VIDAS: Deep in Mexico and Spain
A wayward descendant of Mexico’s national hero, a femme fatale who recites poems in cantinas, a Tunisian prostitute in Barcelona, a Spanish psychiatrist who fights brave bulls, the wise owner of the world’s oldest restaurant. They are just a handful of the characters portrayed in VIDAS: Deep in Mexico and Spain, the first memoir to capture Mexico and Spain from the perspective of an American and the knowledge of an insider.
VIDAS explores subjects as diverse as the art of blasphemy, the cult of the Virgin Mary, superstition and witchcraft, the bordellos of Mexico, Spain’s paradise of drink and food, the bullfight and the running of bulls in Pamplona, the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Every chapter of this vibrant travel memoir depicts a different person or place, which combined create a cross-section of the most populous Spanish-speaking countries in the New and Old World. VIDAS is a passage from childhood to adolescence and maturity, a tribute to nature and the open road, an exaltation of love, food and wine, a journey from the tender, mortal flesh to the luminous world of the spirit.
My Review
This is the second book I have read by Mr. Stanton. The first was Wide as the Wind, a young reader book. So, I have gone to the other side of the reading spectrum with this book.
I do really enjoy the rich locations and the story itself. What I suffered from was the deep, emotional character connection. Thus I found myself at times reading the story but not really embracing it. Despite, this fact, I still kept reading this book because I enjoyed the rich history vibes I was getting while reading this book. Having read one other book from Mr. Stanton and really enjoying it, I knew what type of storyteller the author can be.
While, I may not have "loved" this book, I still would recommend readers looking for something different to read, to pick up a copy of this book for themselves. You might just discover a new author, where you want to read more books by. This was a fairly quick read for me.
WHY YOU NEED THIS BOOK:
Filled with photographs, this engaging and unique memoir provides a sensory travel experience many of us are craving today. VIDAS: Deep in Mexico and Spain offers the opportunity to learn about faraway lands and striking events while never leaving home. This timely "armchair travel" memoir is for anyone searching for an escape during our troubled time.
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