Synopses & Reviews
Manuel is a man of many talents; an art historian and professor, he is also an exquisite storyteller. When he meets 16-year-old Lucía on an outing from her boarding school, he offers to narrate a story of dire consequences—that of the Spanish Queen Juana of Castile and her legendary love for her husband, Philippe the Handsome.
Promised to Prince Philippe the Handsome to solidify ties between the Flemish and Spanish crowns, Queen Juana immediately fell in love with her betrothed with all the abandon and passion of her fiery personality. Theirs was one of the most tumultuous love stories of all time.
But Juana, who was also one of the most learned princesses of the Renaissance, was forced to pay a high price for being headstrong and daring to be herself. Those at court who could not fathom Juana as heir to the throne of the most important empire of its day conspired against her and began to question her sanity. Eventually she came to be known as Juana the Mad. But was she really insane, or just a victim of her impetuosity and unbridled passion?
As the novel unfolds, Lucía and Manuel become enmeshed in a complex psychological web that seduces and incites them to relive Juana and Philippe's story, and eventually leads them to a mysterious manuscript that may hold the key to Juana's alleged madness.
Review
“…a fascinating account… richly told...a feel similar to Tracy Chevaliers Girl with a Pearl Earring.” Library Journal
Review
“Gioconda Bellis memoir reads better than a novel. It recounts her larger-than-life experiences as a revolutionary, lover, and mother with honesty, passion, intelligence and, above all, poetry. The Country Under My Skin is as much the story of Nicaragua as it is one extraordinary womans dreams.” Cristina Garcia
Review
“…rigorously imagined and sumptuously presented…” Booklist
Review
“Belli recalls with engaging candor the course of a life lived to the full. In its twist and turns, moments of danger followed by intense romantic encounters, Bellis memoir can resemble exuberant historical fiction. . A luminously written, always insightful account of one womans encounter with personal and political liberation.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“A tribute to beauty, valor, and justice. Bellis giving and clarion book is also an antidote to fear and apathy, and a reminder that freedom is always a work in progress.” Booklist
Review
“A poetic, penetrating and revelatory tale of love and war, literature and politics. . .lyrical, dramatic and incisive, Bellis soulful self-portrait and paean to her beautiful, beleagured country is at once timely and timeless, tragic and life-affirming.” The Chicago Tribune
Review
“Love and revolution have rarely been so splendidly and provocatively intertwined than in this heretic memoir of a womans sensual and intellectual voyage of self-discovery in Nicaragua.” Ariel Dorfman
Review
“Exceedingly clever and powerful, this passion-filled mystery of love and jealousy, of beauty and madness, unravels as the suspense builds to a page-turning frenzy that leaves us wanting to keep reading beyond the back cover.” María Amparo Escandón, author of Esperanza & #8217;s Box of Saints and González & Daughter Trucking Co.
Review
“The Scroll of Seduction engages the reader on multiple levels…an intelligent work of fiction.” Daily News
Review
“In Bellis story-within-a-story, expertly translated by Lisa Dillman, a historian uses Juanas saga to seduce a 16 year old orphan at a Madrid boarding school...the novel gallops along. A-” Entertainment Weekly
Review
“…A lush novel that draws in equal measure on history and human passion, The Scroll of Seduction bears a passing resemblance to Jane Eyre, Like Water for Chocolate and The Historian.” Los Angeles Times
Review
Praise for THE COUNTRY UNDER MY SKIN :
Review
“A surprisingly frank picture of the movement. . .Belli presents a complex picture, revealing the ego clashes and massive blunders as well as moments of incredible bravery under fire.” Los Angeles Magazine
Review
“Unravels [the] contradictions. . .all too common among powerful womenwith characteristic candor and dignity. . .Often joyous, surprisingly fluid.” Salon
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“Romantic and engaging.” Philadelphia City Paper
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“Lush...Bellis rich prose provides fascinating insight into Juanas life...” Tu Vida Magazine
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Praise for SCROLL OF SEDUCTION Praise for SCROLL OF SEDUCTION
Review
“Engaging. . .When Belli speaks from the depths of her womans insight. . . her prose pierces the heart. . .A window to one womans extraordinary journey.” San Antonio Express-News
Review
“A lush memoir.…both intensely personal and informatively political.…An honest, insiders account of the very real debates surrounding this major revolution would be valuable in itself, but Belli offers more: a frank examination of her struggle for love.” Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Manuel is a man of many talents; an art historian and professor, he is also an exquisite storyteller. When he meets 16-year-old Lucí a on an outing from her boarding school, he offers to narrate a story of dire consequences-that of the Spanish Queen Juana of Castile and her legendary love for her husband, Philippe the Handsome.
Promised to Prince Philippe the Handsome to solidify ties between the Flemish and Spanish crowns, Queen Juana immediately fell in love with her betrothed with all the abandon and passion of her fiery personality. Theirs was one of the most tumultuous love stories of all time.
But Juana, who was also one of the most learned princesses of the Renaissance, was forced to pay a high price for being headstrong and daring to be herself. Those at court who could not fathom Juana as heir to the throne of the most important empire of its day conspired against her and began to question her sanity. Eventually she came to be known as Juana the Mad. But was she really insane, or just a victim of her impetuosity and unbridled passion?
As the novel unfolds, Lucí a and Manuel become enmeshed in a complex psychological web that seduces and incites them to relive Juana and Philippe's story, and eventually leads them to a mysterious manuscript that may hold the key to Juana's alleged madness.
About the Author
Gioconda Belli's poetry and fiction have been published in many languages. Her first novel,
The Inhabited Woman, was an international bestseller; her collection of poems,
Linea de fuego, won the prestigious Casa de las Americas Prize. She lives in Santa Monica, California, and Managua, Nicaragua.
Nacida en Managua, Nicaragua, Gioconda Belli es autora de una importante obra poética de reconocido prestigio internacional. Es autora de La mujer habitada, Sofía de los presagios, Waslala, El taller de las mariposas y un libro de memorias titulado El país bajo mi piel. Publicada por las editoriales más prestigiosas del mundo, Gioconda Belli vive desde 1990 entre Estados Unidos y Nicaragua.