What do you think?
Rate this book
Magdalena
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.
Aimee Liu , author of Cloud Moutain I have been looking for a good story about the war. N.V.M. Gonzalez, author of The Bread of Salt and Other Stories (upon reading "Winning Hearts and Minds," one chapter of Magdalena.) 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 coordinates for the family secrets that bind the characters as securely as bloodlines.
Linda Ty-Casper , author of The Stranded Whale In this novel, Brainard blends a series of multiple perspectives to create a polyphony of voices that enacts Philippine society before and during the Second World War. The narrative is a nuanced vision of the workings of culture, social class, obligation and the Filipino personality.
Rocio G. Davis , author of Transcultural Asian American and Asian Canadian Short Story Cycles About Brainar's first novel When the Rainbow Goddess Wept -- 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.
Publishers Weekly A fast-paced, sensitively written first novel about the psychological damage war wreaks, seen through the eyes of an intelligent, resilient young girl . . . Brainard's appealing characters are larger-than-life people who change before our eyes, yet remain utterly convincing.
Kirkus Review Stories of war are perhaps most compelling when told through the eyes of children, whose innocence is always so tragically incongruous to the adult madness that rages around them.
Los Angeles Times
Aimee Liu , author of Cloud Moutain I have been looking for a good story about the war. N.V.M. Gonzalez, author of The Bread of Salt and Other Stories (upon reading "Winning Hearts and Minds," one chapter of Magdalena.) 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 coordinates for the family secrets that bind the characters as securely as bloodlines.
Linda Ty-Casper , author of The Stranded Whale In this novel, Brainard blends a series of multiple perspectives to create a polyphony of voices that enacts Philippine society before and during the Second World War. The narrative is a nuanced vision of the workings of culture, social class, obligation and the Filipino personality.
Rocio G. Davis , author of Transcultural Asian American and Asian Canadian Short Story Cycles About Brainar's first novel When the Rainbow Goddess Wept -- 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.
Publishers Weekly A fast-paced, sensitively written first novel about the psychological damage war wreaks, seen through the eyes of an intelligent, resilient young girl . . . Brainard's appealing characters are larger-than-life people who change before our eyes, yet remain utterly convincing.
Kirkus Review Stories of war are perhaps most compelling when told through the eyes of children, whose innocence is always so tragically incongruous to the adult madness that rages around them.
Los Angeles Times
164 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2008
116 people are currently reading
2356 people want to read
About the author
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
39 books48 followersCecilia Manguerra Brainard is an award-winning author and editor of over twenty books. She has written three novels: WHEN THE RAINBOW GODDESS WEPT, MAGDALENA, and THE NEWSPAPER WIDOW. Her SELECTED SHORT STORIES BY CECILIA MANGUERRA BRAINARD won the 40th National Book Award and the Cirilo F. Bautista Prize.
She has taught at UCLA, USC, the California State Summer School for the Arts, and the Writers Program at USCL Extension. She has served as an Executive Board Member and Officer of PEN, PAAWWW (Pacific Asian American Women Writers West), Arts & Letters at the Cal State University LA, PAWWA (Philippine American Writers and Artists), among others.
She also founded Philippine American Literary House.
(Source Wikipedia)
She has taught at UCLA, USC, the California State Summer School for the Arts, and the Writers Program at USCL Extension. She has served as an Executive Board Member and Officer of PEN, PAAWWW (Pacific Asian American Women Writers West), Arts & Letters at the Cal State University LA, PAWWA (Philippine American Writers and Artists), among others.
She also founded Philippine American Literary House.
(Source Wikipedia)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 7, 2019
This short novel reminded me a bit of 100 Years of Solitude, with its theme of cyclical romance and tragedy. However, this book takes a lot less time to get to the point and doesn't employ magical realism.
There's a family tree in the front of the book that I referred to time and time again as I tried to figure out who loved who, who married who, who was the father/mother of which child, as the book skipped backwards in time from the late 60's to the beginning of the 20th century and then made its way forward again.
The characters in the book managed to feel both human and epic. They bought frilly colorful dresses even though they knew that made them look nouveau riche and fought with their lovers' mistresses in public hairpulling fashion, but also had their hearts truly broken and learned to move on and find serenity again anyway. The dialogue shifted from day to day talk and gossip to intimate connections seamlessly.
The author also touched upon the many different cultures that have influenced the Philippines, from Chinese immigrants who took on a new identity stolen from dead immigrants who have come before because Chinese immigration was legally almost impossible, to descendants of old Spanish families who have become so inbred that they were almost to the point of dying out, to Americans who arrived due to one war or another. All of these different peoples merged with the island culture.
I cared about the characters. The book was a bit soapy, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment and the sweeping emotion of it was part of the charm.
There's a family tree in the front of the book that I referred to time and time again as I tried to figure out who loved who, who married who, who was the father/mother of which child, as the book skipped backwards in time from the late 60's to the beginning of the 20th century and then made its way forward again.
The characters in the book managed to feel both human and epic. They bought frilly colorful dresses even though they knew that made them look nouveau riche and fought with their lovers' mistresses in public hairpulling fashion, but also had their hearts truly broken and learned to move on and find serenity again anyway. The dialogue shifted from day to day talk and gossip to intimate connections seamlessly.
The author also touched upon the many different cultures that have influenced the Philippines, from Chinese immigrants who took on a new identity stolen from dead immigrants who have come before because Chinese immigration was legally almost impossible, to descendants of old Spanish families who have become so inbred that they were almost to the point of dying out, to Americans who arrived due to one war or another. All of these different peoples merged with the island culture.
I cared about the characters. The book was a bit soapy, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment and the sweeping emotion of it was part of the charm.
August 20, 2018
Creative, Entertaining, and Powerful
I read “Magdalena” while visiting the Philippines and wanted to combine my vacation with local authors. Although the author now lives in the U.S., she grew up in Cebu and I believe writes from the perspective of a Filipina, and has a deep understanding of the country. While this novel may be somewhat overdone in parts, it is extremely well-written, vividly presented, and the author does a great job with a very ambitious undertaking.
A short novel, it covers over 100 years of history, describing the experiences of three generations of women and the effects of war, occupation, and corruption in the context of their personal relationships and struggles. The author clearly shows the struggles among many forces: poverty and wealth, rural and urban, physical appearances, ethnic differences, prejudice, and oppression. The impact of social status, the influence of cultures (Spanish, Chinese, American), and the patterns of wars and foreign occupation serve as a backdrop for the overlapping lives, the lies, and truths, in-breeding, illegitimate children, hidden relations and relationships.
This is well worth reading for anyone wanting a better understanding of a complex culture.
I read “Magdalena” while visiting the Philippines and wanted to combine my vacation with local authors. Although the author now lives in the U.S., she grew up in Cebu and I believe writes from the perspective of a Filipina, and has a deep understanding of the country. While this novel may be somewhat overdone in parts, it is extremely well-written, vividly presented, and the author does a great job with a very ambitious undertaking.
A short novel, it covers over 100 years of history, describing the experiences of three generations of women and the effects of war, occupation, and corruption in the context of their personal relationships and struggles. The author clearly shows the struggles among many forces: poverty and wealth, rural and urban, physical appearances, ethnic differences, prejudice, and oppression. The impact of social status, the influence of cultures (Spanish, Chinese, American), and the patterns of wars and foreign occupation serve as a backdrop for the overlapping lives, the lies, and truths, in-breeding, illegitimate children, hidden relations and relationships.
This is well worth reading for anyone wanting a better understanding of a complex culture.
November 7, 2017
Moving narrative about women in the 1940s. Makes you realize we've come a long way.
January 17, 2023
Magdalena follows the loves and losses of high society Filipino women from WWII to the Vietnam War. F. Sionil Jose-esque family saga, nice atmospherics; overall, nothing breathtaking. It was okay. I wonder if there was more characterization to be added rather than just love and loss and love and loss but perhaps that is the point. Reminds me of Marquez and how noone found love in 100 years of solitude because they were too blinded by their own attitudes and prejudices.
“In the cold, slanting rain with the wind whipping his overcoat, he paused where he and Luisa had been decades ago, and always he felt loss.”
“That sounds like such a cliche, Nestor, like one of your old lines. I don’t think this pain will ever go away. Or perhaps you’re stronger than me. Maybe you have the ability to lose people you love and simply forget them. You have certainly proven that.”
Excerpt From
Magdalena
Brainard, Cecilia Manguerra
This material may be protected by copyright.
“Love like that is eternal.”
Excerpt From
Magdalena
Brainard, Cecilia Manguerra
This material may be protected by copyright.
“In the cold, slanting rain with the wind whipping his overcoat, he paused where he and Luisa had been decades ago, and always he felt loss.”
“That sounds like such a cliche, Nestor, like one of your old lines. I don’t think this pain will ever go away. Or perhaps you’re stronger than me. Maybe you have the ability to lose people you love and simply forget them. You have certainly proven that.”
Excerpt From
Magdalena
Brainard, Cecilia Manguerra
This material may be protected by copyright.
“Love like that is eternal.”
Excerpt From
Magdalena
Brainard, Cecilia Manguerra
This material may be protected by copyright.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2020
Wow I don't even know where to start.
I think if you're going to read this book, you'll need to keep looking at the family tree. Each chapter was about a different family member and it got confusing. I didn't read it straight through and took breaks so I would forget who was married to who and who was related to who and etc.
But there were so many plot twists and kept me wondering what would happen to each character. I was surprised by the explicit scenes but it was pretty good. Wasn't expecting it.
I also enjoyed that through the generations, we learned about different historical and important events like WWII, the Spanish-American War, Vietnam War, and U.S. imperialism. As someone who likes history especially Fil-Am and Filipino history, I liked learning more about what it may have been like living during that time. Really enjoyed this book.
I think if you're going to read this book, you'll need to keep looking at the family tree. Each chapter was about a different family member and it got confusing. I didn't read it straight through and took breaks so I would forget who was married to who and who was related to who and etc.
But there were so many plot twists and kept me wondering what would happen to each character. I was surprised by the explicit scenes but it was pretty good. Wasn't expecting it.
I also enjoyed that through the generations, we learned about different historical and important events like WWII, the Spanish-American War, Vietnam War, and U.S. imperialism. As someone who likes history especially Fil-Am and Filipino history, I liked learning more about what it may have been like living during that time. Really enjoyed this book.
October 12, 2020
I was really disappointed with this book. Brainard's first book When the Rainbow Goddess Wept was so very good. I was expecting just as much from her second book Magdalena. But instead I just got tiresome romances of cheating husbands and women who filled their empty lives wandering around their expensive mansions feeling sorry for themselves. Oh the drama! Granted, I am not an avid romance reader so maybe I would have liked it better if I was? But I really only made myself finish reading this rather slim book out of respect for how amazing Brainard's first book was.
December 2, 2017
I love this
Currently reading
July 21, 2019Jk
Read
October 26, 2019Wow
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2024
Sheds a light on feminist issues spanning three generations of women,, and features romance and tragedy. A must read book written by an exceptional woman writer!
December 19, 2010
World Literature Today, April-June 2003 v77 i1 p100(2)
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard. Magdalena. Book Review by Kathleen Flanagan.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2003 University of Oklahoma
Austin, Texas. Plain View. 2002. 164 pages. $15.95. ISBN 1-891386-29-8
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.
Stories of the women in Magdalena's family are woven together to demonstrate the dependency of the present on the events of the past. Magdalena's grandfather, a Filipino nationalist who fought the American military after the Spanish-American War, writes in his journal, "There must be two Americas, one that sets the captive free and one that takes a once-captive's new freedom away from him and picks a quarrel with him with nothing to found it on, then kills him to get his land." Such interactions with the United States, and similar earlier experiences with Spain, emphasize the importance of power to some characters, who reject love matches for marriages with financial and social advantages. The broken romances of Magdalena's mother and grandmothers affect their treatment of their daughters, just as the entwined histories of the United States and the Philippines throw into relief the American involvement in Vietnam in the 1960s setting of the novel.
Magdalena's absent American lover, Nathan Spenser, is portrayed through old letters as well as through segments describing the activities of his country in the Philippines. One of his remaining letters explains the patriotic impulses that led him to enlist but also records his disillusionment with the American war in Vietnam. Spenser's early idealism is juxtaposed with descriptions such as that of a U.S. colonel who gives a speech at a newly opened child-care center for prostitutes' children, many of whom are half-American, and begins to see Filipinos as more than "hearts and minds" to be won in support of the effort to spread American democracy in Asia.
The novel brings into focus not only the romantic and social conflicts of different generations of women but also economic and racial divisions in the Philippines. Magdalena's great-grandfather on her father's side is an immigrant from China, and his daughter finds it difficult to enter the highest levels of Philippine society, just as lower economic and social standing make it difficult for Magdalena's irascible mother, Luisa, to marry the man she loves. Interspersed throughout the novel are archival photographs of places and people, photographs that remind the reader that while the characters are fictional, the backdrop is historical reality.
Kathleen Flanagan
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard. Magdalena. Book Review by Kathleen Flanagan.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2003 University of Oklahoma
Austin, Texas. Plain View. 2002. 164 pages. $15.95. ISBN 1-891386-29-8
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.
Stories of the women in Magdalena's family are woven together to demonstrate the dependency of the present on the events of the past. Magdalena's grandfather, a Filipino nationalist who fought the American military after the Spanish-American War, writes in his journal, "There must be two Americas, one that sets the captive free and one that takes a once-captive's new freedom away from him and picks a quarrel with him with nothing to found it on, then kills him to get his land." Such interactions with the United States, and similar earlier experiences with Spain, emphasize the importance of power to some characters, who reject love matches for marriages with financial and social advantages. The broken romances of Magdalena's mother and grandmothers affect their treatment of their daughters, just as the entwined histories of the United States and the Philippines throw into relief the American involvement in Vietnam in the 1960s setting of the novel.
Magdalena's absent American lover, Nathan Spenser, is portrayed through old letters as well as through segments describing the activities of his country in the Philippines. One of his remaining letters explains the patriotic impulses that led him to enlist but also records his disillusionment with the American war in Vietnam. Spenser's early idealism is juxtaposed with descriptions such as that of a U.S. colonel who gives a speech at a newly opened child-care center for prostitutes' children, many of whom are half-American, and begins to see Filipinos as more than "hearts and minds" to be won in support of the effort to spread American democracy in Asia.
The novel brings into focus not only the romantic and social conflicts of different generations of women but also economic and racial divisions in the Philippines. Magdalena's great-grandfather on her father's side is an immigrant from China, and his daughter finds it difficult to enter the highest levels of Philippine society, just as lower economic and social standing make it difficult for Magdalena's irascible mother, Luisa, to marry the man she loves. Interspersed throughout the novel are archival photographs of places and people, photographs that remind the reader that while the characters are fictional, the backdrop is historical reality.
Kathleen Flanagan
November 24, 2013
4.5stars Well written, blending different relationships and time periods. Although I was unimpressed with 'When the Rainbow Goddess Wept', perhaps Brainard writes better love stories than war stories. Yet another book detailing extra-marital affairs and family secrets ayayay! The last 3 Filipino books I've read are a definite improvement to ones I've read in the past. yay!! -- eps, 12/06/04
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4/5stars As Reviewed On Newfilipina.com, December 18, 2002
Amazon.com Reviewer: A reader
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.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5/5stars LOVE STORY IN PHILIPPINES & VIETNAM, July 27, 2002
Amazon.com Reviewer: A reader
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!
December 2, 2025
Written in the fragmented style, Cecilia Brainard’s lyrical second novel Magdalena, tells the stories of three generations of Filipino women whose lives have been affected by the Philippine American War, World War Two, and the Vietnam War. The novel is a favorite among poets, academics and feminists, and it has been the subject of academic papers by Drs. John Jack Wigley, Rhodora G. Magan, Ruth S. Rimando, and others.
Alma Anonas-Carpio reviewed the book for The Philippine Graphic (March 2016) saying: “The story of Magdalena’s life is a rich one, full of emotional intensity told with the brilliant clarity of Manguerra Brainard’s pen. It made me cry and it made me sigh …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.”
Midwest Book Review also praised the book: “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!”
This novel has been translated into Arabic, Greek, and N. Macedonian.
Alma Anonas-Carpio reviewed the book for The Philippine Graphic (March 2016) saying: “The story of Magdalena’s life is a rich one, full of emotional intensity told with the brilliant clarity of Manguerra Brainard’s pen. It made me cry and it made me sigh …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.”
Midwest Book Review also praised the book: “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!”
This novel has been translated into Arabic, Greek, and N. Macedonian.
October 19, 2020
This easily became a favorite! There was never a boring line in the novel. It was fast-paced yet intricate. The author is good at making it a light read yet still creative. The manner of writing was the usual way of explicitly laying the stories as if the book talked to me, but it was still quite different among the novels I have read with respect to the way the author stitched the stories by every chapter. I just wish it was longer.
March 4, 2023
The regrets of a man, seeing the love of his life being happy with another man. Wondering what would've become if he chooses her over another girl. Years have passed, but he still loves her. Tons of stories that will travel you back in time. A nostalgic feeling of an era. Revelations and sins of the past have swung opened. But one thing I knew, never trust a man.
August 7, 2021
This is a short and fast paced book that covered a hundred years and four generations. It made me realize how much society can shape our lives and affect our decisions in life that can turn out to be a lifelong turmoil. War, corruption, societal standards, they intersect, affect our decisions and show us how it can mold us for the better or for worse. How these circumstances can shape one generation and how that previous generation can shape the next and so on which leads to a cycle of turmoils. Although I really did not like how some of the characters decided and chose their path, I understood why they did that (does not mean I condone it tho, never but understandable considering all those different factors at those times).
It was great to be able to read about my own culture and the history of my country. I’ll definitely be into more Filipino literature.
It was great to be able to read about my own culture and the history of my country. I’ll definitely be into more Filipino literature.
Read
February 1, 2008Author tries to tell a story by relating the lives of several different prominent women in a family. There are serious problems with characterization here. Not only are all the female characters the same, but this ur-female is desperately flat.
Can't even remember why I read this...
November 13, 2009
a wonderful and at times heartbreaking book about life during war and wrong choices.
Want to read
June 24, 2015Because I want to explore new things.
Read
July 23, 2015research paper .
August 10, 2013
good novel ...
Read
April 26, 2017Copy signed by the author
Read
October 10, 2018want to read this cause i want to know :)
Want to read
October 18, 2018wewewe
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews