However it was an odd book.

I appreciated the depiction of the culture of the Mexican revolution and the cultural differences of the two Americans in the story. I was thoroughly caught up in the story of Ambrose Bierce and the fact that he was a real person who, virtually disappeared into Mexico and was never heard from again.

I did find some it confusing and so that is why I am not giving it a higher rating. Enjoyed it though!