When the Owl Cries

by

Paul Alexander Bartlett

with an Introduction

by

Steven James Bartlett

The book’s title, When the Owl Cries, comes from the ancient Mexican-Indian superstition, “Cuando el tecolote llora, se muere el indio” — “When the owl cries, an Indian dies.”

When the Owl Cries has been described by reviewers as “The Gone with the Wind of Mexico.” It is a gripping, vivid story that takes place on a huge estate, an hacienda, at the beginning of the Mexican Revolution of 1910. The novel centers about the life of Don Raul Medina, soon to take over the management of the hacienda from his father, Fernando, who is now dying. Fernando has been a cruel hacendado, ruling with an iron hand, whip, and gun. Raul is caught in a complex web: his estrangement from his emotionally frail and disturbed wife, his love for the young blonde Lucienne, hacendada of a neighboring estate, and the turmoil and hardships they are plunged into during the Revolution. The colorful, descriptive panorama of the novel leads the reader into a first-hand experience as hacienda life came to an end as a result of the Revolution.

When the Owl Cries was originally published by Macmillan and has now been made available through Project Gutenberg as a free downloadable eBook in a variety of formats. To view the alternative formats and to download a free copy of the novel, click here.