John Nichols is perhaps one of our best contemporary writers, and it's a shame that he isn't more prolific and more accessible to the general reading public. He uses language like poetry, and his characters jump off the pages with their idiosyncracies. There are good guys, bad guys, and everything in between. Here, Nichols explores the subject that seems to most interests him, namely, the cultural destruction of a small southwestern town due to "progress," and the never ending quest for more riches. He never pretends that life was so great before, or that gentrification is always bad, but Nichols certainly wants the reader to understand the unfortunate consequences of converting a small town into a vacation spot on the lives of those who live there.
It is not easy to read "The Magic Journey." The plot tends to drag in places, and, Nichols liberally sprinkles his prose with Spanish, which, unfortunately, I don't speak. Nichols also tends to show off his prodigious knowledge concerning the southwest and its environment, and is somewhat heavy handed in his anti-progress stance. However, the writing is so beautiful that it is well worth it, even if you can read only a few pages of the book each day. Eventually, I intend to read the other two books in the trilogy. |
The Magic Journey: A Novel Books In Print, Audio Books.