Rating: 
Summary: An interesting look at Mexico
Review: I read this book about eight months or so ago and found it a very pleasant read. It is above average, but not great writing. The book does succeed wonderfully in transporting one from the armchair to San Miguel... having never been there (or farther into Mexico than the border cities - but that's not the Mexico I hear of from people who travel farther south), I had an open mind. Thus, I was not constantly comparing the book against my own experiences or preconcieved notions. While reading the reviews posted here I came up with a few thoughts that might be relevant. First, this is a book by a couple who traveled to Mexico to live, NOT to Louisiana. In my reading I found nothing that claimed that it is necessary to leave the US to achieve a calmer lifestyle. I am certain there are plenty of books about places in the US where similar features of living can be found. Second, while Cohan does at times come across as a bit patronizing, I found his documented actions to be pretty typical of American travelers... who tend to try to "help out" whenever confronted with a situation seemingly needing assistance. I don't think Cohan is perfect... but this is a book about one couple's somewhat unexpected decision to leave LA for a very different place. Anyway, I am not really wanting to rebut other reviews... I did find this an interesting book. As an architect I was fascinated by the Cohan's tales of restoring their crumbling hacienda... particularly the way they actually decided to buy the place. I have seen couples divorce over far lesser challenges right here in California... I'd like to see what the place is like now. This is not really a travel guide. There seems to be plenty of information that would be useful to a traveler to San Miguel, but it really is a chronicle of a time of major transition and interesting new frontiers. These are pretty "everyday" people who decided through a process of traveling to Mexico to pull out of a life that was unsatisfying and try something new. It takes a little bravery, some resources and a lot of that ability to laugh at ones' self to make something like that work. The author seems to have done a fine job. Worth the time to read.
Rating:
Summary: Written from the heart.
Review: I REALLY liked this book very much. I read a lot of travel books, but I liked this more than any other I have read for a long time. It left the "Provences' and 'Tuscanys' for dead. The reason is this.......Tony Cohan manages to show the sense of excitement in finding a new place that you really love so much that you can't get enough of it. I too have a place like this, though mine is not in Mexico, it's in Indonesia. And unfortunately I don't have a way to live there all the time. But this book made to want to go San Miguel de Allende (and, yes, I have been to Mexico) and it reminded me of how I felt when I found my special place in Indonesia. It also reminded me of the things I've done there and the characters I've met, and of learning Indonesian & the satisfaction when yet another cultural mystery is unravelled.
Rating:
Summary: Written from the heart.
Review: I REALLY liked this book very much. I read a lot of travel books, but I liked this more than any other I have read for a long time. It left the "Provences' and 'Tuscanys' for dead. The reason is this.......Tony Cohan manages to show the sense of excitement in finding a new place that you really love so much that you can't get enough of it. I too have a place like this, though mine is not in Mexico, it's in Indonesia. And unfortunately I don't have a way to live there all the time. But this book made to want to go San Miguel de Allende (and, yes, I have been to Mexico) and it reminded me of how I felt when I found my special place in Indonesia. It also reminded me of the things I've done there and the characters I've met, and of learning Indonesian & the satisfaction when yet another cultural mystery is unravelled.
Rating: 
Summary: Real people living their dream in Old Mexico
Review: I was totally inspired by Tony's story of their new life in San Miguel. The book kept me looking forward to the next chance I had to pick it up and keep reading. The description of life there has me so inspired that I'm hoping to take a bus trip there this summer. Totally enjoyable reading experience! Thanks, Tony!
Rating:
Summary: Put me on the next plane to San Miguel
Review: I'm not normally an armchair traveler, but the colors on the book jacket lured me in. Once inside, Cohan's words took over, and I've been dreaming of Mexico ever since. Who wouldn't want to move to a small town, learn from the artists and expats there, and rebuild a house into your very own dream home? I've never physically been to San Miguel, but if I ever go, I'm sure I will instantly feel right at home thanks to this beautiful and exciting book book.
Rating:
Summary: subtle and exquisite
Review: I'm writing this review from Oaxaca, where I just finished reading On Mexican Time and I found it a subtle and beautiful description of a life developed in Mexico over fifteen years. As the writer's Mexican life winds deeper around him, and as he comes to speak Spanish, the perceptions become deeper too. This book isn't for the margarita and RV beach crowd. This is for people who are sensitive to the art and the culture they find in a foreign place. Cohan isn't confused about who he is, gringo or Mexican, and he confronts the invasion of Americans to his town and other parts of Mexico with his eyes wide open. It's a poetic and insightful journey. I've spent many years visiting Mexico, and I loved the book. Jeanette
Rating:
Summary: You can tell by the other reviews who has lived in Mexico...
Review: IBM sent me on onternational assignment to Guadalajara, Mexico for a year. I thought I spoke Spanish until I arrived. I listened to this book on tape on the drive down and remember thinking that "these Mexicans seem crazy". One year later, driving back to the states, I listened to Tony's book again and was crying and laughing the whole time. The people who gave this book bad reviews clearly have lived in the US a little too long. Unfortunately, the only way you can understand this book is to have lived down there for a period of time. I guess the real point of this book is to say, "there's a different world out there and the United States is NOT at the center of it".
Rating: 
Summary: A great personal account, too bad about the generalizations
Review: If you have interest in Mexico, you will most likely enjoy this book. Is is a fairly detailed account of someone suddenly discovering Mexico and little by little learning the language, the customs, buying real estate, and taking up nearly full time residence there. This is the major thread of the book and there are some gems here. It makes some generalizations you may or may not notice or enjoy. For example, the Zapatistas are Mexico's "new heroes" and proposition 187 in California sought to deny basic services to Mexican workers. I found these controversial and cheap shots irritating. I think even this, though, shows what the expatriate community in San Miguel de Allende is all about; its self satisfied and hip political correctness.
Rating: 
Summary: Read it Only if You Must
Review: If you love Mexico, as I do, or are moving down there, as I am, then, sure, read this book. But if you are after some good travel writing, look elsewhere. The author tries SO HARD to sound flowery, impressive, artsy and cultured that I frankly found it disgusting. He was always trying to impress the reader with his words rather than just tell his story. One example: "Out here on the Mexican road, I have veered into the realm of casual anarchy, where the instruments of recourse may be worse than the problem that occasioned them." Huh? Another example: "The scene is Fellini, Jacques Tati--or Luis Bunuel." If that describes a scene well for you, then maybe this book is for you! Personally, I found his prose very irritating.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty and superficial
Review: Installing a bright blue baked enamel stove and a fire-engine red refrigerator may not be everyone's cup of tea, but this story about the restoration of an old house in the Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende is full of vivid images. What it lacks are character development, structure, and understanding of culture beyond the superficial. Cohan's descriptions of problems with the Mexican help are endless.... However, On Mexican Time is a quick read and easily consumed in an afternoon on the beach.
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