When the Rainbow Goddess Wept (Ann Arbor Paperbacks) [Paperback]

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0472086375 | ISBN-13: 978-0472086375 | Publication Date: October 15, 1999

Set against the backdrop of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1941, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's brilliant novel weaves myth and legend together with the suffering and tragedies of the Filipino people. When nine-year-old Yvonne flees with her family into the jungle to join the resistance effort, she witnesses death and destruction on an almost unimaginable scale.

In the face of terror and despair, she finds comfort in the stories her people have passed down over generations. In particular, the legends of Bongkatolan, the Woman Warrior, and the merciful rainbow goddess offer her strength and hope. Yvonne becomes determined to preserve these ancient legends and to give voice to the epic she herself is living.

When the Rainbow Goddess Wept is an exploration of the collective wounding of the Filipino people and their heroic response. It shows us the Philippines through an insider's eyes and brings to American audiences an unusual reading experience about a world that is utterly foreign and a child who is touchingly universal.

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard was born in Cebu City, Philippines. Her published works include Woman with Horns and Other Stories and Philippine Woman in America. She is also the editor of the anthology Fiction by Filipinos in America and teaches creative writing at the Writers' Program of UCLA Extension.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Yvonne Macaraig is an exuberant and mischievous nine-year-old when the Japanese invade her Philippine homeland in 1941, and so she begins her grim story of endurance and survival with a spirit of adventure and optimism. Her father, Nando, an American-trained engineer who's invaluable to the guerrilla movement, is often called away as Yvonne, her mother and a small family entourage flee toward presumed safety ever deeper in the jungle. Yvonne witnesses scenes of incredible carnage and silently notes the slow decline in her mother's health, but her spirits are buoyed by the Philippine folktales narrated to her by the family cook. These myths and legends, violent and colorful, extol the gallantry of ancient warrior kings or show the triumph of love and valor over subjugation. In simple yet deeply moving prose, Brainard's first novel presents similar acts of monumental courage: a doctor's sacrifice in the jungle; quiet defiance against terrorist threats. Gradually, Nando and his companions become aware that the U.S. is capable of betraying them-and that Philippine independence is a necessity. The strengthening of the national spirit; the loss of innocence in two generations-these themes are explored by the author, who was born in the Philippines, with persuasive conviction and stark realism.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Pedestrian and simplistic writing dulls the impact of this potentially moving autobiographical first novel, set during Japanese occupation of the Philippines (1941-44). Nine-year-old Yvonne, whose father has joined the resistance movement, tells the story of her family's flight from their upper-class home in Udec to a guerrilla camp in the jungles. Unfortunately, Yvonne's voice fluctuates between that of a younger and that of a much older narrator. In addition, Brainard's characters are not well rounded, so it's hard to become involved in the horrors of Japanese violence and butchery that are visited upon them. The best parts of the novel are the Filipino myths and legends woven into the historical account of a part of World War II that is generally unfamiliar to American readers. Libraries with large Asian fiction collections may want to purchase.
Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: University of Michigan Press (October 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0472086375
• ISBN-13: 978-0472086375
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 2.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #877,324 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is the award-winning author and editor of over a dozen books, including the internationally-acclaimed novel, When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, Magdalena, Acapulco at Sunset and other Stories, Woman With Horns and Other Stories, Philippine Woman in America, and Cecilia's Diary 1962-1968. Her recent book is Vigan and Other Stories. She also co-authored Angelica's Daughters. She edited and co-edited Growing Up Filipino I and Growing Up Filipino II, Fiction by Filipinos in America, Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, and others. Her work has been translated into Finnish and Turkish. Born and raised in the Philippines, she currently resides in California. She visits the Philippines regularly. Her website is ceciliabrainard.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Heart of the Author.., November 27, 1999

By 

Janis Ver Licuanan (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When the Rainbow Goddess Wept (Ann Arbor Paperbacks) (Paperback)

11/27/99 "I am quite encouraged with what I have read about your life...and the way you write pleases me somewher within. I am a Filipina-American of thirty four years and the youngest of two children of one of those filipino immgrant families you speak of who were the wave of Filipinos who came to North America in the mid-sixties. I arrived in Chicago at three years old and have felt the stigma or prejudice and misunderstanding of wha and what our culture is about, as I slowly became who I am now. In the '70s and clearly in the '80's, I have felt the strange emotions all at one time come upon me when I began to journey back and forth to the Philippines, I was one of the first wave of balikbayan youth at the time to feel I had sojourned out of the mainland and forever sojourning back to the culture in my soul, helpless in integrating who I am, because truly I have come to accept I am both. With a very strong Ilocano-Tagalog flavor invading our homelife in the early '70's such was my identity as now both Filipina-American.My mama has but a few, yet valid vivid memories of Japanese invasion in the North Ilocano region as a child, yet I myself held some confused and strong emotions hearing about the Edsa revolution in the '80's...but did not know why, all the while living here in Chicago. Only reading a few excerpts of your work offline indicates you can help to give understanding to who we are as Filipinos and as Americans just by your experience. It seems reflective in your 'use of words' and you don't sound 'revolutionary' and emotional like most Filipino writers think they 'must' express. There is a softness, soothing and tender to the 'touch' of your pen. No one has yet been able to penetrate the Chicago area with this understanding, nor is there an appreciation for 'current'writers in the filipino community here other than the usual local editors and columnists of Filipino newspapers, perhaps unlike where you reside. Continue, ma'am, in your special gift and example. May God honor the rest of the new chapters of your life experience."

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, August 6, 2002

By 

Elizabeth Allen (Long Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When the Rainbow Goddess Wept (Ann Arbor Paperbacks) (Paperback)

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is a master story teller, who paints a vivid picture of the struggles of the Filipino people during the Japanese invasion of their country in 1941. Her deep understanding of the culture enables her to weave myth with every day life, creating a unique and haunting tale. Very well done.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TALENTED WRITER/GREAT BOOK, December 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: When the Rainbow Goddess Wept (Ann Arbor Paperbacks) (Paperback)

I just wanted to thank Cecilia Brainard for writing this book and other books as well. I didn't know much about World War II in the Philippines, and this book taught me a lot about what the Filipino people went through. Cecilia Brainard, a very talented writer, has written an exceptionally fine novel in When the Rainbow Goddess Wept. Thank you, Cecilia.