Lewis' style and quality of the narrative is most refreshing. Some of his descriptive passages, in the pellucid simplicity and rich imagery, ring with the lyricism of poetry.–
New York Times Book Review It is hoped that Mr. Lewis will inspire other descendants of Camoens . . . to take up the pen, to explore and relate the story of the Portuguese pioneers in California.–
San Francisco Chronicle Through Lewis, the world of the small immigrant dairy farms and the newly arrived Portuguese who worked them live on the page forever. Memorable are the old, crusty ex-whaler and dairyman Madruga, the town's barber and pimp, Senhor de Castro, the lovely and love-crossed Ana Linhares, and a host of other characters (one thinks of Steinbeck's
Cannery Row!) in this rich California valley.–Frank X. Gaspar, author of
Leaving Pico Sixty Acres and a Barn, Alfred Lewis's last novel, offers up an immigrant's version of the Horatio Alger myth, in which an Azorean stranger learns the pragmatic ways of a new country, a bit of essential knowledge that, melding with his elemental Azorean traits, enables him to become a prosperous and productive citizen of California. In this well-plotted western, agrarian novel, the reader discovers as well how Alfredo Luís evolved into Alfred Lewis without ever ceasing to be, in the best of senses, a Portuguese immigrant from the Azores.–George Monteiro, author of
The Presence of Pessoa
