Travel by book. It’s the only hope most of us have to go globetrotting and see places we’ve dreamed of, always feared, or never even heard of. In Chronicle of San Gabriel, Julio Ramon Ribeyro will take you to a Peru you never knew existed. Based on his own experience, this fictional work recounts one 15-year-old boy’s trip with his skirt-chasing, ever-drinking uncle to visit relatives in the mountains of Peru. The world he discovers there at the family hacienda is like nothing he could have fathomed.
The hacienda of San Gabriel is more of a pit stop, being the only place along the way for travelers to rest for the night and get a home cooked meal and perhaps a few too many adult beverages. While a large number of rebellious cousins and quarreling aunts and uncles call it home, others drift in and out causing a constantly changing series of interactions between contrasting people in the middle of nowhere – a sort of mini galaxy.
I couldn’t help but draw comparisons between Chronicle of San Gabriel and one of my favorite books The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. In both instances, you have an unusual group of people placed together in a remote location. Both groups form their own hierarchies, smaller groups, etc. as people are prone to do. But in Chronicle of San Gabriel, the outcome is more wild, passionate, and even sometimes lawless than the mostly-European group in The Magic Mountain. Oh, would I love to sit down and talk with someone else who has read both! This could consume the better part of an afternoon.
If you’d like to win your own copy of this fascinating book, I have one to give away. As usual, there are three ways to enter: 1.) Subscribe to this blog to be entered into this and all future giveaways here. 2.) Leave a comment telling me what intrigues you about this book (something more than “Sounds good” is kindly requested). 3.) Post a link back to this giveaway on your blog. Or do all three, and you have three entries. The winner will be drawn on April 3, 2008, at 12noon EST. (Please enter themommyspot(at)gmail(dot)com into your address book so you don’t miss the email telling you the book is yours.)
Peru is my favorite country, and I’d love to read this!
its my fantasy to read books and travel through them peru sounds fantastic
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I love meeting all kinds of people when I travel. This book sounds like I could get what I like without leaving home.
love books of south and central america
Hi, I have never been to Peru or anywhere in South America! I would enjoy reading about the young man and his uncle. I love to learn about different cultures in remote places. The cover of the book looks intriguing. It would be interesting to compare “The Magic Mountain” with this particular book!
Please enter me in your drawing. Thanks,Cindi
I think this sounds like a fascinating read!
The fact that “Chronicle of San Gabriel” it is interpreted through the eyes of a young 15 year old boy is intriguing and will add a unique and innocent, coming-of-age perspecitve. I would love to hear his story.
I’ve always been an aficionado of South America
I have always been fascinated with Peru and this story sounds exciting.
I have always been interested in South America
I would like to read this book.
I never been to Peru and probably never will go…..but I’ve longed believed in being able to travel thru reading, count me in please
i did a report on Peru, it sounded like a really interesting place, i love reading of other’s adventures in foreign places
i love to travel even through the eyes of others.
I love to be sucked into a whole new world when reading a book!
Thank you for this giveaway!
Quareling aunts and uncles? Sounds familiar. I’d love to enter your contest.
This is something I have never read much about.,..and with the desciptions sounds absolutely facinating to learn and read more about…great cover as well!
Reading a travel book is meaningful and transports me to another realm. What a great giveaway. This is fascinating reading.
family and relatives, that’s always interesting. I haven’t read The Magic Mountain, I might have to buy that.
Do count me in! I have blooged about it here!
Sounds very interesting
I love reading about family dynamics. Sounds interesting!
I love reading books about other cultures and countries, this one sounds interesting. Thanks for the chance.
i love reading about real people and their real adventures, this sounds really great!
I love reading about other cultures, especially those in South America. Please enter me, thanks.
I always enjoy visiting other places.
I loe travel stores like this! This sounds great!
enter me
yay, i love this book. I wanna own one. Love travel stories and a country’s culture.
Peru is my favorite country.
Though I was lucky to visit france on several ocassions in a past life.. I can’t say I will ever get the chance to go back or for that matter travel again (especially not to Peru!) That must be exciting… *sigh*
I added you to prizeatron.
http://www.prizeatron.com
I’ve always been intrigued about South America, the Peru storyline makes me want to really win this contest!
I’d love this because I find human nature fascinating and it’s really interesting to see how the mind works and what choices people make when trying to make structure out of non-structured situations.
Sounds like a wonderful book!! Just what I need at the moment..to be taken somewhere I’ve never been! Sign me up to win this one!
looks great!
This book looks extremely interesting. I would love to read it as my “Peru” book for my Read Around the World challenge
I love to read and it look interesting.
I always love the chance to read a new book. This sounds so interesting. Being a young child & finding out about his family & roots sounds like a wonderful adventure. I love to learn about new cultures & places in the world to get get so involved that I actually became part of the boof. Thank-you for this fantastic opportunity.
Looks good!
like to read
This sounds great! I’m linking to your giveaway, and I’ve added your blog to my google reader (is that what you meant by subscribe?).
I would like to experience Peru.
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uuuuuuuu! yes, this one looks great! count me in. I love all things foreign, they are so interesting and exciting to me for some reason. I’d love to win this one.
Thanks for another great giveaway!!!!!
<3 books!!
Sounds like alot of lively and interesting conversations in there with the mixture of families squabbling with the occasional drop in of offbeat travelers passing through. Sounds like a good read!
going on vacation soon – would be perfect read
This looks like a very good read.