Our Town: Images and Stories from the Museum of the City of New York presents--in the highest quality four-color and duotone reproductions--an amazing range of New York City images, from urban scene paintings, to the renowned Stettheimer Dollhouse, to the phenomenal 20th c. photography of such artists as Berenice Abbott and Edward Steichen. The essays capture glimpses of the City and its history from the widest range of noted authors--Robert A.M. Stern, Oscar Hijuelos, Hilton Als, Louis Auchincloss, Elizabeth Barlow Rogers, etc. Don't miss it!

Although this book is anything but action-heavy and drags a bit at some points, it is Hijuelos' prose that kept me reading. Therefore, if you are someone who needs action and plot to hold your interest in a story then this book is probably not the best for you. As for myself, I enjoyed it because beautifully poetic prose like Hijuelos' leaps off the page at me and keeps me amazed.

The writing in this novel about the musical career of a Cuban composer is itself lyrical. The narrative is prose that aspires to be, and is, both poetry and music. The phrasing and the flow of the syntax is melodious as the composer's experience, because of his name, in a Nazi concentration camp runs counterpoint to the theme. And "Rosas Puras", his most famous and enduring composition, reappears faithfully as a leitmotif throughout the narrative. El Gordito, Israel Levis, and his close relationships with Rita Valladares (singer), Manny Cortez (composer)and his family are full of tender and touching moments. He is simply a man on a quest to find the beauty of life, the music hidden just beneath its surface and awaiting his discovery of its simple melodies. His devotion to his music can be a demanding mistress whom he has no choice but to love with pure devotion and ultimately proves to be his salvation. Hijuelos reinforces his stature as one of America's most supremely talented writers in this sensuously rich and sonorous novel. The close of the book holds moments of heartbreaking tenderness without sentimentality. A Simple Habana Melody is original, germinal, mesmerizing and sung in a distinctive, if not unique, lyrical voice that could only be proffered by a truly gifted writer of the stature of Oscar Hijeulos.

What a wonderful find. This is the first book I have read by Oscar Hijuelos, but it certainly won't be the last. The character of Israel Levis is so real and "historical" that I found it almost impossible to believe he wasn't. The mixture of culture, history, and music is writing at its best. The complexity of Israel's character causes one to be revolted by him, feel sorrow for him, but at the same time admire him. His naive and optimistic outlook on life may cause him suffering, but shows an indefatigable core of goodness tempered by reality. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the human character.

If you like mild, medium, or hot there is something for anyone in Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing up Latino in the United States, and just like nachos, there is a whole lot for everyone. This book is a compilation of first, second, and third-generation Latino writers, and it includes a diversity of writing styles and themes. The combination of the poems captures the essences of Latin rhythms and ways of life in America. Students of all races will relate to different aspects of this book, and two examples of poems that all students should be able to identify with are "Translating Grandfather's House" and "The Aquatic Show." "Translating Grandfather's House" depicts in a semi-sarcastic tone a very common situation. A teacher is looking at a student's sketch, and she tells him that it looks like a house from a Zorro movie instead of a picture of a real house. However, the student says he is drawing the house that his mother was born in and she was born in Mexico. On the finished picture of a Spanish style house in an elaborate natural wild grass setting of his grandfather's town, he titles the picture "GRANDFATHER'S HOUSE." The teacher realizes her error, gives the picture an "A+," and then displays the picture on the "green" blackboard. The teacher-student miscommunication battle is timeless, and the irony or confusion over why green chalkboards are called "blackboards" is classic as well. The "Aquatic Show" is a very charming and funny poem. A kid is talking about singing and sort of dancing in the shower. He explains how much he enjoys this activity. Also, he assumes that the bathroom fixtures, which are his audience, really enjoy it too. He mentions songs from different Latin countries, which is a nice form of cultural exposure for non-Latin Americans. In addition to the poetry, this book has an excellent glossary and an interesting "Biographical Notes" section that gives a brief synopsis of accomplishments for each poet.

Furthermore, the "Editor's Note," provides an outstanding description of what the reader should expect from this book, and it gives a great rationale for the writing of this book. The purpose of this book is to inspire the desire in others to learn other languages. Finally, the introduction, written by Oscar Hijuelos, presents a heartfelt, compelling, and poignant picture of what it was like to live in America over 40 years ago as a Latin American. It relays the trials of a life when people were "Hearing one language on the streets, another at home, and a third at school..."(p.xxi), and one where there were no books or attitudes of sympathy for anyone dealing with this issue.

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This book is really what it says it is, COOL SALSA...it goes in hot yet cooling to the senses, then slides warmly all the way down to the last page! This book in awesome for anyone who is interested in just reading something that isn't Americanized. These poems are true and real, great for children and Adults.

Some of the greatest Latin Amertican writers are featured in this book like Sandra Cisneros, Oscar Hijuelos, Ana Castillo, etc. There are many books that I think about and this one is at the TOP of my list for children and adults to read, if you like poetry.

Great for offering multicultural poetry to students. Poems are mature and interesting and written in both Spanish and English.

Ed Ives is of an unknown origin. His search for an identity and an understanding of life beyond his present situation prompts him to explore the world. While he does not find what he is looking for a series of mystical experiences provide him with what he needs. The needless murder of his son Robert shakes his life and marriage like a great and devestating earthquake. He is forced to make sense of his world in light of this travesty. It is here that the carefully woven Christmas motif of author Oscar Hijuelos emerges with its spiritual splendor. Christmas operates like an epiphany in the life of Mr. Ives. It serves as a reaffirmation of the goodness that inherently exists in this often dark world. It is a testimony to all that is of worth to a life in search of meaning. It is also the occasion of Ed's superhuman forgiveness of his son's killer. This is a marvelous book of tracing a life's movement against the current of despair. It is in the Christian world of the spiritually-minded Ed Ives that the struggle to embrace good in a world stained with evil is ultimately won.

I can be petty and focus on the son, who is too perfect a teenager, or focus on the miraculous cure of Mr. Ives' skin disease, or focus on his Catholic beliefs and how promptly and frequently he engaged in fornication with Annie (before holy matrimony!). But somehow i have to give this book a grand total of 5 starts, because its positive aspects far outweigh my criticisms. I love the vignette format, because it is not only a fresh approach to telling a story, but also the very way we recount a life. Hijuelos does a superb job describing the fossilizing of Ives' feelings, his self-pity disguised as stoicism, Annie's frustration, Ramirez's way of being (by far, the most endearing character in the book; i cried when i read about his travel bag and its contents).

Funny that the novel spans over 70 years of the life of Mr. Ives, because the pace is fast and the narrative is colorful, yet refined. The core of the book, Mr. Ives' feelings and religious sentiment, plus his wondering about identity and background, are examined with an elegant simplicity, despite the conflicting emotions he has in both counts. This is an excellent portrayal of a good man, who puts his money (and time, and effort) where his mouth is, the very essence of Christian love. What a sweet human being. How touching the scene where he follows a woman fantasizing that she is his birth mother, and he is somehow protecting her from potential muggers. How touching that he enjoys the ethnic diversity and his dealings with the Hispanic and Black communities. How could anyone possibly not enjoy Mr. Ives in all his goodness?

It's a diamond that cuts into the great spiritual wasteland. Oscar Hijuelos nails the virtues of moral truths and redemption of love, forgiveness, compassion -- those simple selfless qualities that our world considers trite. He does it through an amazing story of a quiet, humble man whose deep faith inspired: Ed Ives. This book is among my top favorites ever. I laughed, cried (blubbered while reading parts to my wife, actually) . . .

I adored "The Mambo Kings," but with this book I think Oscar bit off more than he could chew. It's beautifully written, as is all of Hijuelos' books, but the meandering storyline spanning much of the 20th Century is not very compelling. Despite the brilliant prose, it becomes a chore to finish, though there certainly are passages as lovely as anything Hijuelos has written.

From the opening pages of Mr Hijuelos's epic novel, one is on a long and delightfully rich journey. The love in these pages, the humantity, the poetry and humor, are abundant and utterly absorbing. A wonderful book by a skilled author.

This book is a fluid generational narrative that traces the humorous, and occasionally tragic, milestones of a large interracial (white/hispanic) family in America. Hijuelos effortlessly combines sharp social and cultural commentary with an engrossing storytelling capability attributable to very few contemporary writers.

It brings you into the beautiful world of Cuba and New York City. It gets you nostalgic for your own country. Hijuelos takes you through Cuban and American history with a flow. He pulls you into the Santinios family and lets you share their ups and downs with them. A great book for anyone.

It's not unreasonable to have high expectations of a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. It's also seldom that the movie is better than the book, so it's doubly disappointing that Oscar Hijuelos' much lauded "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love (MKPSOL)" should prove to be such a shallow, shabby and one dimensional affair. The novel's premise hold much promise - tale of two Cuban brothers who work at a meat packing plant by day but transform into gilded musicians in a band by night - but the execution is surprisingly amateurish. Characterisation is poor - both Cesar and Nestor seem like caricatures (the extrovert/hunk and the introvert/dreamer) rather than rounded or believable characters. We never truly understand their psyche but then we don't really care because we can't relate to them anyway. The graphic sex scenes that litter the novel keep repeating every three pages or so. They are not an affront to good taste - we are not prudes - but cheapen the reading experience. The plot also suffers from a lack of dramatic momentum. The storyline stalls some place midway, becomes quickly boring and repetitive and degenerates into a one note samba. Hijuelos' prose may be straightforward, easy on the eyes, easy on the brains but curiously flat and pulp fiction like. Only the Desi Arnaz episode manages to lift MKPSOL from its low aim by showing the funny side to the American psyche - always ready to be star struck. MKPSOL makes for a light entertaining (albeit over long) read but it hasn't remotely the literary qualities worthy of its Pulitzer Prize winning status. I can't imagine it surviving as serious literature for the ages. If you want to read a good book by a Cuban or similar writer, go for either Christina Garcia or Julia Alvarez.

The moment I started to read The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, I knew I would like it. The writing is descriptive and creative, and the author, Oscar Hijuelos makes you want to keep turning the page. The two main characters, Cesar and Nestor, are two musicians trying to make it big in the 1950's writing the music of the time, jazz. While playing jazz, the two brothers experience everything from writing new songs, appearing on the "I Love Lucy" show, meeting other famous musicians, new women, and a new lifestyle after moving to America from Cuba. The brothers experience life as Cuban immigrants feeling the positives and negatives of being the minority in the country. Different clothes, different people, and the love of women are what the two brothers get out of writing their sexy, smooth,jazz songs.
Hijuelos tells their lives before an after as struggling musicians with wittiness, detail, and flair. Hijuelos combines these three aspects causing the reader to become anxious and constantly curious. I have never read an author who wrote with such detail, imagination, and description. The descriptive scenes make the reader feel as if they were another one of the characters in the book. Since the story is very descriptive, the book tends to be long and drawn out at some times, but only occasionally. Don't get me wrong, the book does keep you interested and sometime even laughing out loud. At some points I even found my self in disbelief at the vivid descriptions of the many sex scenes in the book, and the smooth, sly ways of the Mambo Kings. This book has it all, love, heartache, sex, and emotion. The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love is one that you have to add to your reading collection today!

I read this book, for the first time, for a college American Literature course about seven years ago. The teacher warned everyone in advance that it "may appear to be a bit too descriptive, too sexual but to please keep an open mind" because this was an integral part of the book. He was right. I found this book to be fascinating, sensual and written clearly enough that I felt as though I was a character on the sidelines, watching these two brothers go through their lives. To the readers who found this degrading to women, try to realize that these were lovers in the true definition. They were Cuban men who absolutely adored women; they appreciated the beauty of all women and showed it in the most physical sense possible. As a woman, I found the book to be truly sensual and enjoyable. Since reading this book I have made a point to read all of Hijuelos' books and, every year or two, I pick up "Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love" to go back to that time of raw sensuality that Hijuelos describes so well.

My teacher was right. Keep an open mind while reading this, or any, book. But, don't deny yourself the luxury of reading such a wonderful book!

"Empress of the Splendid Season" is the story of Lydia Espana, who was a society girl in Cuba before the revolution and who doesn't have such a wonderful life when she emigrates to New York. She is a very complex character, filled with longings and human frailities, but a positive character who is even heroic at times in a modest way. She meets and falls in love with a waiter and they have two children. When Lydia's husband, Raul, becomes ill with his heart, she has to assume the responsibility of supporting the family by her work as a "cleaning lady." She's forced to give up her dreams of romance and of a better life.

This is a wonderful book, well worth the time and effort it takes to read it. Oscar Hijuelos is one of the best writers around and fans of his work will not be disappointed by this one. However, I had the impression that this book doesn't break any new ground and doesn't quite rise to the level of his great earlier novels, "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love" and "Mr. Ives' Christmas."

The book is a graceful work about the life of an immigrant family in New York from the 40's to the present day. The book focuses on Lydia, a working class heroine, who goes from being a pampered, spoiled undisciplined rich girl in pre-revolutionary Cuba to a cleaning lady laboring for the well to do of the Big Apple. The book works best when focusing on the every day life of the dozens of every day characters that we meet. Although there is no major out of the ordinary climaxes in the story, Hijuelos' excellent prose makes us see how heroic ordinary life is. I reccommend this book.

Oscar Hijuelos writes of people with intense rich interior lives. These are people we admire for their emotional constancy and pity for their obsessions. I've read three of Oscar Hijuelos' novels. This is the least engaging of the three, but still a very nice book.