Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation

Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary book written by a true poet
Review: An amazingly eloquent book. The book reads like poetry, and has a language rarely seen in today's writing. Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation is truly one of the most beautifully written books of 1999. It is not your typical book written for a limited reader. The prose are prolific and wrought with amazing imagery. It is so refreshing to read a book written by someone with such a gift for language. Places Left Unfinished paints a very interesting and accurate story of a culture in transition, through the story of a family in touch with its past and exploring its future. This is truly a book lover's book!

Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary book written by a true poet
Review: An amazingly eloquent book. The book reads like poetry, and has a language rarely seen in today's writing. Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation is truly one of the most beautifully written books of 1999. It is not your typical book written for a limited reader. The prose are prolific and wrought with amazing imagery. It is so refreshing to read a book written by someone with such a gift for language. Places Left Unfinished paints a very interesting and accurate story of a culture in transition, through the story of a family in touch with its past and exploring its future. This is truly a book lover's book!

Rating:
Summary: Literary Masterpiece
Review: JP Santos is a master of the human language. In this day and age of bestseller who-cares-who-done-its it's refreshing to see a masterpiece of literature emerge to the forefront. This is a must read for anyone serious about literary excellence.

Rating:
Summary: Literary Masterpiece
Review: JP Santos is a master of the human language. In this day and age of bestseller who-cares-who-done-its it's refreshing to see a masterpiece of literature emerge to the forefront. This is a must read for anyone serious about literary excellence.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written account of the Chicano experience.
Review: Santos eloquently and humbly unfolds his story, his family's story, our story. Like the millions of Mexican-American families who repeatedly cross the border in order to sustain their lives and history, Santos crosses back and forth with tender testimonials, giving life to the varied and vigorous communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. It is a splendid memoir filled with universal themes of strong family bonds and appreciation for remembering the past. The author is subtle but powerful in his writing.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating subject matter but poorly written and edited
Review: Santos' account of his family history is interesting, particularly the mystery surrounding his grandfather's depression and suicide. But the actual writing of this book is flawed and repetitive. The sentences drone on, clauses piling up without any seeming connection. And the author's compunction to end every section with a pithy meditative comment gets annoying quickly. Definitely wait for the paperback on this one.

Rating:
Summary: Magical Realsim: An Extraordinary Explanation of Definition
Review: So often the essence of Hispanic culture, especially when addressing Mexico, Central and South America, is referred to as "Magical Realism". Whether referring to the literature of Marquez, Allende, Arenas, the paintings of Kahlo, Rivera, Bravo, Marquez, Borges, or the music of Ginestera, et al - the unifying element usually refers to this genre. Few authors have been successful in describing the origins or even the meaning of the term...that is, until John Phillip Santos elegantly warm memoir PLACES LEFT UNFINISHED AT THE TIME OF CREATION. Santos revisits his history through the immediacy of immigrant (yet unaltered) Old Ladies, creating from their tales a lush, incendiary canvas of passion, faith, commitment, hardship, and resilience. He adroitly mixes the two languages (Spanish and English) with finesse, at times translating for the non-Spanish reader, and at times allowing the beauty of his Spanish phrases to sing for themselves. This book is a paean to the sanctity of the souls of the immigrants who have endured the agony of expatriation, who have entered El Norte to find, if not their fortunes, then their integrity as human beings. This beautifully written book should be on the shelves of the libraries of schools throughout the USA...but it should also be in the library of everyone who wonders about the beauty of the Hispanic heritage - which for lack of a better name we call Magical Realism.

Rating:
Summary: Magical Realsim: An Extraordinary Explanation of Definition
Review: So often the essence of Hispanic culture, especially when addressing Mexico, Central and South America, is referred to as "Magical Realism". Whether referring to the literature of Marquez, Allende, Arenas, the paintings of Kahlo, Rivera, Bravo, Marquez, Borges, or the music of Ginestera, et al - the unifying element usually refers to this genre. Few authors have been successful in describing the origins or even the meaning of the term...that is, until John Phillip Santos elegantly warm memoir PLACES LEFT UNFINISHED AT THE TIME OF CREATION. Santos revisits his history through the immediacy of immigrant (yet unaltered) Old Ladies, creating from their tales a lush, incendiary canvas of passion, faith, commitment, hardship, and resilience. He adroitly mixes the two languages (Spanish and English) with finesse, at times translating for the non-Spanish reader, and at times allowing the beauty of his Spanish phrases to sing for themselves. This book is a paean to the sanctity of the souls of the immigrants who have endured the agony of expatriation, who have entered El Norte to find, if not their fortunes, then their integrity as human beings. This beautifully written book should be on the shelves of the libraries of schools throughout the USA...but it should also be in the library of everyone who wonders about the beauty of the Hispanic heritage - which for lack of a better name we call Magical Realism.