A portrait of Mexico City society in the mid-19th century. According to the jacket, this is a novella "written in the costumbrista style, made popular in the mid-nineteenth century by the periodical press in which these sketches of contemporary manners were first published. The stor[y] is a sensitive reflection of the effects of modernization brought by an authoritarian regime dedicated to order and progress." I don't know about the second sentence but the first is certainly accurate. It seemed a bit dated and stylized and, while there may be those who care for the author's style of caricature, it didn't impress me overly. A very good, very fluid translation for the most part. ( )