This was a wonderful book about a young boy growing up in rural New Mexico in the 40s. It described the conflict and closeness of a family in transition. Anaya gives us highly descriptive pictures of the people and the country side; of the culture and the religion; of the changing way of life. The book is both quiet and violent. In the end I wanted to know what happens to Antonio - how does he turn out? I wanted more.

My group loved this book. We live in a community with a heavy hispanic population and this book was chosen as our "all county read." A great mix of humor, sadness, and magic. Wish Anaya would write a sequel. Left us wanting to know more about what happened to Antonio.

My group read this book and found it well written but did not grab us in or make us want to read any other books by this author. There wasn't anything that enticed me to keep reading. Pretty much, if I hadn't been reading this in a group, I wouldn't have finished it.

It's amazing how the book it narrated by a young child and that voice seems authentic while at the same time being profoundly beautiful prose. It's as though he captured the thoughts of a child as they were coming into being and transcribed them in the most beautiful way possible.

This book has so much symbolism and conflict that I think it makes for a great book club read. Little hard to get into but then moves very quickly. I enjoyed it.

This book is a true delight to read. It is a wonderful story of a young boy growing up and the wishes of his mother and father. The effects that Ultima has on is life are amazing. A truly beautiful story.