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mckmillican's review
I’m in Mexico City for a few months, and this was a great read for it. It’s a little meandering, and I could t quite tell if it was intended to be an essay collection or a cohesive book. The last third or so on the book was a deep dive into a specific criminal case in the city, which was wildly informative, but an odd tonal shift from the first part of the book. I didn’t really know where it was taking me, but I enjoyed it and learned a ton.
erinthelibrarian's review
4.0
I started this book after a visit to Mexico City in late 2019. It's mesmerizing mix of memoir and Mexico City (DF Distrito Federal). The author is working out of the grief of the sudden, tragic death of his young wife while also expressing a deep, abiding love for the DF. In an effort to understand the "bubble" of the DFThere's quite a lot of Mexican politics and analysis of why the DF is not as violent and ruled by the large scale cartels that wreak havoc over much of the country. As much as I tried to follow the political dynamics and history I did get into the weeds - the fact that the two side are both acronyms starting with "P" didn't help. But most importantly I was very happy to say that even during a relatively short visit to the city we really saw a lot and I could visual many of the locations in the book. I loved the city so much and was so comfortable and invigorated I can't wait to go back again. This book will definitely prepare you.
raymond_murphy's review
3.0
Less a memoir than a series of interconnected essays. Helped fill out my view of Mexico City.
gajeam's review against another edition
3.0
Highs and lows. Truly more transportive to a time and place (Mexico City in the 2010s) than almost any nonfiction I’ve ever read, but the second half gets bogged down in details of the Heavens bar levantón. He seems to have written this whole book contemporaneously with events as they happened, which is its strength and its weakness.
emmkayt's review
4.0
Goldman lives part of the year in Mexico City, and he writes about it with affection and depth. He focuses on 2012-13, a time when he continued to grapple with the rawness of his grief after the death of his wife. He decides to learn to drive stick shift and to drive in the city - Mexico City’s notorious traffic having long dissuaded him. The first part of the book intersperses his (not exactly successful) efforts with other musings about life in the city and his own grief and memories. The second part of the book delves into the ‘leviton’ or disappearance of a group of young people from a nightclub, using it to explore politics and crime in the city.
Ultimately, while Goldman was unsuccessful in mastering the ‘interior circuit’ (the name of an internal highway in the city), he completes another truly interior circuit of sorts through the course of the book. I found it moving and also loved how he wrote about the city - I recognized some places I knew, and was enriched by being introduced to others in advance of a return visit.
Ultimately, while Goldman was unsuccessful in mastering the ‘interior circuit’ (the name of an internal highway in the city), he completes another truly interior circuit of sorts through the course of the book. I found it moving and also loved how he wrote about the city - I recognized some places I knew, and was enriched by being introduced to others in advance of a return visit.
yenirulop's review
2.0
Editorialmente me parece muy irregular, no creo que la imagen del circuito interior se mantenga en todo el libro, sobre todo en la crónica con lo sucedido en el caso Heavens. También creo que algunas opiniones o planeamientos de los hechos sobre los chilangos o sobre la violencia en Morelos tiene este tufito del extranjero que se deja seducir por un falso exotismo o por la imprecisiones de quien ve la situación política y social de un país. Aunque esta actitudes es lo menos, su apenas sugerencia me molestó bastante.