Trozas: A Novel

Average customer rating:

A tale of mud, maleria, insects, whipping, and injustice.

Traven does it again

Open Up Your Eyes

Excellent description of life in the Monterias

Man's inhumanity to man!

Trozas: A Novel
B. Traven
Manufacturer: Ivan R. Dee, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Government

March to the Monteria

General from the Jungle

The Carreta

The Rebellion of the Hanged

ASIN: 1566632196

Book Description

This first English translation of Trozas, the fourth of Traven's legendary Junzgle Novels, brings to completion his epic of the birth of the Mexican Revolution. A fine and powerful novel...stark in its drama, steamy in its setting, acidic in its irony, relentless in its narrative thrust. --Alan Ryan, Washington Post

Customer Reviews:

A tale of mud, maleria, insects, whipping, and injustice........2005-03-14

Trozas is the fourth in the Jungle Series, written by B. Traven around the economic class structure of Mexico during the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz.

The book is short on plot and short on character development, but it gives almost a case study version of the inhumane conditions that peons endured on the debt slavery mahogany plantation.

Andre again plays a role, as he did in The Carreta and March to the Monteria. He wishes to return to his common law wife but must toil under unbelieveable conditions to work off his father's debts.

Celso also plays a role, as he did in March to the Monteria where he was the primary heroic figure. He is strong, heroic, dignified, and yet caught in the web of jungle, insects, disease, and violence along with all the other Indian men slaveing for the Spaniards.

Whereas man's injustice to man is certainly the major theme of this book, the theme of survival under incredible conditions also runs throughout the book.

In March to the Monteria, Cleso is a strong young Indian male, working nude in the jungle, hacking down tons of mahogany a day. He tries to escape once his debt is paid and due to his skill, the owners always find a hidden charge and bring him back. In Trozas he tries to maintain his dignity and raise the consciousness of the other men.

In The Carreta, Andre is an oxen cart drive with a young common-law wife. InTrozas these skills are put to use as the drags mahoganylogs through muddy swamps to the the river where they can be floated to the lumber mills. He also is trapped.

The reason I did not give this book a 5 star rating however is that it really had little plot or character development. It was best described as a study in the economic injustices that allowed much of Mexico's dark Indians to be suppressed and exploited by the white Spainards. Victor Hugo always had a tendency to engage in social studies in his work, but he always returned to the plot. I wish Traven had been more of a novelist and less of an anthropologist.

Traven does it again.......2004-09-29

Yet another good story of hardship and triumph of the human spirit in old Mexico.

Open Up Your Eyes.......2000-11-27

I don't think I could add more than the Julian Barham review except to say, I love this book! This is the fourth book of the jungle series. I would recommend that one read the jungle series in order (i.e., Government, Carreta, March to the Monteria, Trozas, Rebellion of the Hanged, General from the Jungle). It is not absolutely necessary to read them in order but some characters show up in the later books (e.g., Don Gabriel from "Goverment" is referred to quite often, and Andres from "the Carreta" is present in the March to the Monteria and Trozas, amongst others). The characters from previous books are not necessarily covered in detail, so having this background of info about them sort of solidifies the story. The path of the characters is intertwined throughout the series.

I usually don't assign myself to such reading, like it's some sort of required reading for a class but in my opinion this is some of the most insightful and compelling writing I have ever read. Go Traven!

Excellent description of life in the Monterias.......2000-08-12

I trully enjoyed the book, once I picked it up I could not put it down. I never realized the hard work and effort taken to bring us the mahogony. And the life of the indians under the rule of the "Patrones", conquistadores. Slavery was not legal in Mexico, instead a life long debt was incurred to keep the peasants supressed and deprived of their freedom.

Man's inhumanity to man!.......2000-05-08

Trozas, Spanish for logs, is the fourth of six "Jungle Novels" by B. Traven, about the birth of the Mexican Revolution. The story centers around the exploitation of slave-laborers on a mahogany plantation, known as a monteria. There is little in the way of a conventional plot. Traven assumes the role of anthropologist as he explains the layout of a monteria, its power structure, the brutal methods used to exploit the Mexican Indians, and details of the daily grind they suffer as they cut down the trees, haul them with the aid of oxen through dense humid jungle which is infested with mosquitoes and biting flies, poisonous snakes, scorpions, panthers, and the cutting whips of the overseers. Though Traven's focus is on the corruption of the Diaz regime (1876-1910), the events that brought about his downfall, the social structure which places the illiterate dark-skinned Indians at the mercy of exploitive light-skinned Spaniards, the scheming-as-matter-of-policy among the local officials - from the police chiefs, judges, and tax assessors to the doctors, priests, monteria contractors and fincerias (the powerful landowners)- ultimately the book powerfully illustrates man's inhumanity to man. I was shocked and outraged - as I turned the pages - at the social structure which allowed this injustice to exist. (It is clear if one watches Mexican television programs - with light-skinned European looking men and women holding political office and on the soap operas and news, as well as the vast numbers of dark-skinned Indians migrating north to the U.S. in search of opportunity, that sadly little has changed since the Mexican Revolution). Trozas is also about human dignity in the face overwhelming suffering. Trozas is a grim book in a grim series of books, but an important one that needs to be read, for it enlightens the reader not only about Mexican history and the rise of the Mexican Revolution, but about the politics of evil and one aspect of the human condition. Traven has an easy, flowing style. He creates vivid characters and memorable scenes. He has an excellent ear for dialogue. Long after reading the book one can see and feel and hear the jungle and the pitiless human struggle for existence within it. This is a truly classic series of books which are gaining in popularity, especially on college campuses in Latino and ethnic studies classes. Traven for years languished in semi-obscurity, though he was once nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature. As the wave of class, race, ethnic, and gender studies has grown over the past two decades, Traven is being re-evaluated by critics and readers and is justly gaining in popularity and prestige.

Book Description

For many centuries, an age of magic and peace has flourished in Ireland for the faerie race known as the Danaans. But an invader has now come to those shores who will conquer more fatally than any army, driving the Old Ways from the land forever. His name is Pátraic--and he will be the worst thing that ever happened to Ireland...

In the Earth year 453 by the Common Reckoning, a small fleet of ships left Ireland, carrying emigrants seeking a new home in a far land. But he seas they crossed were not the wild Western Ocean, nor were the ships they sailed the leather-hulled boats of later legend.

Those ships were starships; the oceans the dark starry gulfs of space itself. The new world they sought was a distant double-ringed planet, and though this great heroic voyage was indeed led by a man called Brendan, he was no Christian navigator-monk but the son of a mortal lord and a princess of the Sidhe. And when magic began to die in Ireland, he took the best of Celtdom to the stars.

In The Deer's Cry, eight book of her Keltiad series, Patricia Kennealy-Morrison takes us back to the distant days when Keltia was not yet, and weaves the tale of how it came to be...

Customer Reviews:

The Deer's Whimper.......2005-08-03

Let me state, first and foremost, this is the most egregious example of Mary Sue-ism I have ever read. It stinks; it wreaks; it screams Mary Sue. I didn't know you could do that with an entire book, not just a character. If you don't know what Mary Sue means, Google it and chortle.

The entire book reads like bad fanfic. While I can admire well done flowery prose, detailed descriptions and an attempt to differentiate the speech of an ancient people, the prose clunks along, a well-turned phrase suddenly crumpling into ungrammatical pain. The book is full of interminable descriptions with tongue-twisting dialogue even the characters would have protested if they could speak their minds. I would skip several paragraphs at once to get to the heart of a scene because her descriptions rarely had bearing on the action and were too boring/distracting to plow through. To publish such poor writing should be a crime.

There was nothing resembling tension, action, risk or excitement in this book. Ms. Kennealy is simply relating to her readers the events of the Celt's (Kelt's) immram from Earth and she's managed to strip every last hint of passion from it. Despite the fact her readers know it succeeded there's not the slightest bit of worry that some of the key characters may not make it. There is not the tiniest fear that their plans will be found out by Patraic or his followers and nefarious plots hatched to stop them. There is not the teensiest concern that a close friend might betray them. There is so little danger to the character's or their endeavor you wonder why you're reading it at all.

I honestly disliked the childish manner in which she portrayed both faiths. I'm a Pagan and even I found the way she treated Christianity to be offensive and rude, using the same hack arguments without thought. And she did equal disservice to her version of ancient Celtic faith (not that anything is actually known other than what little Irish monk-scholars recorded at the time) by holding it up as the one and far better faith. She becomes guilty of the hubris she decries in Patraic and his followers.

This book could have been so much better if Patraic were as sympathetic and admirable as Brendan and they had honest debates about the merits and flaws of each religion. But that would have taken away her cardboard cutout bad guy as well as her catalyst for the immram. Then Ms. Kennealy would have had to do something she seems incapable of - coming up with a better, more compelling reason for the Kelts to leave Earth. So, Patraic and his followers are brutish thugs and Brendan and the other Gael/Danaans proclaim themselves and their faith superior with a smirk and a wink. Yeah, that's mature.

If you need a Kelts in Space fix, go back and read her first three books. They are far, far better than this effort.

I think the Goddess is getting bored with her mouthpiece.......2005-03-11

Once, and not so very long ago, Patricia Kennealy-Morrison wrote fascinating books setting the Kelts in space. She created one of the best-loved fantasy heroines in Aeron, and rewrote the Arthurian legend. Then she wrote the turgid Blackmantle. I hoped it was an aberration, a necessary cleansing of her memories and grievances that somehow missed the editor's desk, and looked forward to her next book.

The Deer's Cry is the story of Brendan the Astrogator, the Kelt who led his people to space, and it should be a rollicking, wild ride. Instead, Kennealy-Morrison puts the reader to sleep with an overlong volume of endless bickering between Brendan and Padraig, also known as St. Patrick, using their feud to symbolize the conflict between pagans and the Church. That, I could have handled; the pagan world's reaction to Christianity was not always awe and acceptance, and it would have been a treat to show some real arguments and debates between the two principals--if Brendan had been less self-righteous, or Padraig the least bit sympathetic. Instead, the characters are all drawn in black and white, the battle is overbalanced in favor of the pagans (who always manage to get in the last word), and everything about the Christians or the early Celtic Church is shown in the darkest light possible.

I'm not looking forward to another book in this planned trilogy. If this is the form Kennealy-Morrison plans to espouse from now on, I dread thinking about what her Gwydion trilogy will look like. For now, I'll keep my "Keltiad" and "Arthur" trilogies as an example of what Kennealy-Morrison can do when she's focused and uses an editor.

Unmitigated Bilge.......2002-06-01

This book is racist and full of screeching dogma. It's also badly written, with clunky prose and eleven-line sentences. The action has a pace like continental drift.

The least we could hope for is an interesting way to be offended, but nope. Don't waste your money. No worry you'd waste your time, because it's unreadable.

Good book, horrid cover.......2002-02-28

When I fist saw this book in the bookstore, it was filed in the "Romance" section, due to the cover art. Like "Blackmantle" before it, it has those horrible bodice-ripper-style covers that cause it's target audience to overlook it and mistake it for romance. Heck, not even the bookstores seemed to be able to place it properly.

That being said, it's actually a fairly good, (if occasionally preachy), story about the Celtic, (later Keltic) immagration from Earth to escape the religious prosectution of "St." Patrick and his followers. (which even other Christians suffered from, as witness the group that flees with the Kelts when they escape the Celtic lands.)

The main weakness isn't really the fault of Patricia Kennealy-Morrison, but of the publishers. Mainly that it's too condensed. Originally meant as the first of a trilogy like her "Aeron" and "Arthur" series, it was rewritten as a stand-alone by decree of her publisher, who then dropped her like a hot potato, (a fate hurting many of the mid-range genre writers anymore.) It would be nice to see this book rewritten as the first of a trilogy - and in the hands of a publisher that *wants* to try and sell a book and pubicize an author. Patricia Kennealy-Morrison's too good of a writer to deserve this fate.

A disappointment.......2002-01-28

I am a big fan of Patricia Kennealy's Keltiad series and very much enjoyed her other books, but this was a great disappointment. The author makes it very clear that it is her opinion that the bringing of Christianity to Ireland was a crime. It is a shame that the author allowed her feelings to get in the way of writing a decent book. There was a lot of potential of this book, but it was all wasted. If you wish to read a book by Patricia Kennealy - read one of the other books of the Keltiad.

Average customer rating:

I bind unto myself today...
St. Patrick's Hymn: Celtic prayers: Simple and Deep

The Cry of the Deer
David Adam
Manufacturer: Morehouse Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Meditations | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0819214426

Customer Reviews:

I bind unto myself today..........2005-04-16

I recently heard someone in the liturgical field talking about the resurgence of interest in things Celtic, but then had to reflect that interest in Celtic spirituality and liturgical forms is almost as old as Christianity itself. David Adam, Vicar of Lindisfarne (famous for, among other things, a wonderful illuminated manuscript dating back to the early days of Celtic influence in Christianity), has a gift for developing prayers and liturgies in Celtic form and Celtic spirit, and this book (first published in 1987, and in its fourth printing in 1998) reflects many of the influences and inspirations in high relief.

Adam begins with a brief reflection on St. Patrick himself; patron saint of Ireland, his first experiences in Ireland were as a kidnapped slave. When he was 16, he was taken to Ireland and spent six years there, often working as a shepherd. He returned home to Britain, but as Adam says, 'Ireland had already captured him in other ways.' He had dreams that the people of Ireland were calling him to return, and after his education and ordination, he returned as a missionary bishop to the people of Ireland, who have been resolutely Christian ever since.

However, Patrick's ministry was not universally accepted and unopposed at the start. The story of his fire burning at Tara during a time when the Druidic festivals of the time would call for all fires to be extinguished is well known; also, one of the Irish kings was warned against Patrick, who was proclaimed a 'falsifier who is deceiving everyone.' When the army plotted to attack Patrick, he escaped by being seen as a deer (local legends proclaimed that Patrick had been changed into a deer). Tradition states that the prayer/hymn text, 'The Deer's Cry', also known as St. Patrick's Breastplate, was composed during this journey.

This famous prayer or hymn is most likely dated several centuries after Patrick. It is oft translated and reworked; Adam includes two translations of the text here (one by Kuno Meyer, and one by Mrs. C.F. Alexander). Adam then uses lines from the text as headings for his meditations, prayers and exercises. Each meditation (there are eleven in all) each derives from a single line of affirmation - 'I arise today' - or through an entire section of the text - 'Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me,....' After each section, Adam leads the reader through a meditative exercise, which can involve silence, recitation, movement, and more. For example, the exercises associated with the first meditation, 'Strength through faith', begins with a silence reflection upon the word 'In the Beginning, GOD', follows through to a practice of the Caim (a kind of physical centering prayer, and concludes with the 5-P exercise (Pause, Presence, Picture, Ponder, Promise).

There are Celtic-inspired line art drawings throughout the text, including images from nature, hagiography, and religious symbolism. There are notes in the back for references, but these are used sparingly throughout the text, very unobtrusively.

This is a book that could be read quickly, but that would be to lose the subtle spirit contained within. Each meditation and practice deserves careful attention and time. This makes an excellent gift for those interested in prayer practices and Celtic spirituality. It is also a gift to oneself, a wonderful way of reconnecting with timeless spirit.

St. Patrick's Hymn: Celtic prayers: Simple and Deep.......2003-12-02

This small book uses the hymn attributed to St. Patrick as a basis for presenting a theologically sound incarnational mysticism grounded in scripture and suffused with simple celtic prayers that make it a heart-moving prayerful support for all Christians.

Average customer rating:

Deer Cry
William Scholfield
Manufacturer: LONGMANS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OK2D1U

Average customer rating:

The Deer Cry
William G Schofield
Manufacturer: Longmans Green
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000M00DA0

THE DEER CRY A NOVEL OF PATRICK OF EIRINN

Average customer rating:

THE DEER CRY A NOVEL OF PATRICK OF EIRINN
William G. Schfield
Manufacturer: Longmans Green 3rd Printing 1950
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SRI4XU

The Deer Cry Pavilion: A story of Westerners in Japan 1868-1905

Average customer rating:

The Deer Cry Pavilion: A story of Westerners in Japan 1868-1905
Pat Barr
Manufacturer: MacMillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006D5MQS

Average customer rating:

The Deer Cry, a Novel of Patrick of Eirinn
William G. Schofield
Manufacturer: Longmans/Green & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GLIVAY

Average customer rating:

The Deer Cry: A Novel of Patrick of Eirinn
William G. Schofield
Manufacturer: Longman/Green & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PRV6QK

Average customer rating:

The Deer's Cry
MURRAY
Manufacturer: Four Courts Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0906127807

Average customer rating:

The Deer's Cry: A Book of the Keltiad
Patricia Kennealy-Morrison
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEXI6K

Book Description

Cyber Reader is an anthology of extracts from key texts related to the theme of cyberspace - the virtual communicative space created by digital technologies. Approaching the subject from a variety of fields, including science fiction, this book reflects the multidisciplinary basis of cyberspace and illustrates how different disciplines can inform one another.Over forty texts are presented in chronological order, beginning with some precursors to cyberspace theory as we know it today. Writings by early theoreticians such as Charles Babbage and Alan Turing, or authors such as EM Forster, help to give a historical perspective to the subject, while texts on theoretical developments show the parallels between real and imagined worlds.Each extract is prefaced by a short introduction by editor Neil Spiller explaining key themes and terms and providing cross references to related texts. An extensive bibliography enables readers to pursue strands of study that interest them.Cyber Reader is an essential source book, introducing students and researchers to cyberspatial theory and practice. It will help readers understand the wealth of opportunities, both practical and theoretical, that cyberspace engenders and enable them to chart its impact on many disciplines.

Customer Reviews:

An impressive and erudite anthology of texts and essays.......2002-06-05

Cyber_Reader compiled and edited by Neil Spiller is an impressive and erudite anthology of texts and essays on the theme of cyberspace. Most of the essays are from the 1990s, though a few appropriate excerpts from earlier cyberspace history are included. An amazing and eclectic selection of learned opinions and analysis make Cyber_Reader an engaging, informative, seminal, at times challenging, and always highly recommended study of how virtual reality shapes our living world to this very day.

Average customer rating:

Esy pesy recipes to follow

Misleading title

Good for the working mom

A busy time-stressed homemaker's best friend in the kitchen

Slow Cooker Favorites Made Healthy (Better Homes & Gardens)
Better Homes and Gardens
Manufacturer: Better Homes and Gardens
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Plastic Comb

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Special Appliances | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Reference | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Healthy | Special Diet | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

FIX-IT and FORGET-IT LIGHTLY (Fix-It and Forget-It)

The Healthy Slow Cooker: More than 100 Dishes for Health and Wellness

Healthy Crockery Cookery

The Busy Mom's Slow Cooker Cookbook

Cooking Light Slow Cooker (Cooking Light)

ASIN: 0696226839
Release Date: 2005-09-06

Book Description

More than 225 delicious, wholesome, family-friendly slow cooker meals that even kids will love.

Mouthwatering—yet guilt-free—main dishes, sides, soups, appetizers, and desserts are lighter in calories, saturated fats, and sodium.

Complete nutrition information, including diabetic exchanges, with every recipe.

Helpful at-a-glance chart of calorie counts for common foods.

Bonus chapter with recipes for 11³2-quart slow cookers—perfect for serving two.

Customer Reviews:

Esy pesy recipes to follow.......2007-08-29

I've found the recipes in this book to be very easy to follow but the only thing i've found, is that because i live in New Zealand i've had to substitute alot of the ingredients(very hard to get hold of buffalo steak here!)and therefore the recipes don't turn out as good as they should or could. But having said that, the book is well worth it.

Misleading title.......2006-05-23

Not only are the recipes completely unoriginal (dried onion soup mix pot roast, coke pot roast, dump a can of something on a pot roast), I was quite disappointed to find that most of them call for heavily processed ingredients like the aforementioned cans of condensed soup or packages of dried soup mix. Nor is there any particular effort to present nutritionally balanced meals or menus.

I guess they thought that including the nutritional breakdown for each recipe qualifies them for the 'healthy' title, but I heartily disagree. This one's getting tossed or donated.

Good for the working mom.......2006-02-26

I just got my first crock pot for x-mas this year and decided to stock up on crock pot cookbooks so I could put it to use while I'm at work. I haven't been disappointed with the recipes in this book so far. I especially like a chicken and wild rice stew that uses brown rice. My kids like the food, so I can't complain. This cookbook is definitely more old-fashioned American cooking rather than packed with dishes from other cultures and regions, but that was really what I wanted. Simple recipes that my kids won't frown at. For those who are looking for a book with recipes that take long enough so they can put in a full day's work and still make something in the crock, this book will satisfy your needs. Most recipes take at least 6 -8 hours on low and can usually be left to cook 1-2 hours extra without harm to the meal.

A busy time-stressed homemaker's best friend in the kitchen.......2005-10-14

The slow cooker or crockpot is a busy time-stressed homemaker's best friend in the kitchen. Get up in the morning, put in the ingredients, turn on the heat, the walk away for the rest of the day until dinner time. Now even the most health conscious kitchen cook can take full advantage of the crockpot with the more than two hundred slow-cooker recipes comprising the new Better Homes and Gardens' Slow Cooker Favorites Made Healthy. From Five-Spice Chicken Wings; Slow-Cooked Beef Fajitas; Dijon Pork Chops; and Ginger-Tomato Chicken; to Pasta with Eggplant Sauce; Asian Turkey and Rice Soup; Mushroom Steak Diane Stew; and Savory Bread Pudding, the recipes are clearly laid out with ingredient lists, prep and cooking time estimates, number of servings, cooking directions, and even Slow Cooker Size. A very highly recommended addition to family kitchen cookbook collections, Slow Cooker Favorites Made Healthy comes with an exceptionally useful bonus chapter of outstanding recipes for small families using a one and one-half quart sized slow cooker.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books