The Fields of Paradise

A STRANGELY affecting novel of life in revolutionary Mexico. The semitropical town of San Lorenzo on the Pacific Slope is the scene of battle, murder, and sudden death — and of love and friendship. Mr. Bates makes every character real — an extraordinary gallery of alien people in an exotic setting who are entirely convincing, from priest to jailer. Especially the central figure, Felipe, the fireworks maker, stands out with a clarity which it will be hard to forget. This is a book one can recommend without hesitation as perhaps Mr. Bates’s best work up to date. And that is high praise.