Lightning of August

Set during Mexico's 1929 Revolution, this wry, iconoclastic tale is told by General Jose Gaudalupe Arroyo (""Lupe''), a self-proclaimed paragon of integrity surrounded by corrupt incompetents. Rigged elections are, Lupe observes sarcastically, ``in full accord with the loftiest principles of the Mexican Revolution.'' Senators pocket porcelain figurines at wakes. And ministers of state get appointed and deposed with dizzying frequency. However, Lupe's constant follies eventually pale for the American reader, since Ibarguengoitia's nuanced and relentless satire holds appeal mainly for those already steeped in this period of Mexican history. February