Cities of Gold - A Journey Across the American Southwest (Douglas Preston, 1992)

Nelson and Preston

Book club selection (via CPG; session held April 24, 2016).

Didn't know much about the American southwest when we moved to Arizona in 1986.  This was one of the earlier books that I read on the topic; had forgotten how much I enjoyed it.  Was very happy to have an occasion to re-read.

This book definitely had given PJ and I some ideas about road-trips - there were many trips to eastern, north-eastern, south-eastern Arizona in the mid-1990s, with five so-young children in tow - wonderful memories.

Preston got the idea that it would be useful to travel the route that Coronado took - in 1540 - up from Mexico into what became the United States.  And decided that doing it on horseback was a more faithful re-creation.  He hired "Eusebio" - a wood-cutter posing as a wrangler.  But the main companion was photographer and jack-of-all-trades Walter Nelson.

I keep thinking this book should be required reading for anyone residing in the State of Arizona - it's a travel tale (with plenty of horsey misadventures) that threads in so many elements of the state's history and geography.  He wanders around a bit - both with the horses and the editorial choices - but wasn't that the point here?

There truly is nothing like the New Mexico scenery.

San Pedro; Salt River; Coronado Highway; ranchers; tales of Apache, Navajo, Zuni, Hopi; visiting the pueblos where rather unfortunate encounters took place.  Spanish were of course looking for the seven cities of gold - this was just a few years after Cortez and Pizarro hit it big.

I found the dialogue - the voices - very authentic.

Just like the first time I read it - all I want to do is get out there.  Don't know how to make that happen however.

Daniel Deronda (George Eliot, 1876)

Final novel for Eliot; per here and here, I do like her work very much.

This is rather long - 695 pages - but Eliot is pretty much always interesting.  There are two major story lines - beautiful-but-poor Gwendolyn Harleth; spoiled, immature, but with potential - enters into a loveless marriage.  Daniel Deronda lives with his uncle - generally quite happily - but he doesn't know details of his parentage and wonders about it, plus tends to be the selfless sounding board for his friends to the point where he doesn't really have peer relationships.

The paths of Harleth and Deronda intersect in various ways.

Deronda is increasingly interested in Judaism due to a series of events - including getting to know Mirah and her brother.

Mirah lives with the family of Deronda's friend (Hans).

Story lines are set in English aristocratic society of the 1860s, with many topical references (so I was grateful for useful end-notes).