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The Cost of Dreams
A novel: Flora Enriquez trusts that she has found safe haven for her young family in the remote U.S. Southwest, after fleeing the murderous environs of Central America where her parents were slain in a civil war. Only to find that all of her life's greatest challenges, by far, still lie before her.
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
4 people want to read
About the author
Gary Stelzer
2 books3 followersI was born and raised on the north Texas plains in the post WWII years. My parents had survived the horrors of the Great Depression and then the frightful displacement and violence that had taken the lives of so many millions in the world war. Events that left them fearful all their lives of a sudden and unexplained return to the near destitution that they’d known in the 1930’s.
Post war rural educational offerings in that time and place were very limited. As a late teen, I found my way to a great state university, whose student population was about 25 times the size of my hometown. I graduated in four years with an English lit degree and met an extraordinary woman with roots in Chicago. We moved to the northern Midwest and married and raised three children.
I had decided to study medicine and graduated from University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis, afterwards finishing a residency in family medicine at the University of Wisconsin program in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
I worked as a doctor in a small city in the northern Midwest for almost 30 years. It was a very interesting and consuming line of work. All those years, I saw ever-greater hardships of working people struggling to afford healthcare and increasingly even the bare necessities of a modern existence. I was appalled at the fate of a local dairyman, who had taken his wife to a larger city for heart surgery, a woman who died at their home within a few months of her operation. After which, the old man stopped at my office one day to report that his farm had been foreclosed to pay her surgical bills, and that he’d lost the accumulated wealth of his entire life’s work.
More recently, I’d begun to see homelessness with individuals attempting to survive living in their cars in the North Country. Persons for whom access to healthcare had long since been out of the question, but for dire emergencies.
As a doctor, my work to relieve pain and misery had been turned on its head in a living contradiction: the more I rang up the charges at my office, the greater the debt I added to my patients’ financial struggle to survive. And the more likely I’d find them on the foreclosure pages in the legal section of our regional papers. I found it undeniable that we are all of us living in an ill social setup, one in which the very few own most all the societal assets, and the very many own less and less.
I have always enjoyed working with the English language. And, thus I decided to change jobs and to write a series of novels about the downtrodden of humankind struggling to survive in an unjust and ill social order, oftentimes with great dignity, and sometimes not.
Post war rural educational offerings in that time and place were very limited. As a late teen, I found my way to a great state university, whose student population was about 25 times the size of my hometown. I graduated in four years with an English lit degree and met an extraordinary woman with roots in Chicago. We moved to the northern Midwest and married and raised three children.
I had decided to study medicine and graduated from University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis, afterwards finishing a residency in family medicine at the University of Wisconsin program in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
I worked as a doctor in a small city in the northern Midwest for almost 30 years. It was a very interesting and consuming line of work. All those years, I saw ever-greater hardships of working people struggling to afford healthcare and increasingly even the bare necessities of a modern existence. I was appalled at the fate of a local dairyman, who had taken his wife to a larger city for heart surgery, a woman who died at their home within a few months of her operation. After which, the old man stopped at my office one day to report that his farm had been foreclosed to pay her surgical bills, and that he’d lost the accumulated wealth of his entire life’s work.
More recently, I’d begun to see homelessness with individuals attempting to survive living in their cars in the North Country. Persons for whom access to healthcare had long since been out of the question, but for dire emergencies.
As a doctor, my work to relieve pain and misery had been turned on its head in a living contradiction: the more I rang up the charges at my office, the greater the debt I added to my patients’ financial struggle to survive. And the more likely I’d find them on the foreclosure pages in the legal section of our regional papers. I found it undeniable that we are all of us living in an ill social setup, one in which the very few own most all the societal assets, and the very many own less and less.
I have always enjoyed working with the English language. And, thus I decided to change jobs and to write a series of novels about the downtrodden of humankind struggling to survive in an unjust and ill social order, oftentimes with great dignity, and sometimes not.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 20, 2010
Actually 3.5 stars
Basic Set Up Info:
The Cost of Dreams is a complex story where the main character, Flora Enriques, is originally from Barrancas del Cobre – the copper mountains just south of the Mexican border in the Chihuahuan state. Of Native American Indian descent, from what I believe is a tribe called the Tarahumara, this young woman escapes her humble and horrific circumstances within these mountains and canyons. Barely leaving with her life and with her siblings, and running from bands of illicit gunmen and overlords, she crosses over the border to the United States.
Fate has more in store for her, when she is shot and left for dead by a drug dealing thug and her brother in law. That is only the beginning of her incredible and harrowing story, which becomes even more complex as a parallel character, an American female biologist, saves her life as they embark on a journey of emotional and physical healing with some very dramatic events.
My Thoughts:
The Cost of Dreams is a layered and compelling story and one which I believe is the author’s first book. He calls himself an “amateur story teller” and brings to light some of the travails of what he terms calls “the struggle of the downtrodden.” He has created an amazing story line which is harrowing, gritty, and mostly a page turner. Gary Stelzer is also a physician and brings that knowledge into the story, making it interesting and complex. I enjoy medical images and terms within a novel and the author of course does a fabulous job.
My only grumbles are that at times I found myself a bit lost as new settings were introduced, or change back and forth, and there are complex events in the book. Additionally, I noted some extremely complex sentences – one sentence was an incredible five lines long. These elements slightly effected the page turning ability of the story. I would say that is is however a compelling and important read.
I really enjoyed this book because of its cultural significance. I have a particular fondness and sympathy for our Mexican and South American Neighbors. They have a complex and wonderful culture with sometimes difficult circumstances. If you enjoy these elements as well as convoluted story lines, and those which revolve around the border States of the US and Mexico, it is highly recommended. I do want to warn readers that there is some intense and graphic violence which may effect some. In the end I give this novel 3.5 stars. If not for the sticky bits my rating would have been higher. I am looking forward to the next novels in this series.
February 28, 2016
Flora, the main character in the story, showed incredible courage in not only escaping from the troubles in her country to the USA but she then got married, had a family and trained to be a teacher. But I didn't really feel as if I got to know Flora as a person, I didn't know what she was thinking or the kind of person she was most of the time and so I didn't care too much about her terrible ordeals ......... and she did have a tough time throughout the book....... which was a shame, as I do love to sympathise with my characters and I usually want them to come through and live happily ever after. But I'm afraid I wasn't that bothered about what happened to any of them.
The storyline was interesting and it never got boring, there was always plenty of action, but not a lot of narrative. It was mainly plot-driven and descriptive, some of the terrain scenes I found quite difficult to visualize. Also, particularly at the beginning of the book, some of the sentences were long-winded and it didn't make for quick and easy reading, but I felt that this improved as the story went on.
Overall, even though this wasn't a book that I particularly enjoyed, I do feel that Gary Stelzer has some good creative ideas, and it was interesting to learn about a different culture.
The storyline was interesting and it never got boring, there was always plenty of action, but not a lot of narrative. It was mainly plot-driven and descriptive, some of the terrain scenes I found quite difficult to visualize. Also, particularly at the beginning of the book, some of the sentences were long-winded and it didn't make for quick and easy reading, but I felt that this improved as the story went on.
Overall, even though this wasn't a book that I particularly enjoyed, I do feel that Gary Stelzer has some good creative ideas, and it was interesting to learn about a different culture.
January 11, 2010
This is a story that takes us along the life journey of a woman named Flora who happened to flee from her country at an early age. When many of her family members are murdered in her village in Mexico, a group from her tribe, including her brothers, decide to embark on the journey to the United States. Knowing that they will be entering the country illegally, they hire a guide to help them with the trip. They have know idea what lies ahead for them and as events take a turn for the worst, they become separated and it will be many years before Flora sees her brothers again.
Flora is able to make a life for herself when she arrives in California. Fortunately a young family finds her and decides to hire her as a servant to help with the housework and raise their child. She knows she wants more out of life so she stipulates to her employers that if they expect her to stay on at their home working for meager wages they will have to help pay for her to attend college. They agree to her wishes and before you know it Flora is graduating with a teaching degree.
When Flora meets Monte, I don't think she really loved him but he seemed to be able to offer her the security that she had never experienced within her lifetime. They eventually marry and move to a small town in Texas and find themselves raising a family while Flora also gets herself a good teaching job at the local school. Little does she know that Monte has a brother that follows a lifestyle that tempts the wrong side of the law who will put her life on a path that she never would have expected.
Kate Bowman is a woman who has done some missionary work throughout her life, and many years before she had an experience in Mexico, the very same village where Flora grew up, that left her shaken to the core. When Flora appears wounded and broken in her small town in Wisconsin, she is amazed that this girl has been put into her life once again. As she is needed to help save Flora, she finds that she needs Flora just as much to help explain what happened those many years ago so she can finally find some peace in her own life.
This was an interesting novel that kept me turning the pages because I needed to find out how everything was going to turn out. I do think that some of the characters could have been developed a bit more, especially Kate Bowman. Even though I enjoyed the story I found that some things were lacking within the novel for me to fully enjoy it. I have heard many stories of the horrendous journey that many people find themselves on as they try to enter our country illegally and this book brought that to life for me. With themes of forgiveness, compassion, and survival it made for a very engaging read.
Flora is able to make a life for herself when she arrives in California. Fortunately a young family finds her and decides to hire her as a servant to help with the housework and raise their child. She knows she wants more out of life so she stipulates to her employers that if they expect her to stay on at their home working for meager wages they will have to help pay for her to attend college. They agree to her wishes and before you know it Flora is graduating with a teaching degree.
When Flora meets Monte, I don't think she really loved him but he seemed to be able to offer her the security that she had never experienced within her lifetime. They eventually marry and move to a small town in Texas and find themselves raising a family while Flora also gets herself a good teaching job at the local school. Little does she know that Monte has a brother that follows a lifestyle that tempts the wrong side of the law who will put her life on a path that she never would have expected.
Kate Bowman is a woman who has done some missionary work throughout her life, and many years before she had an experience in Mexico, the very same village where Flora grew up, that left her shaken to the core. When Flora appears wounded and broken in her small town in Wisconsin, she is amazed that this girl has been put into her life once again. As she is needed to help save Flora, she finds that she needs Flora just as much to help explain what happened those many years ago so she can finally find some peace in her own life.
This was an interesting novel that kept me turning the pages because I needed to find out how everything was going to turn out. I do think that some of the characters could have been developed a bit more, especially Kate Bowman. Even though I enjoyed the story I found that some things were lacking within the novel for me to fully enjoy it. I have heard many stories of the horrendous journey that many people find themselves on as they try to enter our country illegally and this book brought that to life for me. With themes of forgiveness, compassion, and survival it made for a very engaging read.
February 28, 2010
Do you ever read a book that just sucks you in and not only captures 100% of your attention but your heart as well. I don't think that I have ever held my breath so many times in reading a book as I did when I read The Cost of Dreams by Gary Stelzer. This is a story about survival and strength like I have never read before. The pure determination to live and find happiness is Flora's main objective as she flees her small Central American village for the US. After her parents are killed in a raid she knows that she too will end up like them if she doesn't change her life with her two brothers. Unfortunately for them they are captured and arrested and Flora is able to escape barely only to begin a new adventure. Survival in the US, alone and penniless.
Eventually Flora is hired as a nanny for a young boy and struggles to get her life together. So strong willed yet you would think she would be so beaten down from her past she meets Monte and they get married. But Monte has a pretty evil brother who is a drug dealer and when he comes around looking for some missing drugs and Monte Flora is the one who is shot in the neck and left for dead. Not just by her brother in law but by Monte her husband as well.
But Flora's story doesn't end there, gathering her will and all her fight she travels across the country to call on someone she considered a friend. Kate and her brother were aid workers in Central America before Flora fled, but Kate holds her own demons, he nephew has gone missing. Kate went home and he disappeared. Her guilt eats her alive and with the arrival of Flora and her persuasion to find out what happened to him they set out an mission for truth and reprieve.
I was captured from the moment I started this book and the pure heart of Flora, the hardship she endoured having to leave her family behind, losing them so tragically I was continually on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next!
Eventually Flora is hired as a nanny for a young boy and struggles to get her life together. So strong willed yet you would think she would be so beaten down from her past she meets Monte and they get married. But Monte has a pretty evil brother who is a drug dealer and when he comes around looking for some missing drugs and Monte Flora is the one who is shot in the neck and left for dead. Not just by her brother in law but by Monte her husband as well.
But Flora's story doesn't end there, gathering her will and all her fight she travels across the country to call on someone she considered a friend. Kate and her brother were aid workers in Central America before Flora fled, but Kate holds her own demons, he nephew has gone missing. Kate went home and he disappeared. Her guilt eats her alive and with the arrival of Flora and her persuasion to find out what happened to him they set out an mission for truth and reprieve.
I was captured from the moment I started this book and the pure heart of Flora, the hardship she endoured having to leave her family behind, losing them so tragically I was continually on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next!
November 30, 2009
Fourteen year old, Flora Enriquez and her brothers and sisters flee their home in
Central America for the U.S. Their parents were killed during the raid on their village. Flora is not the oldest as her brother, Willie at sixteen is. Though, Flora’s drive and determination makes her way more mature for her age. She consumes the leadership role for her brothers and sisters. Flora and her two brothers cross the border, only to have the authorities arrest Willie and Rubio. Flora escapes unnoticed.
Flora meets up with a nice family and is hired to take care of their son. She convinces the family to pay for her schooling as she plans to become a teacher. One day, Flora meets a man by the name of Monte Erickson. She and Monte get married. Just when it seems things are looking up for Flora, bad things happen. Monte’s drug dealing brother, Roy comes looking for Monte. Flora ends up getting shot and Monte leaves her for dead. Will Flora survive or is The Cost of Dreams too high?
Gary Stelzer has penned a wonderful novel with The Cost of Dreams. Flora was such a great character. She has a wide range of dimensions from…strong leadership to caring and nurturing. Everything she went though would cause some people to give up but not Flora. She is a fighter. I got lost in this book instantly. It was like I was right with Flora every step of the way from her dangerous trek across Central America to setting foot onto American soil. The Cost of Dreams is a fast paced good read. Check out this book and I guarantee you won’t be sorry.
Central America for the U.S. Their parents were killed during the raid on their village. Flora is not the oldest as her brother, Willie at sixteen is. Though, Flora’s drive and determination makes her way more mature for her age. She consumes the leadership role for her brothers and sisters. Flora and her two brothers cross the border, only to have the authorities arrest Willie and Rubio. Flora escapes unnoticed.
Flora meets up with a nice family and is hired to take care of their son. She convinces the family to pay for her schooling as she plans to become a teacher. One day, Flora meets a man by the name of Monte Erickson. She and Monte get married. Just when it seems things are looking up for Flora, bad things happen. Monte’s drug dealing brother, Roy comes looking for Monte. Flora ends up getting shot and Monte leaves her for dead. Will Flora survive or is The Cost of Dreams too high?
Gary Stelzer has penned a wonderful novel with The Cost of Dreams. Flora was such a great character. She has a wide range of dimensions from…strong leadership to caring and nurturing. Everything she went though would cause some people to give up but not Flora. She is a fighter. I got lost in this book instantly. It was like I was right with Flora every step of the way from her dangerous trek across Central America to setting foot onto American soil. The Cost of Dreams is a fast paced good read. Check out this book and I guarantee you won’t be sorry.
January 20, 2010
Some books are destined to become best sellers and I truly feel this is one of them. And I’d be very surprised if it didn’t pull in several awards, as well.
I’ve read mixed reviews of this book. Many of those who didn’t particularly care for it were the readers who found it difficult emotionally.
That, however, is the point of the story.
Gary Stelzer brings to the pages a tale meant to shock. Although rare, it can be a somewhat common story for those immigrants who face some harsh realities when they trade one tough situation for another.
The main character ends up fighting for her life in this unusual story of drugs, kidnapping, murder and insanity. And, indeed, there were parts very difficult to read, but without them, this would not be the book it is.
Even though it is fiction, the words paint a picture of a story that could really have happened. This is an excellent read and one I’d recommend to anyone wanting to understand the trials many immigrants could potentially face in a new land.
I’ve read mixed reviews of this book. Many of those who didn’t particularly care for it were the readers who found it difficult emotionally.
That, however, is the point of the story.
Gary Stelzer brings to the pages a tale meant to shock. Although rare, it can be a somewhat common story for those immigrants who face some harsh realities when they trade one tough situation for another.
The main character ends up fighting for her life in this unusual story of drugs, kidnapping, murder and insanity. And, indeed, there were parts very difficult to read, but without them, this would not be the book it is.
Even though it is fiction, the words paint a picture of a story that could really have happened. This is an excellent read and one I’d recommend to anyone wanting to understand the trials many immigrants could potentially face in a new land.
March 8, 2010
Cost of Dreams is an emotional roller coaster ride. Flora leaves a hellish homeland with her young siblings and thinks life in the US will be a wonderful dream. Unfortunately, she finds difficulties here as well. Throughout her life has to deal with so many hardships and heartbreak, at times this is hard to read.
Drugs, extreme violence, kidnapping, murder, betrayal all come into play but the beauty of this story is the triumph of the human spirit over adversity and pain. Flora faces so much nasty situations but just when you think she's beaten, her strong will shines and carries her through.
The pace of the story moves along well and sucks you in with interesting characters that are easy to care about (and some you don't). You're invested and want to find out what happens.
A very emotional read and at times just plain brutal but Cost of Dreams is worth it. This is written for adults but I would recommend it for older teens. It has fabulous insights and positive lessons about strength, hope and determination.
Drugs, extreme violence, kidnapping, murder, betrayal all come into play but the beauty of this story is the triumph of the human spirit over adversity and pain. Flora faces so much nasty situations but just when you think she's beaten, her strong will shines and carries her through.
The pace of the story moves along well and sucks you in with interesting characters that are easy to care about (and some you don't). You're invested and want to find out what happens.
A very emotional read and at times just plain brutal but Cost of Dreams is worth it. This is written for adults but I would recommend it for older teens. It has fabulous insights and positive lessons about strength, hope and determination.
January 20, 2010
Stelzer completely captivated me in Flora’s story from the beginning. He just completely captured the difficulties that people crossing the border have and the kind of life they continue to live while in the States. There were so many things that were just so amazing! Flora’s character is a strong willed, charismatic, and loving woman. She loves her husband, even after he left her in the car for dead; she adores her two children and manages to teach a school. This novel made me visualize Flora’s journey with a variety of language techniques and through the visualistic language. When I got to the very last page, I seriously could not believe it! The writing is so fast paced that I just couldn’t get believe that I had gotten to the last page that quickly! Anyway guys, check out this book! I guarantee you will not be sorry! I give this novel 4 out of 5 paws.
January 2, 2010
When the last thing I said while closing the book, "that's it?!", must be a good sign it was a gripping story. I hated that the story was over, and sincerely hope the author plans on telling us more, or shares new stories with us. Every single chapter was fantastic, I didn't feel a slow moment once.
The characters were all so wonderful, even the one character I wasn't fond of. Flora, the main character in the story, she was amazing. Her story is one of constant struggle, and yet she stays so positive throughout it all. A woman to be admired if ever I read of one. I found myself drawn to her, and hoping her life would turn around right. I couldn't get enough of her story.
Very entertaining book, and my first recommendation of 2010!!
The characters were all so wonderful, even the one character I wasn't fond of. Flora, the main character in the story, she was amazing. Her story is one of constant struggle, and yet she stays so positive throughout it all. A woman to be admired if ever I read of one. I found myself drawn to her, and hoping her life would turn around right. I couldn't get enough of her story.
Very entertaining book, and my first recommendation of 2010!!
February 19, 2010
This book caught me off guard. It took me a bit to get into and yet it read so easily. At first I was thinking that it wasn't my kind of story and then before you knew it I was sucked in and over halfway through the book.
The Cost of Dreams is about a woman's life. All her struggles, strife's, joys, hope, faith and dare I say triumphs. I found by the end of it, I had grown very attached to Flora as well as a few other characters.
I was on the edge of my seat many times and I had to keep turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. What hurdles Flora had yet to conquer in her life. What joys might be in her path.
In the end, I am very glad I chose to read this book. I really enjoyed it. (Received book for review)
The Cost of Dreams is about a woman's life. All her struggles, strife's, joys, hope, faith and dare I say triumphs. I found by the end of it, I had grown very attached to Flora as well as a few other characters.
I was on the edge of my seat many times and I had to keep turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. What hurdles Flora had yet to conquer in her life. What joys might be in her path.
In the end, I am very glad I chose to read this book. I really enjoyed it. (Received book for review)
December 28, 2009
Within in the first 50 pages of this book, I found so many errors that it was difficult for me to continue at all. Mr. Stelzer has an interesting story to tell, but the pacing of the story was very uneven and I was never able to attach to the characters.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews