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The Scroll of Seduction

Gioconda Belli

Hardcover | Pages: 320 pages

Rating: 3.72 | 1513 Users | 181 Reviews

List Books In Pursuance Of The Scroll of Seduction

Original Title:	El pergamino de la seduccion
ISBN:	0060833122 (ISBN13: 9780060833121)
Edition Language:	English
Characters:	Joanna of Castile

Narrative As Books The Scroll of Seduction

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.

Itemize Regarding Books The Scroll of Seduction

Title	:	The Scroll of Seduction
Author	:	Gioconda Belli
Book Format	:	Hardcover
Book Edition	:	First Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 320 pages
Published	:	September 19th 2006 by Rayo (first published 2005)
Categories	:	Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Cultural. Spain. European Literature. Spanish Literature. Romance. Contemporary

Rating Regarding Books The Scroll of Seduction

Ratings: 3.72 From 1513 Users | 181 Reviews

Evaluate Regarding Books The Scroll of Seduction

I love historical fiction. This was a very interesting book, but had an unusual ending. It paralleled the life of a sixteen year old girl in the 60's with the life of a young renaissance princess who becomes a queen. It was intriguing and kept my interest. When I had to put it down, I couldn't wait to pick it back up to learn more about what was happening. It was rich with details and not just with regards to scenery, but with details even in the thought processes of the characters. It is a book

Interesting reinterpretation of "Juana the Mad" from a woman's perspective. History has been written largely by misognistic men who demean women and their contributions. Here the novelist takes us through the historical events and we are meant to understand the feelings of Juana as she confronts the political machinations of her day. Was she truly mad (as insane) or perhaps really, more appropriately pissed off as she was used as a pawn by her parents and her husband? You decide.

First impressions of this book was that the translation from Spanish to English were done incredibly well. I've read some translated novels in the past and they can get a bit choppy in parts but this was done well. There were some misprintings a few times in the book. Towards the first half of the book, when referring the Catalina, Juana's sister, her English name, Catherine is used with a "C" while later in the book when refering to the same person, Katherine is spelled with a "K". Also there's

There were two plot lines....one was fascinating and a great view point of a queen who was declared mad by men. The other.....was extremely uncomfortable and troubling. I would truly give the first plot a 4.5 star.....and the second plot a 0.5 star.

Interesting topic...not knowing a lot about Juana (the Mad) and Philippe and I found their story very interesting. It was really sad the way Juana's family depicted her and used her in their quest for power. I agree with another reviewer who thought the story of Lucia and Manuel was unnecessary. I appreciated the author trying to create the parallels between their lives and the lives of Juana and Philippe, but I really didn't care for them much as characters and thought their story was

I never realized that eroticism and history could mix together and form a very interesting novel. If one wants to have that combination, then this should be the book that one should read.So, what is this about? This is a book written by Gioconda Belli, one of Central America's great writers. This tells the story of Juana La Loca and Philippe the Handsome. Juana is the daughter of Queen Isabella of Spain, while Philippe is from Flanders. The story begins along the time when Juana was arranged to

I really wanted to give this book four stars. It was really well written, however, I really don't like the modern day setting. Manuel's stubbornness and the whole casual sex thing that was going on between him and Lucia really turned me off. I really did love the historical facts and the story of Juana and Philippe. The book was definitely well researched, but I feel Gioconda Belli should have just let Juana's story tell itself. I enjoy good historical fiction, but I really couldn't like Manuel