Synopsis "Magdalena: US Edition (in English)"
LYRICAL AND POETIC NOVEL BY AWARD WINNING AUTHOR This 2021 US Edition of the novel MAGDALENA includes illustrations by the author, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard. Written in the fragmented style, Philippine American author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's lyrical novel, MAGDALENA, tells the story of three generations of Filipino women whose lives have been affected by the Philippine American War, World War Two, and the Vietnam War. A favorite among poets, academics, and feminists, the book has been the subject of academic papers by Drs. John Jack Wigley, Rhodora G. Magan, and Ruth S. Rimando, among others. An excerpt from World Literature Today's review says, "Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's novel MAGDALENA takes its title from a protagonist descended from several generations of equally compelling female characters. Brainard's earlier novel When the Rainbow Goddess Wept (1994) employed the viewpoint of an adolescent girl to recount the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during World War II. With Magdalena Brainard uses a nonlinear narrative and multiple points of view to describe the history of the Philippines that roughly corresponds to its contact with the United States from the Spanish-American War to the war in Vietnam. Magdalena begins and ends with the perspective of Juana, daughter of the title character and her American lover (a POW in Vietnam), who is herself pregnant and curious about her family history. Letters, diaries, and narratives from numerous characters help Juana reconstruct her maternal and, to a lesser extent, paternal lineage." Midwest Book Review reviewed this book as follows: "Expertly written by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard ... 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 storytelling that will keep the reader's total attention and engagement from first page to last!" Alma Anonas-Carpio reviewed the book for The Philippines Graphic as follows: "The story of Magdalena's life is a rich one, full of emotional intensity told with the brilliant clarity of Manguerra Brainard's pen ... Rarely have I read such exquisite command of storytelling as I see in the pages of this novel. Here she uses the backdrop of a Japanese-occupied Philippines to maximum effect, devastating the reader's emotions without giving any quarter nor taking any prisoners. You die inside and come to life again when the feelings of hope hit you-and they will ... Read MAGDALENA to see how the strength and beauty of these women spanned three generations, defeating even death. No, not even death can save you from the intense and iridescent beauty of Manguerra Brainard's mastery of her craft." Filipino author Linda Ty-Casper praised the book saying: "With her second novel, Magdalena, Cecilia Brainard adds new portraits to the gallery in Philippine literature. She has always had a strong sense of place. Here, she provides an inner landscape as well. Together, these provide the coordinate for the family secrets that bind the characters as securely as bloodlines. By the end they have glimpsed who they have become, allowing the novel beyond its last page, to live on in the readers' thoughts." Likewise the author Aimee Liu said: "Cecilia Manguerra Brainard has written an ambitious novel of forbidden love. Set against the turbulent history of East Asia in the twentieth century and by turns erotic and tragic, Magdalena vividly depicts three generations of strong Filipino women."
