Customer Reviews

Josefina's Sin: A Novel

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Even thought the book is decently sized, it will take an avid reader only about 2-3 days to enjoy. This book is hard to put down. The main character, Josefina, is a pitiable character. The reader will truly root for her during the novel. She is caring, especially when it concerns her children, and pious, when it comes to her husband and religion/society. She is definitely not a strong female character, however, in this time period she is not meant to be. The author manages to instill in Josefina all of the traits that a reader could see a woman containing in the 17th century.


The plot itself is not necessarily "special". Josefina deals with the normal events that a woman of that time period would be forced to deal with-a husband who doesn't seem to love her, a family that was forced upon her, and no real position in society. She is portrayed as more of a wallflower, something pretty to look at, but not necessarily good for anything.


There are quite a few events in the novel that will make a reader grimace or frown. These are very realistically written-the author spares no details. Not all readers will appreciate these types of scenes, but they are formative to Josefina. Josefina longs for a life where she can make her own choices and act as she wishes, but she never makes it-she is repressed.


This novel has adultery, abuse, immorality, etc... filling its pages, however, there is also love and hope. This book is recommended for adults who enjoy historical novels.

Josefina is a typical woman living in 17th Century Mexico. Josefina has always taken care of the men in her life. First, her father when her mother died ,and now her husband, Manuel Coronado. She is a good wife and mother as is expected of her during the time period. Women of that time had very few rights. Josefina, like many women of the time period, dreams of more in their life. She is invited to the Spanish Royal Court. Through trial and error she learns much more about court life than she had expected. She finds herself in an extramarital affair with a bishop.

The time period is so well written the reader feels as if they are a part of it. I could envision what the characters were eating and wearing, I could visualize their lifestyles and how hard it was for women of that time. I could understand how feminists like Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz could choose to step out of and speak about unspeakable things through poetry at a risk to her own life.

This was a well written book. It is not one of my favorite time periods but the book was still enjoyable.

I was captivated by the vivid, well-chosen words used to describe the clothing, foods, and the social mores of landowners and nobility. The Court is not only the scene of elegance and entertainment but of intelligence and intrigue. The rules of etiquette change according to the whims of the rulers, and self-preservation becomes Josefina's driving force. Through Josefina's interactions with the nun, Sor Juana, one comes to understand the iconic poetess and her work. Carnal lust and the threat of Spanish Inquisition make the novel an real page-turner. A thrilling, eye-opening novel!

This story is beautifully written and flows well, and yet it made me sad to think that is the way women were treated for generations and yet in some countries they are still treated so poorly. Rape is a crime and yet it was looked upon as the woman's' fault. Why would that ever have been thought of? Well the men did make and uphold the laws for too long, thank heaven women have rights now.

Some parts are quite graphic and may turn a reader off to the book, but if you let it the story will sweep you up drawing you in and keeping a tight hold even after the reading is done. Josephine is a character full of life and yet she wants something more, I think she got a bit more then she bargained for in the deal. Her husband wants her to do what will make her happy because he loves her. He loves her and yet if she is not available for her "Wifely duties" then he feels no problem going to another willing body. Why is it ok for a man to sleep with other women when he is married and yet not ok for the women to do the same? I hate double standards and the way it is defended in history is disgusting. It is either right for both or wrong for both.

I read the book in less then three days and the ending was rewarding and worth the wait, I feel for Josephine and the need she has to confess to gain redemption, but what's done is done. Only more pain and loss can result in her honesty. Telling the truth is sometimes not the best for anyone, including yourself.

Why I only give it 3 1/2 stars is because I thought the book was heading towards a certain direction, but it never really made it, in my opinion. Education for all is necessary as is freedom of expression and I think that was the message of this book, but it got lost in all the deceit and sex.

History, torture, injustice, immorality, adultery, abuse and love fill the pages of this book. Love for her husband, love for her sons and love for the life she has and hopes to keep and get back at the same time. A longing from years before once fulfilled only brought heartache and loss, a good lesson for anyone I think. Think about read this book, you will learn something about history and maybe about yourself in the process.

I love a well written book that is also a page turner. I couldn't put it down and finished it in two days. I highly recommend this book.

First off I love the cover of this book! I was excited to dive into Josefina's world. I got about a 100 pages in and had to put it down. I had a hard time with how the relationship that Josefina has with a Bishop developed. It became very <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">intimate</span>. (sexually) I know that that stuff happens, but I just don't care for it. So, that was my reason. I thought that Ms.Long did a great job taking the reader back in time. The story flowed very well from the beginning till I stopped. I will try another one of Ms. Long's stories in the future. Just because I did not finish this book does not mean you will not enjoy this story!

this was an arc copy

Josefina Maria del Carmen Asturias de Castillo took care of her father's house and his accounts hen her mother died at the tender age of fifteen. Now, nineteen, she is to wed wealthy landowner Manuel Castillo Coronado. Their first few years of married life are good and they have a few sons. Josefina is content but she dreams of nobility, courtlife and other passions.

When she is invited to Viceroyal Court by the Marquessa, Josefina is torn. She wants to go as she has never gone anywhere but her home and her father's, but she doesn't want to leave her husband and her young sons. But Manuel thinks it will do her good and encourages her to go. Angelica tries to teach Josefina the ways of the court, but Josefina learns more on her own by learning from her mistakes.
However, the Marquess desires Josefina to warm his sheets, but she is adamant about staying true to her husband. But when the Bishop of Puebla makes his presence known, Josefina's desires bloom into passion. She had known the Bishop when she was a young girl and his stories and voice always drew to her. Now, she cannot contain her passion and spirals into a secret affair.

She also is drawn to one particular nun, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. Sor Juana writes and speaks scandalous poetry by those that commission her. Her words can incite sensual feelings, hatred, love and envy. She begins to teach Josefina about the power of poetry, love and consequences.

Josefina's Sin is a richly woven tapestry of the Spanish Viceroyal Court of 17th Century Mexico with a fierce heroine finding her way through a changing and confusing world. The details are impeccably wrought and the characters are unique and complex, carving their own paths that lead to an unpredictable outcome. Suspenseful, passionate, historically rendered and hard to put down, Josefina's Sin is an amazing debut!

I would never think to read this book on my own.......so luckily it was penned by a friend, and I bought it. Long ago, I was a Spanish Lit major and a few pages into this book I realized that the flow and style of the writing brought me right back to college. At first, I thought I was imagining it......maybe willing it to sound a certain way due to the setting of 17th century Mexico....but the writing stayed true to the literature of the day. This "flow" pulled me into the story and kept hold of me until the very end.
Very glad I read this book.

Josefina's Sin tells us the story of Josefina from the very first moment she gets married with Manuel Castillo Coronado, a wealthy landowner. Like any other woman of that time, her duty is to obey her husband and to take care of the children, but her life changes drastically when she receives the invitation of the Marquessa to visit her royal court. There she will will be the focus of attention of two men, the Marquessa's husband and the local bishop. Also she will meet Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz who will show her a different and intellectual world.
I must admit that I'm a huge fan of historical fiction books. Books that tells us how life was in different time periods from ours, their customs, how they used to behave, their fears and their dreams. And I really like those kind of books specially if they talk about the life of a real person. (In this case you will find some details about Sor (Sister) Juana Ines de la Cruz, a Mexican Poet) So when I saw Josefina's Sin I really wanted to read it.

The story starts with a breathtaking prologue, which gives us some information about the plot and the main characters. After that, the book gets a little bit slow, but the details and the descriptions were really good, and that made me feel that I was part of the story. Also the characters were believable and attached to the time the story takes place, so you're not going to find a kick-ass heroine or something like that. Like I said before, Josefina is a woman like any other of that time period, submissive, I might say.

Even thought I liked this book, it was difficult for me to finish it and the problem was the sex scenes. There were a lot, some of them were too descriptive and some of them were too violent and that made me stop reading in several occasions, so I felt sometimes that the writer was loosing the main idea of the book, that was supposedly to explain how Josefina gets and how she develops inside the world of the intellectual nuns and what is her true role there. In my opinion, the book was better without those scenes. It's true, some of them needed to be in the book and they were a requirement for understanding the story and the plot, but the descriptions were too much and I'm sure there will be a lot of readers who will not like them or enjoy them.

But... If you don't mind those scenes, and if you like historical fiction books, full of details, intrigue and adultery, you can give it a try, and maybe you will enjoy Josefina's Sin more than I did.