The novel directly portrays the First Balkan War ( 1912 -- 1913 ) and the Mexican Revolution ( 1910 -- 1920 ) .
It dispatches World War I after a few pages .
Although the novel directly portrays the First Balkan War ( 1912 -- 1913 ) and the Mexican Revolution ( 1910 -- 1920 ) , it dispatches World War I after a few pages .