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  <id>3065177</id>
  <title><![CDATA[Happy Families: Stories]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[The internationally acclaimed author Carlos Fuentes, winner of the Cervantes Prize and the Latin Civilization Award, delivers a stunning work of fiction about family and love across an expanse of Mexican life, reminding us why he has been called &#8220;a combination of Poe, Baudelaire, and Isak Dinesen&#8221; (<em>Newsweek</em>). <br/><br/>In these masterly vignettes, Fuentes explores Tolstoy&#8217;s classic observation that &#8220;happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.&#8221; In &#8220;A Family Like Any Other,&#8221; each member of the Pagan family lives in isolation, despite sharing a tiny house. In &#8220;The Mariachi&#8217;s Mother,&#8221; the limitless devotion of a woman is revealed as she secretly tends to her estranged son&#8217;s wounds. &#8220;Sweethearts&#8221; reunites old lovers unexpectedly and opens up the possibilities for other lives and other loves. These are just a few of the remarkable stories in <em>Happy Families</em>, but they all inhabit Fuentes&#8217;s trademark Mexico, where modern obsessions bump up against those of the mythic past, and the result is a triumphant display of the many ways we reach out to one another and find salvation through irrepressible acts of love.<br/><br/>In this spectacular translation, the acclaimed Edith Grossman captures the full weight of Fuentes&#8217;s range. Whether writing in the language of the street or in straightforward, elegant prose, Fuentes gives us stories connected by love, including the failure of love&#8211;between spouses, lovers, parents and children, siblings. From the Mexican presidential palace to the novels of the poor and the vast expanse of humanity in between, <em>Happy Families </em>is a magnificent portrait of modern life in all its complicated beauty, as told by one of the world&#8217;s most celebrated writers.<br/><br/><strong><u>Praise for Carlos Fuentes</u></strong><br/>Winner of the Cervantes Prize<br/><br/><em><u>The Old Gringo</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;A dazzling novel that possesses the weight and resonance of myth [and] the fierce magic of a remembered dream.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The New York Times</em><br/><br/><em><u>The Death of Artemio Cruz</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Remarkable in the scope of the human drama it pictures, the corrosive satire and sharp dialogue.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The New York Times Book Review </em><br/><br/><em><u>The Years with Laura Díaz</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Reading this magnificent novel is like standing beneath the dome of the Sistine Chapel. . . . The breadth and enormity of this accomplishment is breathtaking.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The Denver Post</em><br/><br/><em><u>This I Believe</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Engaging, offering surprising conclusions, provocations or turns of phrase . . . Put down the page-turner and dare to drink these full-bodied, red, shining words.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;Los Angeles Times Book Review</em><br/><em><u><br/>The Eagle&#8217;s Throne</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Dazzling, razor-sharp . . . prescient . . . a feast of political insight.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The Washington Post Book World</em>]]></description>
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  <original_title>Todas Las Familias Felices</original_title>
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        <name><![CDATA[Carlos Fuentes]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Happy Families: Stories]]>
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  <average_rating>3.40</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>5</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[The internationally acclaimed author Carlos Fuentes, winner of the Cervantes Prize and the Latin Civilization Award, delivers a stunning work of fiction about family and love across an expanse of Mexican life, reminding us why he has been called &#8220;a combination of Poe, Baudelaire, and Isak Dinesen&#8221; (<em>Newsweek</em>). <br/><br/>In these masterly vignettes, Fuentes explores Tolstoy&#8217;s classic observation that &#8220;happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.&#8221; In &#8220;A Family Like Any Other,&#8221; each member of the Pagan family lives in isolation, despite sharing a tiny house. In &#8220;The Mariachi&#8217;s Mother,&#8221; the limitless devotion of a woman is revealed as she secretly tends to her estranged son&#8217;s wounds. &#8220;Sweethearts&#8221; reunites old lovers unexpectedly and opens up the possibilities for other lives and other loves. These are just a few of the remarkable stories in <em>Happy Families</em>, but they all inhabit Fuentes&#8217;s trademark Mexico, where modern obsessions bump up against those of the mythic past, and the result is a triumphant display of the many ways we reach out to one another and find salvation through irrepressible acts of love.<br/><br/>In this spectacular translation, the acclaimed Edith Grossman captures the full weight of Fuentes&#8217;s range. Whether writing in the language of the street or in straightforward, elegant prose, Fuentes gives us stories connected by love, including the failure of love&#8211;between spouses, lovers, parents and children, siblings. From the Mexican presidential palace to the novels of the poor and the vast expanse of humanity in between, <em>Happy Families </em>is a magnificent portrait of modern life in all its complicated beauty, as told by one of the world&#8217;s most celebrated writers.<br/><br/><strong><u>Praise for Carlos Fuentes</u></strong><br/>Winner of the Cervantes Prize<br/><br/><em><u>The Old Gringo</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;A dazzling novel that possesses the weight and resonance of myth [and] the fierce magic of a remembered dream.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The New York Times</em><br/><br/><em><u>The Death of Artemio Cruz</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Remarkable in the scope of the human drama it pictures, the corrosive satire and sharp dialogue.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The New York Times Book Review </em><br/><br/><em><u>The Years with Laura Díaz</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Reading this magnificent novel is like standing beneath the dome of the Sistine Chapel. . . . The breadth and enormity of this accomplishment is breathtaking.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The Denver Post</em><br/><br/><em><u>This I Believe</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Engaging, offering surprising conclusions, provocations or turns of phrase . . . Put down the page-turner and dare to drink these full-bodied, red, shining words.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;Los Angeles Times Book Review</em><br/><em><u><br/>The Eagle&#8217;s Throne</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Dazzling, razor-sharp . . . prescient . . . a feast of political insight.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The Washington Post Book World</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <date_added>Thu Jan 08 05:59:48 -0800 2009</date_added>
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    <body><![CDATA[Readers familiar with distinguished novelist Carlos Fuentes (<em>The Eagles Throne</em>, 4 stars Sept/Oct 2006; <em>This I Believe</em>, 4 stars Selection May/June 2005) will recognize elements from his previous works: his formidable political outrage; his evocative language; and his fluid narrative style that incor...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42334275">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Oscar]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Todas Las Familias Felices]]>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59418.Todas_Las_Familias_Felices</link>
  <average_rating>3.10</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[I come from a family where each family member found a way to hurt the others. Then, in remorse, each one hurt themselves.  <p>A rancher wants his four sons to become priests &#8213;they think differently. A man is humiliated by his master, yet his son would like to humiliate him even further. A mother relinquishes her career as a singer and wonders if it was worth it; her daughter has given up on the world and lives through reality TV shows. The presidents son rebels against his father but depends on him for protection. A woman suffers her husbands sadism and remembers how their love began. A commanding officer must choose which of his two sons will live. A priest hides his daughter in a small village until a rival surfaces. Three daughters gather around their fathers casket for the last time in 10 years.     The different stories in this novel are punctuated by choruses, some humorous, most of them tragic, that lend their voice to the voiceless: young beggars, raped daughters, orphans, rival families, rich kids, dealers, hard core gangs that walk down the streets of Los Angeles or make their way up the jungles in Central America. Todas las familias felices embodies the narratives contained within the encroaching conflicts of todays Mexico, and, by extension, to Latin America and the modern urban world.    Description in Spanish: Yo vengo de una familia en la que cada miembro daaba de algn modo a los dems. Luego, arrepentidos, cada uno se daaba a s mismo.    <p>Un ranchero quiere que sus cuatro hijos sean sacerdotes; ellos piensan distinto. Un hombre es humillado por su patrn; su hijo quisiera humillarlo ms. Una madre renuncia a su carrera de cantante y se pregunta si vali la pena; su hija renuncia al mundo y vive a travs de los reality shows. El hijo del presidente se rebela contra su padre, pero depende de su proteccin. Una mujer sufre el sadismo de su marido porque recuerda cmo se inici su amor. Una madre dolorosa explica la vida de su hija al hombre que la asesin. Una pareja sesentona se reencuentra y se pregunta si de veras fueron jvenes amantes. Un comandante debe escoger quin vivir de sus dos hijos. La vieja madre de un joven mariachi lo rescata. Una fiel pareja gay enfrenta la tentacin. Una chica fea hace peligrar el matrimonio de su primo. Un cura esconde a su hija en una aldea hasta que aparece un rival. Un mujeriego se niega a casarse con su amante por temor a que eso mate el placer. Un actor es obligado a!   enfrentar la realidad por su hijo minusvlido. Un hermano incmodo desafa la vida de su frater. El cnico Don Juan juega con dos mujeres que le dan su merecido. Tres hijas se renen en torno al fretro de su padre por ltima vez en diez aos. Estas historias son puntuada por coros, algunos humorsticos, la mayora trgicos, que dan voz a los sin-voz: nios mendicantes, hijas violadas, hurfanos, parientes rivales, muchachos ricos, traficantes, pandillas asesinas que descienden de las calles de Los ngeles o ascienden de las selvas de Centroamrica. Todas las familias felices es la polifona narrativa de los ramales conflictivos del Mxico contemporneo y, por extensin, de la Amrica Latina y del mundo urbano moderno.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Aug 16 12:19:04 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Aug 16 12:19:04 -0700 2007</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Great compilation of short stories. Fuentes includes a broad range of characters from different social classes, economic means, and forms of family structure. <br/><br/>As a whole it shows the great diversity of contemporary Mexican society and how &quot;family&quot; can be understood in more ways...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4650957">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>51817234</id>
    <user>
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    <name><![CDATA[Olivia]]></name>
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  <id type="integer">6044585</id>
  <isbn>0812978439</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780812978438</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">3</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Happy Families: Fiction]]>
  </title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6044585.Happy_Families_Fiction</link>
  <average_rating>3.50</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>10</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[The internationally acclaimed author Carlos Fuentes, winner of the Cervantes Prize and the Latin Civilization Award, delivers a stunning work of fiction about family and love across an expanse of Mexican life, reminding us why he has been called “a combination of Poe, Baudelaire, and Isak Dinesen” (<em>Newsweek</em>). <br/><br/>In these masterly vignettes, Fuentes explores Tolstoy’s classic observation that “happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” In “A Family Like Any Other,” each member of the Pagan family lives in isolation, despite sharing a tiny house. In “The Mariachi’s Mother,” the limitless devotion of a woman is revealed as she secretly tends to her estranged son’s wounds. “Sweethearts” reunites old lovers unexpectedly and opens up the possibilities for other lives and other loves. These are just a few of the remarkable stories in <em>Happy Families</em>, but they all inhabit Fuentes’s trademark Mexico, where modern obsessions bump up against those of the mythic past, and the result is a triumphant display of the many ways we reach out to one another and find salvation through irrepressible acts of love.<br/><br/>In this spectacular translation, the acclaimed Edith Grossman captures the full weight of Fuentes’s range. Whether writing in the language of the street or in straightforward, elegant prose, Fuentes gives us stories connected by love, including the failure of love–between spouses, lovers, parents and children, siblings. From the Mexican presidential palace to the novels of the poor and the vast expanse of humanity in between, <em>Happy Families </em>is a magnificent portrait of modern life in all its complicated beauty, as told by one of the world’s most celebrated writers.<br/><br/><strong><u>Praise for Carlos Fuentes</u></strong><br/>Winner of the Cervantes Prize<br/><br/><em><u>The Old Gringo</u></em><br/><br/>“A dazzling novel that possesses the weight and resonance of myth [and] the fierce magic of a remembered dream.”<br/><em>–The New York Times</em><br/><br/><em><u>The Death of Artemio Cruz</u></em><br/><br/>“Remarkable in the scope of the human drama it pictures, the corrosive satire and sharp dialogue.”<br/><em>–The New York Times Book Review </em><br/><br/><em><u>The Years with Laura Díaz</u></em><br/><br/>“Reading this magnificent novel is like standing beneath the dome of the Sistine Chapel. . . . The breadth and enormity of this accomplishment is breathtaking.”<br/><em>–The Denver Post</em><br/><br/><em><u>This I Believe</u></em><br/><br/>“Engaging, offering surprising conclusions, provocations or turns of phrase . . . Put down the page-turner and dare to drink these full-bodied, red, shining words.”<br/><em>–Los Angeles Times Book Review</em><br/><em><u><br/>The Eagle’s Throne</u></em><br/><br/>“Dazzling, razor-sharp . . . prescient . . . a feast of political insight.”<br/><em>–The Washington Post Book World</em><br/><br/><br/><em>From the Hardcover edition.</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
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  <date_added>Tue Apr 07 10:17:10 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Apr 20 10:06:28 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[I did not like the last story, but otherwise I found the writing in this very compelling and often poetic. He has a gift of writing and understanding people and families, in a kind of disturbing way. Most of my family relationships are not like anything in this book, but I found myself identifying w...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/51817234">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Happy Families: Stories]]>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>43</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[The internationally acclaimed author Carlos Fuentes, winner of the Cervantes Prize and the Latin Civilization Award, delivers a stunning work of fiction about family and love across an expanse of Mexican life, reminding us why he has been called &#8220;a combination of Poe, Baudelaire, and Isak Dinesen&#8221; (<em>Newsweek</em>). <br/><br/>In these masterly vignettes, Fuentes explores Tolstoy&#8217;s classic observation that &#8220;happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.&#8221; In &#8220;A Family Like Any Other,&#8221; each member of the Pagan family lives in isolation, despite sharing a tiny house. In &#8220;The Mariachi&#8217;s Mother,&#8221; the limitless devotion of a woman is revealed as she secretly tends to her estranged son&#8217;s wounds. &#8220;Sweethearts&#8221; reunites old lovers unexpectedly and opens up the possibilities for other lives and other loves. These are just a few of the remarkable stories in <em>Happy Families</em>, but they all inhabit Fuentes&#8217;s trademark Mexico, where modern obsessions bump up against those of the mythic past, and the result is a triumphant display of the many ways we reach out to one another and find salvation through irrepressible acts of love.<br/><br/>In this spectacular translation, the acclaimed Edith Grossman captures the full weight of Fuentes&#8217;s range. Whether writing in the language of the street or in straightforward, elegant prose, Fuentes gives us stories connected by love, including the failure of love&#8211;between spouses, lovers, parents and children, siblings. From the Mexican presidential palace to the novels of the poor and the vast expanse of humanity in between, <em>Happy Families </em>is a magnificent portrait of modern life in all its complicated beauty, as told by one of the world&#8217;s most celebrated writers.<br/><br/><strong><u>Praise for Carlos Fuentes</u></strong><br/>Winner of the Cervantes Prize<br/><br/><em><u>The Old Gringo</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;A dazzling novel that possesses the weight and resonance of myth [and] the fierce magic of a remembered dream.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The New York Times</em><br/><br/><em><u>The Death of Artemio Cruz</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Remarkable in the scope of the human drama it pictures, the corrosive satire and sharp dialogue.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The New York Times Book Review </em><br/><br/><em><u>The Years with Laura Díaz</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Reading this magnificent novel is like standing beneath the dome of the Sistine Chapel. . . . The breadth and enormity of this accomplishment is breathtaking.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The Denver Post</em><br/><br/><em><u>This I Believe</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Engaging, offering surprising conclusions, provocations or turns of phrase . . . Put down the page-turner and dare to drink these full-bodied, red, shining words.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;Los Angeles Times Book Review</em><br/><em><u><br/>The Eagle&#8217;s Throne</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Dazzling, razor-sharp . . . prescient . . . a feast of political insight.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The Washington Post Book World</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <body><![CDATA[Too artsy-fartsy for me.  Couldn't really follow what was going on.  It was like the author was enamored with portraying marriages with over the top descriptions of people living grim, violent, depressed lives.  Yuck.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36723064]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Karen]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Happy Families: Fiction]]>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[The internationally acclaimed author Carlos Fuentes, winner of the Cervantes Prize and the Latin Civilization Award, delivers a stunning work of fiction about family and love across an expanse of Mexican life, reminding us why he has been called “a combination of Poe, Baudelaire, and Isak Dinesen” (<em>Newsweek</em>). <br/><br/>In these masterly vignettes, Fuentes explores Tolstoy’s classic observation that “happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” In “A Family Like Any Other,” each member of the Pagan family lives in isolation, despite sharing a tiny house. In “The Mariachi’s Mother,” the limitless devotion of a woman is revealed as she secretly tends to her estranged son’s wounds. “Sweethearts” reunites old lovers unexpectedly and opens up the possibilities for other lives and other loves. These are just a few of the remarkable stories in <em>Happy Families</em>, but they all inhabit Fuentes’s trademark Mexico, where modern obsessions bump up against those of the mythic past, and the result is a triumphant display of the many ways we reach out to one another and find salvation through irrepressible acts of love.<br/><br/>In this spectacular translation, the acclaimed Edith Grossman captures the full weight of Fuentes’s range. Whether writing in the language of the street or in straightforward, elegant prose, Fuentes gives us stories connected by love, including the failure of love–between spouses, lovers, parents and children, siblings. From the Mexican presidential palace to the novels of the poor and the vast expanse of humanity in between, <em>Happy Families </em>is a magnificent portrait of modern life in all its complicated beauty, as told by one of the world’s most celebrated writers.<br/><br/><strong><u>Praise for Carlos Fuentes</u></strong><br/>Winner of the Cervantes Prize<br/><br/><em><u>The Old Gringo</u></em><br/><br/>“A dazzling novel that possesses the weight and resonance of myth [and] the fierce magic of a remembered dream.”<br/><em>–The New York Times</em><br/><br/><em><u>The Death of Artemio Cruz</u></em><br/><br/>“Remarkable in the scope of the human drama it pictures, the corrosive satire and sharp dialogue.”<br/><em>–The New York Times Book Review </em><br/><br/><em><u>The Years with Laura Díaz</u></em><br/><br/>“Reading this magnificent novel is like standing beneath the dome of the Sistine Chapel. . . . The breadth and enormity of this accomplishment is breathtaking.”<br/><em>–The Denver Post</em><br/><br/><em><u>This I Believe</u></em><br/><br/>“Engaging, offering surprising conclusions, provocations or turns of phrase . . . Put down the page-turner and dare to drink these full-bodied, red, shining words.”<br/><em>–Los Angeles Times Book Review</em><br/><em><u><br/>The Eagle’s Throne</u></em><br/><br/>“Dazzling, razor-sharp . . . prescient . . . a feast of political insight.”<br/><em>–The Washington Post Book World</em><br/><br/><br/><em>From the Hardcover edition.</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <body><![CDATA[Great writing because you know, it's Carlos Fuentes...but really depressing stories. Read at your own risk.]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[Happy Families: Fiction]]>
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    <![CDATA[The internationally acclaimed author Carlos Fuentes, winner of the Cervantes Prize and the Latin Civilization Award, delivers a stunning work of fiction about family and love across an expanse of Mexican life, reminding us why he has been called “a combination of Poe, Baudelaire, and Isak Dinesen” (<em>Newsweek</em>). <br/><br/>In these masterly vignettes, Fuentes explores Tolstoy’s classic observation that “happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” In “A Family Like Any Other,” each member of the Pagan family lives in isolation, despite sharing a tiny house. In “The Mariachi’s Mother,” the limitless devotion of a woman is revealed as she secretly tends to her estranged son’s wounds. “Sweethearts” reunites old lovers unexpectedly and opens up the possibilities for other lives and other loves. These are just a few of the remarkable stories in <em>Happy Families</em>, but they all inhabit Fuentes’s trademark Mexico, where modern obsessions bump up against those of the mythic past, and the result is a triumphant display of the many ways we reach out to one another and find salvation through irrepressible acts of love.<br/><br/>In this spectacular translation, the acclaimed Edith Grossman captures the full weight of Fuentes’s range. Whether writing in the language of the street or in straightforward, elegant prose, Fuentes gives us stories connected by love, including the failure of love–between spouses, lovers, parents and children, siblings. From the Mexican presidential palace to the novels of the poor and the vast expanse of humanity in between, <em>Happy Families </em>is a magnificent portrait of modern life in all its complicated beauty, as told by one of the world’s most celebrated writers.<br/><br/><strong><u>Praise for Carlos Fuentes</u></strong><br/>Winner of the Cervantes Prize<br/><br/><em><u>The Old Gringo</u></em><br/><br/>“A dazzling novel that possesses the weight and resonance of myth [and] the fierce magic of a remembered dream.”<br/><em>–The New York Times</em><br/><br/><em><u>The Death of Artemio Cruz</u></em><br/><br/>“Remarkable in the scope of the human drama it pictures, the corrosive satire and sharp dialogue.”<br/><em>–The New York Times Book Review </em><br/><br/><em><u>The Years with Laura Díaz</u></em><br/><br/>“Reading this magnificent novel is like standing beneath the dome of the Sistine Chapel. . . . The breadth and enormity of this accomplishment is breathtaking.”<br/><em>–The Denver Post</em><br/><br/><em><u>This I Believe</u></em><br/><br/>“Engaging, offering surprising conclusions, provocations or turns of phrase . . . Put down the page-turner and dare to drink these full-bodied, red, shining words.”<br/><em>–Los Angeles Times Book Review</em><br/><em><u><br/>The Eagle’s Throne</u></em><br/><br/>“Dazzling, razor-sharp . . . prescient . . . a feast of political insight.”<br/><em>–The Washington Post Book World</em><br/><br/><br/><em>From the Hardcover edition.</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <body><![CDATA[meh]]></body>
    
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Todas Las Familias Felices]]>
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    <![CDATA[I come from a family where each family member found a way to hurt the others. Then, in remorse, each one hurt themselves.  <p>A rancher wants his four sons to become priests &#8213;they think differently. A man is humiliated by his master, yet his son would like to humiliate him even further. A mother relinquishes her career as a singer and wonders if it was worth it; her daughter has given up on the world and lives through reality TV shows. The presidents son rebels against his father but depends on him for protection. A woman suffers her husbands sadism and remembers how their love began. A commanding officer must choose which of his two sons will live. A priest hides his daughter in a small village until a rival surfaces. Three daughters gather around their fathers casket for the last time in 10 years.     The different stories in this novel are punctuated by choruses, some humorous, most of them tragic, that lend their voice to the voiceless: young beggars, raped daughters, orphans, rival families, rich kids, dealers, hard core gangs that walk down the streets of Los Angeles or make their way up the jungles in Central America. Todas las familias felices embodies the narratives contained within the encroaching conflicts of todays Mexico, and, by extension, to Latin America and the modern urban world.    Description in Spanish: Yo vengo de una familia en la que cada miembro daaba de algn modo a los dems. Luego, arrepentidos, cada uno se daaba a s mismo.    <p>Un ranchero quiere que sus cuatro hijos sean sacerdotes; ellos piensan distinto. Un hombre es humillado por su patrn; su hijo quisiera humillarlo ms. Una madre renuncia a su carrera de cantante y se pregunta si vali la pena; su hija renuncia al mundo y vive a travs de los reality shows. El hijo del presidente se rebela contra su padre, pero depende de su proteccin. Una mujer sufre el sadismo de su marido porque recuerda cmo se inici su amor. Una madre dolorosa explica la vida de su hija al hombre que la asesin. Una pareja sesentona se reencuentra y se pregunta si de veras fueron jvenes amantes. Un comandante debe escoger quin vivir de sus dos hijos. La vieja madre de un joven mariachi lo rescata. Una fiel pareja gay enfrenta la tentacin. Una chica fea hace peligrar el matrimonio de su primo. Un cura esconde a su hija en una aldea hasta que aparece un rival. Un mujeriego se niega a casarse con su amante por temor a que eso mate el placer. Un actor es obligado a!   enfrentar la realidad por su hijo minusvlido. Un hermano incmodo desafa la vida de su frater. El cnico Don Juan juega con dos mujeres que le dan su merecido. Tres hijas se renen en torno al fretro de su padre por ltima vez en diez aos. Estas historias son puntuada por coros, algunos humorsticos, la mayora trgicos, que dan voz a los sin-voz: nios mendicantes, hijas violadas, hurfanos, parientes rivales, muchachos ricos, traficantes, pandillas asesinas que descienden de las calles de Los ngeles o ascienden de las selvas de Centroamrica. Todas las familias felices es la polifona narrativa de los ramales conflictivos del Mxico contemporneo y, por extensin, de la Amrica Latina y del mundo urbano moderno.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <![CDATA[Happy Families: Fiction]]>
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    <![CDATA[The internationally acclaimed author Carlos Fuentes, winner of the Cervantes Prize and the Latin Civilization Award, delivers a stunning work of fiction about family and love across an expanse of Mexican life, reminding us why he has been called “a combination of Poe, Baudelaire, and Isak Dinesen” (<em>Newsweek</em>). <br/><br/>In these masterly vignettes, Fuentes explores Tolstoy’s classic observation that “happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” In “A Family Like Any Other,” each member of the Pagan family lives in isolation, despite sharing a tiny house. In “The Mariachi’s Mother,” the limitless devotion of a woman is revealed as she secretly tends to her estranged son’s wounds. “Sweethearts” reunites old lovers unexpectedly and opens up the possibilities for other lives and other loves. These are just a few of the remarkable stories in <em>Happy Families</em>, but they all inhabit Fuentes’s trademark Mexico, where modern obsessions bump up against those of the mythic past, and the result is a triumphant display of the many ways we reach out to one another and find salvation through irrepressible acts of love.<br/><br/>In this spectacular translation, the acclaimed Edith Grossman captures the full weight of Fuentes’s range. Whether writing in the language of the street or in straightforward, elegant prose, Fuentes gives us stories connected by love, including the failure of love–between spouses, lovers, parents and children, siblings. From the Mexican presidential palace to the novels of the poor and the vast expanse of humanity in between, <em>Happy Families </em>is a magnificent portrait of modern life in all its complicated beauty, as told by one of the world’s most celebrated writers.<br/><br/><strong><u>Praise for Carlos Fuentes</u></strong><br/>Winner of the Cervantes Prize<br/><br/><em><u>The Old Gringo</u></em><br/><br/>“A dazzling novel that possesses the weight and resonance of myth [and] the fierce magic of a remembered dream.”<br/><em>–The New York Times</em><br/><br/><em><u>The Death of Artemio Cruz</u></em><br/><br/>“Remarkable in the scope of the human drama it pictures, the corrosive satire and sharp dialogue.”<br/><em>–The New York Times Book Review </em><br/><br/><em><u>The Years with Laura Díaz</u></em><br/><br/>“Reading this magnificent novel is like standing beneath the dome of the Sistine Chapel. . . . The breadth and enormity of this accomplishment is breathtaking.”<br/><em>–The Denver Post</em><br/><br/><em><u>This I Believe</u></em><br/><br/>“Engaging, offering surprising conclusions, provocations or turns of phrase . . . Put down the page-turner and dare to drink these full-bodied, red, shining words.”<br/><em>–Los Angeles Times Book Review</em><br/><em><u><br/>The Eagle’s Throne</u></em><br/><br/>“Dazzling, razor-sharp . . . prescient . . . a feast of political insight.”<br/><em>–The Washington Post Book World</em><br/><br/><br/><em>From the Hardcover edition.</em>]]>
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    <![CDATA[Todas Las Familias Felices]]>
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    <![CDATA[I come from a family where each family member found a way to hurt the others. Then, in remorse, each one hurt themselves.  <p>A rancher wants his four sons to become priests &#8213;they think differently. A man is humiliated by his master, yet his son would like to humiliate him even further. A mother relinquishes her career as a singer and wonders if it was worth it; her daughter has given up on the world and lives through reality TV shows. The presidents son rebels against his father but depends on him for protection. A woman suffers her husbands sadism and remembers how their love began. A commanding officer must choose which of his two sons will live. A priest hides his daughter in a small village until a rival surfaces. Three daughters gather around their fathers casket for the last time in 10 years.     The different stories in this novel are punctuated by choruses, some humorous, most of them tragic, that lend their voice to the voiceless: young beggars, raped daughters, orphans, rival families, rich kids, dealers, hard core gangs that walk down the streets of Los Angeles or make their way up the jungles in Central America. Todas las familias felices embodies the narratives contained within the encroaching conflicts of todays Mexico, and, by extension, to Latin America and the modern urban world.    Description in Spanish: Yo vengo de una familia en la que cada miembro daaba de algn modo a los dems. Luego, arrepentidos, cada uno se daaba a s mismo.    <p>Un ranchero quiere que sus cuatro hijos sean sacerdotes; ellos piensan distinto. Un hombre es humillado por su patrn; su hijo quisiera humillarlo ms. Una madre renuncia a su carrera de cantante y se pregunta si vali la pena; su hija renuncia al mundo y vive a travs de los reality shows. El hijo del presidente se rebela contra su padre, pero depende de su proteccin. Una mujer sufre el sadismo de su marido porque recuerda cmo se inici su amor. Una madre dolorosa explica la vida de su hija al hombre que la asesin. Una pareja sesentona se reencuentra y se pregunta si de veras fueron jvenes amantes. Un comandante debe escoger quin vivir de sus dos hijos. La vieja madre de un joven mariachi lo rescata. Una fiel pareja gay enfrenta la tentacin. Una chica fea hace peligrar el matrimonio de su primo. Un cura esconde a su hija en una aldea hasta que aparece un rival. Un mujeriego se niega a casarse con su amante por temor a que eso mate el placer. Un actor es obligado a!   enfrentar la realidad por su hijo minusvlido. Un hermano incmodo desafa la vida de su frater. El cnico Don Juan juega con dos mujeres que le dan su merecido. Tres hijas se renen en torno al fretro de su padre por ltima vez en diez aos. Estas historias son puntuada por coros, algunos humorsticos, la mayora trgicos, que dan voz a los sin-voz: nios mendicantes, hijas violadas, hurfanos, parientes rivales, muchachos ricos, traficantes, pandillas asesinas que descienden de las calles de Los ngeles o ascienden de las selvas de Centroamrica. Todas las familias felices es la polifona narrativa de los ramales conflictivos del Mxico contemporneo y, por extensin, de la Amrica Latina y del mundo urbano moderno.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
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    <![CDATA[Todas Las Familias Felices]]>
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    <![CDATA[I come from a family where each family member found a way to hurt the others. Then, in remorse, each one hurt themselves.  <p>A rancher wants his four sons to become priests &#8213;they think differently. A man is humiliated by his master, yet his son would like to humiliate him even further. A mother relinquishes her career as a singer and wonders if it was worth it; her daughter has given up on the world and lives through reality TV shows. The presidents son rebels against his father but depends on him for protection. A woman suffers her husbands sadism and remembers how their love began. A commanding officer must choose which of his two sons will live. A priest hides his daughter in a small village until a rival surfaces. Three daughters gather around their fathers casket for the last time in 10 years.     The different stories in this novel are punctuated by choruses, some humorous, most of them tragic, that lend their voice to the voiceless: young beggars, raped daughters, orphans, rival families, rich kids, dealers, hard core gangs that walk down the streets of Los Angeles or make their way up the jungles in Central America. Todas las familias felices embodies the narratives contained within the encroaching conflicts of todays Mexico, and, by extension, to Latin America and the modern urban world.    Description in Spanish: Yo vengo de una familia en la que cada miembro daaba de algn modo a los dems. Luego, arrepentidos, cada uno se daaba a s mismo.    <p>Un ranchero quiere que sus cuatro hijos sean sacerdotes; ellos piensan distinto. Un hombre es humillado por su patrn; su hijo quisiera humillarlo ms. Una madre renuncia a su carrera de cantante y se pregunta si vali la pena; su hija renuncia al mundo y vive a travs de los reality shows. El hijo del presidente se rebela contra su padre, pero depende de su proteccin. Una mujer sufre el sadismo de su marido porque recuerda cmo se inici su amor. Una madre dolorosa explica la vida de su hija al hombre que la asesin. Una pareja sesentona se reencuentra y se pregunta si de veras fueron jvenes amantes. Un comandante debe escoger quin vivir de sus dos hijos. La vieja madre de un joven mariachi lo rescata. Una fiel pareja gay enfrenta la tentacin. Una chica fea hace peligrar el matrimonio de su primo. Un cura esconde a su hija en una aldea hasta que aparece un rival. Un mujeriego se niega a casarse con su amante por temor a que eso mate el placer. Un actor es obligado a!   enfrentar la realidad por su hijo minusvlido. Un hermano incmodo desafa la vida de su frater. El cnico Don Juan juega con dos mujeres que le dan su merecido. Tres hijas se renen en torno al fretro de su padre por ltima vez en diez aos. Estas historias son puntuada por coros, algunos humorsticos, la mayora trgicos, que dan voz a los sin-voz: nios mendicantes, hijas violadas, hurfanos, parientes rivales, muchachos ricos, traficantes, pandillas asesinas que descienden de las calles de Los ngeles o ascienden de las selvas de Centroamrica. Todas las familias felices es la polifona narrativa de los ramales conflictivos del Mxico contemporneo y, por extensin, de la Amrica Latina y del mundo urbano moderno.</p></p>]]>
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    <![CDATA[Todas Las Familias Felices]]>
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    <![CDATA[I come from a family where each family member found a way to hurt the others. Then, in remorse, each one hurt themselves.  <p>A rancher wants his four sons to become priests &#8213;they think differently. A man is humiliated by his master, yet his son would like to humiliate him even further. A mother relinquishes her career as a singer and wonders if it was worth it; her daughter has given up on the world and lives through reality TV shows. The presidents son rebels against his father but depends on him for protection. A woman suffers her husbands sadism and remembers how their love began. A commanding officer must choose which of his two sons will live. A priest hides his daughter in a small village until a rival surfaces. Three daughters gather around their fathers casket for the last time in 10 years.     The different stories in this novel are punctuated by choruses, some humorous, most of them tragic, that lend their voice to the voiceless: young beggars, raped daughters, orphans, rival families, rich kids, dealers, hard core gangs that walk down the streets of Los Angeles or make their way up the jungles in Central America. Todas las familias felices embodies the narratives contained within the encroaching conflicts of todays Mexico, and, by extension, to Latin America and the modern urban world.    Description in Spanish: Yo vengo de una familia en la que cada miembro daaba de algn modo a los dems. Luego, arrepentidos, cada uno se daaba a s mismo.    <p>Un ranchero quiere que sus cuatro hijos sean sacerdotes; ellos piensan distinto. Un hombre es humillado por su patrn; su hijo quisiera humillarlo ms. Una madre renuncia a su carrera de cantante y se pregunta si vali la pena; su hija renuncia al mundo y vive a travs de los reality shows. El hijo del presidente se rebela contra su padre, pero depende de su proteccin. Una mujer sufre el sadismo de su marido porque recuerda cmo se inici su amor. Una madre dolorosa explica la vida de su hija al hombre que la asesin. Una pareja sesentona se reencuentra y se pregunta si de veras fueron jvenes amantes. Un comandante debe escoger quin vivir de sus dos hijos. La vieja madre de un joven mariachi lo rescata. Una fiel pareja gay enfrenta la tentacin. Una chica fea hace peligrar el matrimonio de su primo. Un cura esconde a su hija en una aldea hasta que aparece un rival. Un mujeriego se niega a casarse con su amante por temor a que eso mate el placer. Un actor es obligado a!   enfrentar la realidad por su hijo minusvlido. Un hermano incmodo desafa la vida de su frater. El cnico Don Juan juega con dos mujeres que le dan su merecido. Tres hijas se renen en torno al fretro de su padre por ltima vez en diez aos. Estas historias son puntuada por coros, algunos humorsticos, la mayora trgicos, que dan voz a los sin-voz: nios mendicantes, hijas violadas, hurfanos, parientes rivales, muchachos ricos, traficantes, pandillas asesinas que descienden de las calles de Los ngeles o ascienden de las selvas de Centroamrica. Todas las familias felices es la polifona narrativa de los ramales conflictivos del Mxico contemporneo y, por extensin, de la Amrica Latina y del mundo urbano moderno.</p></p>]]>
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    <![CDATA[Happy Families: Stories]]>
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    <![CDATA[The internationally acclaimed author Carlos Fuentes, winner of the Cervantes Prize and the Latin Civilization Award, delivers a stunning work of fiction about family and love across an expanse of Mexican life, reminding us why he has been called &#8220;a combination of Poe, Baudelaire, and Isak Dinesen&#8221; (<em>Newsweek</em>). <br/><br/>In these masterly vignettes, Fuentes explores Tolstoy&#8217;s classic observation that &#8220;happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.&#8221; In &#8220;A Family Like Any Other,&#8221; each member of the Pagan family lives in isolation, despite sharing a tiny house. In &#8220;The Mariachi&#8217;s Mother,&#8221; the limitless devotion of a woman is revealed as she secretly tends to her estranged son&#8217;s wounds. &#8220;Sweethearts&#8221; reunites old lovers unexpectedly and opens up the possibilities for other lives and other loves. These are just a few of the remarkable stories in <em>Happy Families</em>, but they all inhabit Fuentes&#8217;s trademark Mexico, where modern obsessions bump up against those of the mythic past, and the result is a triumphant display of the many ways we reach out to one another and find salvation through irrepressible acts of love.<br/><br/>In this spectacular translation, the acclaimed Edith Grossman captures the full weight of Fuentes&#8217;s range. Whether writing in the language of the street or in straightforward, elegant prose, Fuentes gives us stories connected by love, including the failure of love&#8211;between spouses, lovers, parents and children, siblings. From the Mexican presidential palace to the novels of the poor and the vast expanse of humanity in between, <em>Happy Families </em>is a magnificent portrait of modern life in all its complicated beauty, as told by one of the world&#8217;s most celebrated writers.<br/><br/><strong><u>Praise for Carlos Fuentes</u></strong><br/>Winner of the Cervantes Prize<br/><br/><em><u>The Old Gringo</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;A dazzling novel that possesses the weight and resonance of myth [and] the fierce magic of a remembered dream.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The New York Times</em><br/><br/><em><u>The Death of Artemio Cruz</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Remarkable in the scope of the human drama it pictures, the corrosive satire and sharp dialogue.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The New York Times Book Review </em><br/><br/><em><u>The Years with Laura Díaz</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Reading this magnificent novel is like standing beneath the dome of the Sistine Chapel. . . . The breadth and enormity of this accomplishment is breathtaking.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The Denver Post</em><br/><br/><em><u>This I Believe</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Engaging, offering surprising conclusions, provocations or turns of phrase . . . Put down the page-turner and dare to drink these full-bodied, red, shining words.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;Los Angeles Times Book Review</em><br/><em><u><br/>The Eagle&#8217;s Throne</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Dazzling, razor-sharp . . . prescient . . . a feast of political insight.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The Washington Post Book World</em>]]>
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    <![CDATA[A rancher wants his four sons to become priests  they think differently. A mother relinquishes her career as a singer and wonders if it was worth it. Her daughter has given up on the world and lives through reality TV shows. A woman suffers her husband's sadism and remembers how their love began. The different stories in this novel are punctuated by choruses, some humorous, most of them tragic, that lend their voice to the voiceless: young beggars, raped daughters, orphans, dealers, and hard core gangs among others  <p>Description in Spanish:  Un ranchero quiere que sus cuatro hijos sean sacerdotes; ellos piensan distinto. Un hombre es humillado por su patrón; su hijo quisiera humillarlo más. Una madre renuncia a su carrera de cantante y se pregunta si valió la pena; su hija renuncia al mundo y vive a través de los reality shows. El hijo del presidente se rebela contra su padre, pero depende de su protección. Una mujer sufre el sadismo de su marido porque recuerda cómo se inició su amor. Una madre dolorosa explica la vida de su hija al hombre que la asesinó. Una pareja sesentona se reencuentra y se pregunta si de veras fueron jóvenes amantes. Un comandante debe escoger quién vivirá de sus dos hijos. La vieja madre de un joven mariachi lo rescata. Una fiel pareja gay enfrenta la tentación. Una chica fea hace peligrar el matrimonio de su primo. Un cura esconde a su hija en una aldea hasta que aparece un rival. Un mujeriego se niega a casarse con su amante por temor a que eso mate el placer. Un actor es obligado a enfrentar la realidad por su hijo minusválido. Un hermano incómodo desafía la vida de su frater. El cínico Don Juan juega con dos mujeres que le dan su merecido. Tres hijas se reúnen en torno al féretro de su padre por última vez en diez años.</p>]]>
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    <![CDATA[I come from a family where each family member found a way to hurt the others. Then, in remorse, each one hurt themselves.  <p>A rancher wants his four sons to become priests &#8213;they think differently. A man is humiliated by his master, yet his son would like to humiliate him even further. A mother relinquishes her career as a singer and wonders if it was worth it; her daughter has given up on the world and lives through reality TV shows. The presidents son rebels against his father but depends on him for protection. A woman suffers her husbands sadism and remembers how their love began. A commanding officer must choose which of his two sons will live. A priest hides his daughter in a small village until a rival surfaces. Three daughters gather around their fathers casket for the last time in 10 years.     The different stories in this novel are punctuated by choruses, some humorous, most of them tragic, that lend their voice to the voiceless: young beggars, raped daughters, orphans, rival families, rich kids, dealers, hard core gangs that walk down the streets of Los Angeles or make their way up the jungles in Central America. Todas las familias felices embodies the narratives contained within the encroaching conflicts of todays Mexico, and, by extension, to Latin America and the modern urban world.    Description in Spanish: Yo vengo de una familia en la que cada miembro daaba de algn modo a los dems. Luego, arrepentidos, cada uno se daaba a s mismo.    <p>Un ranchero quiere que sus cuatro hijos sean sacerdotes; ellos piensan distinto. Un hombre es humillado por su patrn; su hijo quisiera humillarlo ms. Una madre renuncia a su carrera de cantante y se pregunta si vali la pena; su hija renuncia al mundo y vive a travs de los reality shows. El hijo del presidente se rebela contra su padre, pero depende de su proteccin. Una mujer sufre el sadismo de su marido porque recuerda cmo se inici su amor. Una madre dolorosa explica la vida de su hija al hombre que la asesin. Una pareja sesentona se reencuentra y se pregunta si de veras fueron jvenes amantes. Un comandante debe escoger quin vivir de sus dos hijos. La vieja madre de un joven mariachi lo rescata. Una fiel pareja gay enfrenta la tentacin. Una chica fea hace peligrar el matrimonio de su primo. Un cura esconde a su hija en una aldea hasta que aparece un rival. Un mujeriego se niega a casarse con su amante por temor a que eso mate el placer. Un actor es obligado a!   enfrentar la realidad por su hijo minusvlido. Un hermano incmodo desafa la vida de su frater. El cnico Don Juan juega con dos mujeres que le dan su merecido. Tres hijas se renen en torno al fretro de su padre por ltima vez en diez aos. Estas historias son puntuada por coros, algunos humorsticos, la mayora trgicos, que dan voz a los sin-voz: nios mendicantes, hijas violadas, hurfanos, parientes rivales, muchachos ricos, traficantes, pandillas asesinas que descienden de las calles de Los ngeles o ascienden de las selvas de Centroamrica. Todas las familias felices es la polifona narrativa de los ramales conflictivos del Mxico contemporneo y, por extensin, de la Amrica Latina y del mundo urbano moderno.</p></p>]]>
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    <![CDATA[Todas Las Familias Felices]]>
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    <![CDATA[I come from a family where each family member found a way to hurt the others. Then, in remorse, each one hurt themselves.  <p>A rancher wants his four sons to become priests &#8213;they think differently. A man is humiliated by his master, yet his son would like to humiliate him even further. A mother relinquishes her career as a singer and wonders if it was worth it; her daughter has given up on the world and lives through reality TV shows. The presidents son rebels against his father but depends on him for protection. A woman suffers her husbands sadism and remembers how their love began. A commanding officer must choose which of his two sons will live. A priest hides his daughter in a small village until a rival surfaces. Three daughters gather around their fathers casket for the last time in 10 years.     The different stories in this novel are punctuated by choruses, some humorous, most of them tragic, that lend their voice to the voiceless: young beggars, raped daughters, orphans, rival families, rich kids, dealers, hard core gangs that walk down the streets of Los Angeles or make their way up the jungles in Central America. Todas las familias felices embodies the narratives contained within the encroaching conflicts of todays Mexico, and, by extension, to Latin America and the modern urban world.    Description in Spanish: Yo vengo de una familia en la que cada miembro daaba de algn modo a los dems. Luego, arrepentidos, cada uno se daaba a s mismo.    <p>Un ranchero quiere que sus cuatro hijos sean sacerdotes; ellos piensan distinto. Un hombre es humillado por su patrn; su hijo quisiera humillarlo ms. Una madre renuncia a su carrera de cantante y se pregunta si vali la pena; su hija renuncia al mundo y vive a travs de los reality shows. El hijo del presidente se rebela contra su padre, pero depende de su proteccin. Una mujer sufre el sadismo de su marido porque recuerda cmo se inici su amor. Una madre dolorosa explica la vida de su hija al hombre que la asesin. Una pareja sesentona se reencuentra y se pregunta si de veras fueron jvenes amantes. Un comandante debe escoger quin vivir de sus dos hijos. La vieja madre de un joven mariachi lo rescata. Una fiel pareja gay enfrenta la tentacin. Una chica fea hace peligrar el matrimonio de su primo. Un cura esconde a su hija en una aldea hasta que aparece un rival. Un mujeriego se niega a casarse con su amante por temor a que eso mate el placer. Un actor es obligado a!   enfrentar la realidad por su hijo minusvlido. Un hermano incmodo desafa la vida de su frater. El cnico Don Juan juega con dos mujeres que le dan su merecido. Tres hijas se renen en torno al fretro de su padre por ltima vez en diez aos. Estas historias son puntuada por coros, algunos humorsticos, la mayora trgicos, que dan voz a los sin-voz: nios mendicantes, hijas violadas, hurfanos, parientes rivales, muchachos ricos, traficantes, pandillas asesinas que descienden de las calles de Los ngeles o ascienden de las selvas de Centroamrica. Todas las familias felices es la polifona narrativa de los ramales conflictivos del Mxico contemporneo y, por extensin, de la Amrica Latina y del mundo urbano moderno.</p></p>]]>
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  <published>2006</published>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Todas Las Familias Felices]]>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[I come from a family where each family member found a way to hurt the others. Then, in remorse, each one hurt themselves.  <p>A rancher wants his four sons to become priests &#8213;they think differently. A man is humiliated by his master, yet his son would like to humiliate him even further. A mother relinquishes her career as a singer and wonders if it was worth it; her daughter has given up on the world and lives through reality TV shows. The presidents son rebels against his father but depends on him for protection. A woman suffers her husbands sadism and remembers how their love began. A commanding officer must choose which of his two sons will live. A priest hides his daughter in a small village until a rival surfaces. Three daughters gather around their fathers casket for the last time in 10 years.     The different stories in this novel are punctuated by choruses, some humorous, most of them tragic, that lend their voice to the voiceless: young beggars, raped daughters, orphans, rival families, rich kids, dealers, hard core gangs that walk down the streets of Los Angeles or make their way up the jungles in Central America. Todas las familias felices embodies the narratives contained within the encroaching conflicts of todays Mexico, and, by extension, to Latin America and the modern urban world.    Description in Spanish: Yo vengo de una familia en la que cada miembro daaba de algn modo a los dems. Luego, arrepentidos, cada uno se daaba a s mismo.    <p>Un ranchero quiere que sus cuatro hijos sean sacerdotes; ellos piensan distinto. Un hombre es humillado por su patrn; su hijo quisiera humillarlo ms. Una madre renuncia a su carrera de cantante y se pregunta si vali la pena; su hija renuncia al mundo y vive a travs de los reality shows. El hijo del presidente se rebela contra su padre, pero depende de su proteccin. Una mujer sufre el sadismo de su marido porque recuerda cmo se inici su amor. Una madre dolorosa explica la vida de su hija al hombre que la asesin. Una pareja sesentona se reencuentra y se pregunta si de veras fueron jvenes amantes. Un comandante debe escoger quin vivir de sus dos hijos. La vieja madre de un joven mariachi lo rescata. Una fiel pareja gay enfrenta la tentacin. Una chica fea hace peligrar el matrimonio de su primo. Un cura esconde a su hija en una aldea hasta que aparece un rival. Un mujeriego se niega a casarse con su amante por temor a que eso mate el placer. Un actor es obligado a!   enfrentar la realidad por su hijo minusvlido. Un hermano incmodo desafa la vida de su frater. El cnico Don Juan juega con dos mujeres que le dan su merecido. Tres hijas se renen en torno al fretro de su padre por ltima vez en diez aos. Estas historias son puntuada por coros, algunos humorsticos, la mayora trgicos, que dan voz a los sin-voz: nios mendicantes, hijas violadas, hurfanos, parientes rivales, muchachos ricos, traficantes, pandillas asesinas que descienden de las calles de Los ngeles o ascienden de las selvas de Centroamrica. Todas las familias felices es la polifona narrativa de los ramales conflictivos del Mxico contemporneo y, por extensin, de la Amrica Latina y del mundo urbano moderno.</p></p>]]>
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    <![CDATA[Wszystkie szczesliwe rodziny]]>
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    <![CDATA[I come from a family where each family member found a way to hurt the others. Then, in remorse, each one hurt themselves.  <p>A rancher wants his four sons to become priests &#8213;they think differently. A man is humiliated by his master, yet his son would like to humiliate him even further. A mother relinquishes her career as a singer and wonders if it was worth it; her daughter has given up on the world and lives through reality TV shows. The presidents son rebels against his father but depends on him for protection. A woman suffers her husbands sadism and remembers how their love began. A commanding officer must choose which of his two sons will live. A priest hides his daughter in a small village until a rival surfaces. Three daughters gather around their fathers casket for the last time in 10 years.     The different stories in this novel are punctuated by choruses, some humorous, most of them tragic, that lend their voice to the voiceless: young beggars, raped daughters, orphans, rival families, rich kids, dealers, hard core gangs that walk down the streets of Los Angeles or make their way up the jungles in Central America. Todas las familias felices embodies the narratives contained within the encroaching conflicts of todays Mexico, and, by extension, to Latin America and the modern urban world.    Description in Spanish: Yo vengo de una familia en la que cada miembro daaba de algn modo a los dems. Luego, arrepentidos, cada uno se daaba a s mismo.    <p>Un ranchero quiere que sus cuatro hijos sean sacerdotes; ellos piensan distinto. Un hombre es humillado por su patrn; su hijo quisiera humillarlo ms. Una madre renuncia a su carrera de cantante y se pregunta si vali la pena; su hija renuncia al mundo y vive a travs de los reality shows. El hijo del presidente se rebela contra su padre, pero depende de su proteccin. Una mujer sufre el sadismo de su marido porque recuerda cmo se inici su amor. Una madre dolorosa explica la vida de su hija al hombre que la asesin. Una pareja sesentona se reencuentra y se pregunta si de veras fueron jvenes amantes. Un comandante debe escoger quin vivir de sus dos hijos. La vieja madre de un joven mariachi lo rescata. Una fiel pareja gay enfrenta la tentacin. Una chica fea hace peligrar el matrimonio de su primo. Un cura esconde a su hija en una aldea hasta que aparece un rival. Un mujeriego se niega a casarse con su amante por temor a que eso mate el placer. Un actor es obligado a!   enfrentar la realidad por su hijo minusvlido. Un hermano incmodo desafa la vida de su frater. El cnico Don Juan juega con dos mujeres que le dan su merecido. Tres hijas se renen en torno al fretro de su padre por ltima vez en diez aos. Estas historias son puntuada por coros, algunos humorsticos, la mayora trgicos, que dan voz a los sin-voz: nios mendicantes, hijas violadas, hurfanos, parientes rivales, muchachos ricos, traficantes, pandillas asesinas que descienden de las calles de Los ngeles o ascienden de las selvas de Centroamrica. Todas las familias felices es la polifona narrativa de los ramales conflictivos del Mxico contemporneo y, por extensin, de la Amrica Latina y del mundo urbano moderno.</p></p>]]>
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  <id>72749497</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Melissa]]></name>
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  <isbn>0812978439</isbn>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Happy Families: Fiction]]>
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  <average_rating>3.26</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[The internationally acclaimed author Carlos Fuentes, winner of the Cervantes Prize and the Latin Civilization Award, delivers a stunning work of fiction about family and love across an expanse of Mexican life, reminding us why he has been called “a combination of Poe, Baudelaire, and Isak Dinesen” (<em>Newsweek</em>). <br/><br/>In these masterly vignettes, Fuentes explores Tolstoy’s classic observation that “happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” In “A Family Like Any Other,” each member of the Pagan family lives in isolation, despite sharing a tiny house. In “The Mariachi’s Mother,” the limitless devotion of a woman is revealed as she secretly tends to her estranged son’s wounds. “Sweethearts” reunites old lovers unexpectedly and opens up the possibilities for other lives and other loves. These are just a few of the remarkable stories in <em>Happy Families</em>, but they all inhabit Fuentes’s trademark Mexico, where modern obsessions bump up against those of the mythic past, and the result is a triumphant display of the many ways we reach out to one another and find salvation through irrepressible acts of love.<br/><br/>In this spectacular translation, the acclaimed Edith Grossman captures the full weight of Fuentes’s range. Whether writing in the language of the street or in straightforward, elegant prose, Fuentes gives us stories connected by love, including the failure of love–between spouses, lovers, parents and children, siblings. From the Mexican presidential palace to the novels of the poor and the vast expanse of humanity in between, <em>Happy Families </em>is a magnificent portrait of modern life in all its complicated beauty, as told by one of the world’s most celebrated writers.<br/><br/><strong><u>Praise for Carlos Fuentes</u></strong><br/>Winner of the Cervantes Prize<br/><br/><em><u>The Old Gringo</u></em><br/><br/>“A dazzling novel that possesses the weight and resonance of myth [and] the fierce magic of a remembered dream.”<br/><em>–The New York Times</em><br/><br/><em><u>The Death of Artemio Cruz</u></em><br/><br/>“Remarkable in the scope of the human drama it pictures, the corrosive satire and sharp dialogue.”<br/><em>–The New York Times Book Review </em><br/><br/><em><u>The Years with Laura Díaz</u></em><br/><br/>“Reading this magnificent novel is like standing beneath the dome of the Sistine Chapel. . . . The breadth and enormity of this accomplishment is breathtaking.”<br/><em>–The Denver Post</em><br/><br/><em><u>This I Believe</u></em><br/><br/>“Engaging, offering surprising conclusions, provocations or turns of phrase . . . Put down the page-turner and dare to drink these full-bodied, red, shining words.”<br/><em>–Los Angeles Times Book Review</em><br/><em><u><br/>The Eagle’s Throne</u></em><br/><br/>“Dazzling, razor-sharp . . . prescient . . . a feast of political insight.”<br/><em>–The Washington Post Book World</em><br/><br/><br/><em>From the Hardcover edition.</em>]]>
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    <![CDATA[Todas Las Familias Felices]]>
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    <![CDATA[I come from a family where each family member found a way to hurt the others. Then, in remorse, each one hurt themselves.  <p>A rancher wants his four sons to become priests &#8213;they think differently. A man is humiliated by his master, yet his son would like to humiliate him even further. A mother relinquishes her career as a singer and wonders if it was worth it; her daughter has given up on the world and lives through reality TV shows. The presidents son rebels against his father but depends on him for protection. A woman suffers her husbands sadism and remembers how their love began. A commanding officer must choose which of his two sons will live. A priest hides his daughter in a small village until a rival surfaces. Three daughters gather around their fathers casket for the last time in 10 years.     The different stories in this novel are punctuated by choruses, some humorous, most of them tragic, that lend their voice to the voiceless: young beggars, raped daughters, orphans, rival families, rich kids, dealers, hard core gangs that walk down the streets of Los Angeles or make their way up the jungles in Central America. Todas las familias felices embodies the narratives contained within the encroaching conflicts of todays Mexico, and, by extension, to Latin America and the modern urban world.    Description in Spanish: Yo vengo de una familia en la que cada miembro daaba de algn modo a los dems. Luego, arrepentidos, cada uno se daaba a s mismo.    <p>Un ranchero quiere que sus cuatro hijos sean sacerdotes; ellos piensan distinto. Un hombre es humillado por su patrn; su hijo quisiera humillarlo ms. Una madre renuncia a su carrera de cantante y se pregunta si vali la pena; su hija renuncia al mundo y vive a travs de los reality shows. El hijo del presidente se rebela contra su padre, pero depende de su proteccin. Una mujer sufre el sadismo de su marido porque recuerda cmo se inici su amor. Una madre dolorosa explica la vida de su hija al hombre que la asesin. Una pareja sesentona se reencuentra y se pregunta si de veras fueron jvenes amantes. Un comandante debe escoger quin vivir de sus dos hijos. La vieja madre de un joven mariachi lo rescata. Una fiel pareja gay enfrenta la tentacin. Una chica fea hace peligrar el matrimonio de su primo. Un cura esconde a su hija en una aldea hasta que aparece un rival. Un mujeriego se niega a casarse con su amante por temor a que eso mate el placer. Un actor es obligado a!   enfrentar la realidad por su hijo minusvlido. Un hermano incmodo desafa la vida de su frater. El cnico Don Juan juega con dos mujeres que le dan su merecido. Tres hijas se renen en torno al fretro de su padre por ltima vez en diez aos. Estas historias son puntuada por coros, algunos humorsticos, la mayora trgicos, que dan voz a los sin-voz: nios mendicantes, hijas violadas, hurfanos, parientes rivales, muchachos ricos, traficantes, pandillas asesinas que descienden de las calles de Los ngeles o ascienden de las selvas de Centroamrica. Todas las familias felices es la polifona narrativa de los ramales conflictivos del Mxico contemporneo y, por extensin, de la Amrica Latina y del mundo urbano moderno.</p></p>]]>
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    <![CDATA[Happy Families: Stories]]>
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    <![CDATA[The internationally acclaimed author Carlos Fuentes, winner of the Cervantes Prize and the Latin Civilization Award, delivers a stunning work of fiction about family and love across an expanse of Mexican life, reminding us why he has been called &#8220;a combination of Poe, Baudelaire, and Isak Dinesen&#8221; (<em>Newsweek</em>). <br/><br/>In these masterly vignettes, Fuentes explores Tolstoy&#8217;s classic observation that &#8220;happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.&#8221; In &#8220;A Family Like Any Other,&#8221; each member of the Pagan family lives in isolation, despite sharing a tiny house. In &#8220;The Mariachi&#8217;s Mother,&#8221; the limitless devotion of a woman is revealed as she secretly tends to her estranged son&#8217;s wounds. &#8220;Sweethearts&#8221; reunites old lovers unexpectedly and opens up the possibilities for other lives and other loves. These are just a few of the remarkable stories in <em>Happy Families</em>, but they all inhabit Fuentes&#8217;s trademark Mexico, where modern obsessions bump up against those of the mythic past, and the result is a triumphant display of the many ways we reach out to one another and find salvation through irrepressible acts of love.<br/><br/>In this spectacular translation, the acclaimed Edith Grossman captures the full weight of Fuentes&#8217;s range. Whether writing in the language of the street or in straightforward, elegant prose, Fuentes gives us stories connected by love, including the failure of love&#8211;between spouses, lovers, parents and children, siblings. From the Mexican presidential palace to the novels of the poor and the vast expanse of humanity in between, <em>Happy Families </em>is a magnificent portrait of modern life in all its complicated beauty, as told by one of the world&#8217;s most celebrated writers.<br/><br/><strong><u>Praise for Carlos Fuentes</u></strong><br/>Winner of the Cervantes Prize<br/><br/><em><u>The Old Gringo</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;A dazzling novel that possesses the weight and resonance of myth [and] the fierce magic of a remembered dream.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The New York Times</em><br/><br/><em><u>The Death of Artemio Cruz</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Remarkable in the scope of the human drama it pictures, the corrosive satire and sharp dialogue.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The New York Times Book Review </em><br/><br/><em><u>The Years with Laura Díaz</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Reading this magnificent novel is like standing beneath the dome of the Sistine Chapel. . . . The breadth and enormity of this accomplishment is breathtaking.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The Denver Post</em><br/><br/><em><u>This I Believe</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Engaging, offering surprising conclusions, provocations or turns of phrase . . . Put down the page-turner and dare to drink these full-bodied, red, shining words.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;Los Angeles Times Book Review</em><br/><em><u><br/>The Eagle&#8217;s Throne</u></em><br/><br/>&#8220;Dazzling, razor-sharp . . . prescient . . . a feast of political insight.&#8221;<br/><em>&#8211;The Washington Post Book World</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2006</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <date_added>Sun Aug 16 17:01:10 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Aug 16 17:01:20 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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