Who Would Like This Book:
If you love dry wit, oddball adventures, and quirky Americana, "Gringos" is your kind of road trip. Charles Portis brings his signature hilarious clarity to Mexico, filling the novel with misfit Americans - hippies, archeologists, UFO hunters, and dropouts - all weaving in and out of Jimmy Burns' laid-back life. The episodic misadventures and Portis’s deadpan observations make it a great pick for fans of sardonic humor, offbeat characters, and rich, satirical takes on American expats. If you appreciate books like "A Confederacy of Dunces" or the Coen Brothers’ brand of storytelling, there’s plenty here to keep you grinning.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some might bounce off the book’s loose, meandering structure and leisurely pacing - it’s more a series of vignettes than a tightly-plotted thriller. If you crave deep character dives, relentless action, or emotional fireworks, the laid-back style and even-keel narration may leave you cold. Some readers found the cast blurry or hard to warm up to, and if you prefer a strong, propulsive plot over quirky snapshots of expat life, this may not hit the spot.
About:
'Gringos' by Charles Portis is a humorous and witty novel that follows the adventures of Jimmy Burns, an ex-Marine living in Mexico, as he navigates through a series of misadventures involving a diverse cast of characters including hippies, archeologists, and UFO enthusiasts. The plot revolves around Jimmy's search for a young man named Rudy Kurle, leading to unexpected encounters and challenges in the Mexican jungle. Portis' writing style is described as clear, insightful, and filled with dry humor, offering a satirical take on American expatriates living in Mexico.
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From The Publisher:
Jimmy Burns is an expatriate American living in Mexico who has an uncommonly astute eye for the absurd little details that comprise your average American.
For a time, Jimmy spent his days unearthing pre-Colombian artifacts. Now he makes a living doing small trucking jobs and helping out with the occasional missing person situation—whatever it takes to remain “the very picture of an American idler in Mexico, right down to the grass-green golfing trousers.†?
But when Jimmy’s laid-back lifestyle is seriously imposed upon by a ninety-pound stalker called Louise, a sudden wave of “hippies†? (led by a murderous ex-con guru) in search of psychic happenings, and a group of archaeologists who are unearthing (illegally) Mayan tombs, his simple South-of-the-Border existence faces a clear and present danger.
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