City of Palaces is one of the best books I've read this year (and I've read and reviewed 118 2020 titles). The novel is set in Mexico City at the turn of the 20th Century. Mexico has ousted the French who had set up their own rules for the country; Porfirio Díaz then became President and remained in office for decades using increasingly corrupt elections; a rebellion led by Madero ousted Díaz; the Madero himself was ousted. Obviously, this was a tumultuous period for Mexico—and the U.S. played its own role in the tumult.

The central characters, Miguel Sarmiento and Alicia Gavilán, are both committed to doing good in the world and each has their own tragedy underlying that motivation, but aside from those commonalities, they have little in common. He's the son of a political rebel, who was once respoected, but is now considered insane; she's the daughter of one of Mexico's oldest aristocratic families. He's a scientific rationalist and atheist; she's a devout Catholic. He accomplishes much good as a doctor volunteering in areas of the city where the poorest live, but builds few relationships with the people he serves; she has more friends, and more genuine friends, among the poor than she does among her own class.

Nava does wonders pulling together the sweep of history, the different world views and philosophies embraced by his central characters, and the relationship between those characters. I'm generally not one for "big" novels because they too easily become episodic or didactic. Nava avoids those pitfalls and presents a narrative that provokes thought and engagement.

This is a do-not-miss title for any reader of fiction. Its complexities and insights will reward on many levels.

I received a free electronic ARC of this title from the publisher via EdelweissPlus for review purposes. The opinions are my own. ( )

I’m a huge fan of the Henry Rios mysteries, and when I saw that the same author had an upcoming historical novel set in early 20thC Mexico, I knew I wanted to read it. Despite my eagerness, though, I started and set aside the book at least twice before my third, successful attempt. I’m not sure why it took me so long and so many tries, because the book is extremely accessible, the setting is terrific, and the characters are engrossing.

The first third of the book is more or less a traditional romantic story grounded in the politics and society of early 20thC Mexico. It introduces Miguel Sarmiento, a handsome doctor with a tortured past and Alicia Gavilan, the (physically and emotionally) scarred daughter of an aristocratic family. They fall in love, somewhat to their surprise, and the end of the first third closes with their marriage. Nava does a wonderful job of making the reader feel the context, and I loved reading about a society which is influenced by European and US society and politics, but which is also entirely its own world.

The second third of the book opens about a decade later. We are introduced to Miguel and Alicia’s beautiful, artistic son, José, and we read the unfolding political developments through all three of their perspectives (as well as a few others on occasion). We’re never really in doubt that Miguel and Alicia will be on the side of political and economic reform, but we also know that they are in a precarious position because of their professional and personal ties to those in power.

The story features a couple of important characters who happen to be homosexual Early in the book we meet Miguel’s cousin, Jorge Luis, who has to flee Mexico to avoid imprisonment (and probably worse) when he is found at a party with a group of gay men that includes the son of Porfirio Diaz. And there are passages that make it clear that José is attracted to other boys and men. In interviews about the book, the author has said that he based the character of José on the Mexican (closeted) actor Ramon Novarro, and readers who are familiar with Novarro will see echoes of his family’s name and history in this book. But it is by no means a biographical retelling.

The prose style is deliberate, slightly formal, and straightforward. It occasionally lapses into telling more than showing, but I think that is an occupational hazard of historical novels, especially when the history cannot be assumed to be known to the book’s audience.

All the characters are thoughtfully depicted and nuanced; there are no stock figures here that I could discern.

Highly recommended. Nava is working on the second volume, but there's no set timetable for its completion and release. ( )