Customer Reviews

Magdalena

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I loved Brainard's When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, so I got a copy of Magdalena. I like this book too, even though the style is different. This one tells the love story of three generations of women, and how their choices have affected succeeding generations. It seems like an easy read but the story is actually complex; it reminds me of Faulkner. When you read it, it's like peeling layers open, as the truth unfolds. Oh yes, the book is not only about love, but involves family secrets. It's a fascinating read and highly recommend it.

Expertly written by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard (USC Adjunct Professor and teacher at the UCLA-Extension's Writers Program), Magdalena is set in the chaotic backdrop of twentieth century East Asia. A romantic, powerful tale of three generations of Filipino women, written with a close eye on the terrors of war and the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during World War II, Magdalena is an intense, involving, highly recommended saga that documents author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard as a gifted author with a mastery of story telling that will keep the reader's total attention and engagement from first page to last!

Brainard's second novel is an intriguing love story that plays with time and point of view. It's an ambitious novel of forbidden love, set against the turbulent history of East Asia in the twentient century and by turns erotic and tragic. Magdalena vividly depicts three generations of strong Filipino women. In this novel, Brainard blends a series of multiple perspectives to create a polyphony of voices that enact Philippine society. It's well-written and a great love story!

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard,writer of other beloved NF reads like When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, brings us another delightful book Magdalena. In her new novel, the author takes us back to a romantic era before our time in the Philippines, painting a rich portrait of one family's dramatic legacy. Magdalena flows like classic literature, following the style of many romantic women authors such as Charlotte Bronte and Luisa May Alcott, and even more contemporary writers such as Isabelle Allende and Amy Tan.

Although it is a quick read, the relationships between characters are so dramatic and so intertwined that it almost leaves you wanting to learn more! Brainard's style of storytelling welcomes her readers into a very familiar and intimate circle of storytelling-stirring memories of being wrapped around your lola's knee, as she tells you stories about the greatness of your family legacy and about life way back when.