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| The Milagro Beanfield War: A Novel | 
| Author: John Nichols
Publisher: Owl Books
Category: Book
List Price: $17.00
Buy Used: $0.56
You Save: $16.44 (97%)
New (46) Collectible (3) from $1.90
Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 65494
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 464
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.3
ISBN: 0805063749
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780805063745
ASIN: 0805063749
Publication Date: February 15, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 entertaining, but something seems wrong December 25, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The Milagro Beanfield War is a book that starts out very well. Nichols knows
the people and the area he is describing. The stories that he uses to introduce
the location and the characters have a touch of magic realism, and for the
first 100 pages I really thought this would be one of the best books I read
this year. I felt that after that the story got bogged down. As Nichols notes,
this is really a book with an agenda, and this becomes perfectly clear very soon.
Unfortunately this means that the characters and their lively stores that show
such promise in the first part of the book get pushed aside. What
remains are stereotypes of the people (on both sides) and language ("Ai Chihuahua!")
in service of an indictment of capitalism and large scale landownership. While
I agree with some of the points made, I thought that the approach was
heavy handed, and the story suffered as the result.
 Great Story November 22, 2007
If not considered a classic it should be. It is a great story about the never ending struggle between those with and those without.
WWIII New Mexico Style July 13, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
When Joe Mondragon illegally irrigates a puny beanfield, he starts WWIII and becomes the unwitting, reluctant symbol of this battle between the haves and the have nots. The book is absolutely hilarious with its wry yet rich descriptions of the people and the cultures clashing in Milagro, NM. But underneath, the end is near and everyone knows it, is resigned to it, but will fight to hold on for as long as possible. I've read this book several times and have come away with something new every time. Nichols' description of Kyril Montana's initial stealthy and secret foray into Milagro will always hold a special place in my heart. Que viva, Snuffy!
A Very Good Read August 9, 2006
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I absolutely loved this book - a great story and excellently written.
 A delightful read about the day a man began irrigating his father's beanfield June 14, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I finally got around to reading this novel whilst on summer vacation (it was in the free pile at the condo) and am so glad that I did.
Nichols engages the reader from the first page, with a blend of magical realism, social commentary, satire, and good old fashioned story telling.
Jose "Joe" Mandragon sets in motion a variety of forces in the state of New Mexico when he irrigates his family legacy, a miniscule beanfield left to him by his father. With that simple act, centuries-old tensions between rancher and farmer, Mexican and Anglo, subsistence living and the cash economy, come to a head.
What could have been a dull exercise in race relations, regional history, and economic theory, is instead brought to wonderful, earthy life in this charming novel that will make you think, laugh, and perhaps even shed a tear or two.
Definitely worth reading!
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Wildlife, nature and the Environment
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