Rating: 
Summary: Once upon a time in New Mexico
Review: A middlebrow Marquez for the masses. It lacks the mythic depth of "A Hundred Years of Solitude" and indeed, is not so finely written. But, it positively brims with ethnicity. So critics were able to let loose with their pent-up 'Poet of the Barrio' and 'Chicano masterpiece'. The market was hungry for ethnicity and Anaya provided it in spades. We even get chapters numbered 'Uno', 'Dos', and so on, along with bowls of atole (I had to look that up on the Internet) for breakfast and much gathering of herbs and roots along the riverbank, all to reassure us how authentic it all is. The result is an uneasy mixture of supernatural thriller and idyllic memoir, wicked witches and cute children, "Halloween" meets "Huckleberry Finn". At one point, there is a huge continuity error, with the boy talking to his father and in the next sentence with his friends on the way to school. How did the editors miss that? But it has its merits. The scenes with the priest are convincing and memorable. Best of all, you get to learn some colorful Spanish vocabulary that you won't find in the dictionary. Bottom line; if you have an interest in Chicano (Mexican American) culture, read this, but if you are looking for great Latino literature, read Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Rating: 
Summary: The Religous Theme of the book Bless Me Ultima
Review: The book Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya is an extremely thoughtful and provocative story. A great deal of this story revolves around the conflict between young Antonio's belief in God and other spiritual ideas such as Ultima's powerful curandera abilities and the Golden Carp.
Though many deeply christian, especially Catholic, readers may find this book a stretch, it is not anti-christian in the least. Instead it examines many conflicts without really taking a certain side within these conflicts. A very good book to read for anyone from a teenager to an adult a Catholic or an atheist.
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Summary: Bless Me Ultima - Unbelievably Stupid
Review: This book is simply outrageous! A young boy who chooses to worship an idol called the "golden carp" instead of God? Anaya is on some kind of substance. This is a book that many young high schoolers are forced to read for English. What a waste of time!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Hispanic boy¿s coming-of-age story
Review: Set in NM on the border between a small village and the huge llano (plains), Bless Me, Ultima is Rudolfo Anaya's much acclaimed and award-winning coming-of-age novel from the Hispanic perspective. Antonio is torn betw his father's cowboy side of the family who ride on the llano and his mother's village and farming relations. Many conflicts are presented here: Hispanic vs American culture, Catholicism vs paganism, parents' expectations vs the child's desires, Spanish blood vs native blood.Antonio's life is forever altered when his aunt Ultima, a curandera (healer) comes to live with the family; she teaches Antonio many things, most importantly how to gather the self-knowledge that will help carry him into adulthood.
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Summary: This is a classic? Literature's going down the drain if so..
Review: I had to read this book for 8th grade English. I hated it. Everybody in my class and the other classes who read it hated it. I think that every book you're required to read, you have a sort of prejudice against. But, I'm reading Ordinary People now for 9th grade English and I can tell I'm going to love it. I think that since I live in New Mexico, and Rudolfo Anaya is a really acclaimed author of the state, we should "appreciate" this book. I'm sorry. I just can't do it. I can't see why this is a classic. I guess it was an okay book, but even so, I hated it. Not because it was necessarily bad. Actually, I'm not sure why. Anyway, I have some opinions worth disagreeing with myself. I loved (LOVED) The Catcher in the Rye; others hated it. See for yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Captivating!
Review: As soon as you start reading the book, you can see how the style of writing draws you into the story. The details in the story make you feel that you are part of that boy's life. You laugh, you become scared, your heart beats fast, or you can't help but feel the experiences. It's an excellent book for people that like folk tales of México, healers (curanderas/os), suspense, ghost stories, and the magic of being young. It is a fast book to read, too. You might not be able to put down...
Rating:
Summary: Okay
Review: This book had some interesting parts, but was otherwise fairly dull and mysterious.
Rating:
Summary: Book is pretty good
Review: This was a required book for school, it had an interesting plot and theme, but otherwise wasn't a book I'd pick to read.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutly Great Book
Review: Bless Me Ultima was a wonderful book. I loved the fact that the author possesed so much talent to put such a vivid picture in my mind. There never was a dull or boring moment in the book. I was captured by the tale of a young boy from New Mexico. I absolutly adore this book it was well worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I really enjoyed the book, it was actually fun to read. It is also funny if you are catholic because some of the scenes in the book remind you of your family.
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