This book is a classic by every measure of the term. Devotees of the famous movie by the same name will love the infinite detail and texture that is possible only with the written word. It is an adventure story for the ages, as well as being deeply philosophical.
An old fashioned adventure story but worth reading.
This is a great book and timeless. Traven delves deep into characters as in many of the psychological writers of his time such as Hemingway.
I originally read this classic back in the 70s when I was serving in the military. And of course, the 1948 movie version starring Humphrey Bogart has always been a favorite of mine.
I have had this Time/Life version of the book on my shelves for several years and decided it was time for a reread. The book was originally published in 1935 by the author B. Traven whose real identity is still somewhat of a mystery. Some say it is the pen name of a German novelist named Frans Blom but this is still in dispute.
The novel tells the story of three men down on their luck who search for gold in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico. The story begins in the 1920s in the oil boomtown of Tampico where an American named Dobbs is destitute and resorts to begging for money. He eventually finds work as a roughneck on a rigging crew for little pay and when the oil contractor tries to stiff him of the money he earned, another worker named Curtin teams up with Dobbs to beat the contractor and make him pay. Later they meet an old-timer named Howard who has spent his life searching for gold. The three team up and head out to seek gold which they eventually find. After months of hard work, they get enough to satisfy themselves and decide to call it quits. So are they able to return to civilization with the gold intact? Anyone who has seen the movie knows the answer to this. The story shows how greed can destroy even strong friendships and can lead to self-destruction.
I enjoyed the story although I consider the movie version a real classic and prefer it over the novel. The author's politics were somewhat prevalent in the story including his left-wing bolshevism leanings. The writing was also a little stilted and dated and included some racial epithets that were prevalent in writings of that time period. But overall I'm glad that I reread this classic story. It was really a good adventure novel full of action and it kept my interest throughout.
I have had this Time/Life version of the book on my shelves for several years and decided it was time for a reread. The book was originally published in 1935 by the author B. Traven whose real identity is still somewhat of a mystery. Some say it is the pen name of a German novelist named Frans Blom but this is still in dispute.
The novel tells the story of three men down on their luck who search for gold in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico. The story begins in the 1920s in the oil boomtown of Tampico where an American named Dobbs is destitute and resorts to begging for money. He eventually finds work as a roughneck on a rigging crew for little pay and when the oil contractor tries to stiff him of the money he earned, another worker named Curtin teams up with Dobbs to beat the contractor and make him pay. Later they meet an old-timer named Howard who has spent his life searching for gold. The three team up and head out to seek gold which they eventually find. After months of hard work, they get enough to satisfy themselves and decide to call it quits. So are they able to return to civilization with the gold intact? Anyone who has seen the movie knows the answer to this. The story shows how greed can destroy even strong friendships and can lead to self-destruction.
I enjoyed the story although I consider the movie version a real classic and prefer it over the novel. The author's politics were somewhat prevalent in the story including his left-wing bolshevism leanings. The writing was also a little stilted and dated and included some racial epithets that were prevalent in writings of that time period. But overall I'm glad that I reread this classic story. It was really a good adventure novel full of action and it kept my interest throughout.
