Listen free for 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Mexico cover art

Mexico

Written by: James A. Michener
Narrated by: Alexander Adams
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $55.58

Buy Now for $55.58

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

Pulitzer Prize-winning author James A. Michener, whose novels hurtle from the far reaches of history to the dark corners of the world, paints an intoxicating portrait of a land whose past and present are as turbulent, fascinating, and colorful as any other on Earth. When an American journalist travels to report on the upcoming duel between two great matadors, he is ultimately swept up in the dramatic story of his own Mexican ancestry - from the brilliance and brutality of the ancients to the iron fist of the invading Spaniards to modern Mexico, fighting through dust and bloodshed to build a nation upon the ashes of revolution. Architectural splendors, frenzied bullfights, horrific human sacrifice: Michener weaves them all into an epic human story that ranks with the best of his beloved best-selling novels.

©2014 James A. Michener (P)2015 Random House Audio

What the critics say

"Michener the storyteller at his finest.... There are splendid and authentic scenes in the plaza de toros that are as dramatic as any written by Ernest Hemingway or Barnaby Conrad." ( The New York Times Book Review)
"Astounding...fast-moving, intriguing.... Michener is back in huge, familiar form with Mexico." (Los Angeles Daily News)
"An enthralling story.... Michener artfully combines the history of Mexico with the art of bullfighting, teaching the reader about both and telling a grand story at the same time." ( St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

More from the same

What listeners say about Mexico

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not A Usual Michener.

The book was overall quite enjoyable but it doesn't follow the regular Michener formula―starting with the Earth cooling and moving through the prehistoric epochs, then following a few families/individuals through key historical events with intertwining of the characters with each other and those events.

In this book, there is a single narrator who recounts various historical happenings and the rôles the narrator's ancestors played in these events, to illustrate the social and political developments that took place during Mexico's evolution from pre-conquest days through to the early sixties. The other narrative device pits representatives of the two major Mexican ethnic groups in a contest, with the narrator representative of the third major ethnic/political influence.

The story moves along at a pretty good clip but the time shifts can be a bit confusing at times. The characters are fairly well-developed but not as well as they might be, since the narrator is not a traditional "omniscient narrator".

I found the performer to have done a very good job with the reading and have no complaints there.

This wasn't my favourite Michener but it was enjoyable.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not what I expected

Michener has written some of the books l have loved best. I enjoy his tales that run through generations, historical fiction at its best.
Mexico contains some of that, but most of the book is centered on bull fighting. A subject which holds very little interest for me. It was, of course well written and researched. But the history of Mexico, and the families that built it take a back seat to Matadors and picadors and Toreros. If that's something you like, get the book.
But if you're looking for something like Centennial, maybe take a pass.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!