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The Conquest: A Beautifully Written Historical Fiction of Dual Timelines, an Aztec Princess, and the Enduring Power of Love
Sara Rosario Gonzáles is a restorer of rare books and manuscripts at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. When Sara restores a sixteenth-century manuscript about an Aztec princess enslaved by Cortés and sent to Europe to entertain the pope and Emperor Charles V, she doesn't realize the power of the tale she's about to immerse herself into. The princess, we find, is determined to avenge the slaughter of her people, and Sara is determined to prove that the book, which caused scandal when first published, was written by the Aztec princess herself, and not the European monk reputed to have penned it. Entwined within Sara's fascination of the manuscript is Sara's own life: the frustration over her inability to commit to Karl, the man who has loved her since high school; the haunting wisdom of her departed mother; and the stability of a father who sees the world in a way Sara does not, both pragmatically and unyieldingly. The Conquest is a beautifully written novel that offers both hope that true love does exist and that history, in all its complexity, is what drives us all toward tomorrow.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
4 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
Yxta Maya Murray
28 books52 followersYxta Maya Murray is a professor at Loyola Law School.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
March 30, 2019
It's gone from my physical book shelves. Reading through the review that I previously wrote, there's not much to add. I thought it was a real interesting read, but most people on GR thought it was less interesting than I did. The only friend I have that has rated it gave it a 3. But hey, the female protagonist is a rare book restorer! What's not to like about that?
I thought this novel was a pretty good read, not very long, didn't bore me. Ms. Murray's work has not achieved overwhelming favor here on goodreads. The most highly rated of her novels is Locus, her first book, and the one which resulted in her winning the 1999 Whiting award for fiction. She apparently has not left her day job to write full time - she is a professor at Loyola Law School.
This sits on my "historical fiction" shelf because of one half of the story, which is contained in an old book that the main character (in contemporary time) is restoring. This book is from the Spanish Conquest era, and relates the story of an Aztec princess who is captured, taken to Europe, and has many years of adventures there. This part of the story is quite interesting, and indeed is pure fantasy in many of its elements. In that sense it reminded me of The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay. Although having these fantastical elements, the historical details did ring true enough to carry the story forward well.
I suspect that if this part of the story could have been fleshed out a bit, and the contemporary back story removed entirely, Murray might have had a quite popular "historical fantasy" novel. As it is, the lukewarm rating of the book indicates that the actual structure chosen for the novel was not particularly successful.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Previous review: State of the World 2008
Next review: Sword of Honour Trilogy Evelyn Waugh
More recent review: Regeneration Barker
Previous library review: A Canticle for Leibowitz Walter Miller
Next library review: We Were the Mulvaneys Oates
I thought this novel was a pretty good read, not very long, didn't bore me. Ms. Murray's work has not achieved overwhelming favor here on goodreads. The most highly rated of her novels is Locus, her first book, and the one which resulted in her winning the 1999 Whiting award for fiction. She apparently has not left her day job to write full time - she is a professor at Loyola Law School.
This sits on my "historical fiction" shelf because of one half of the story, which is contained in an old book that the main character (in contemporary time) is restoring. This book is from the Spanish Conquest era, and relates the story of an Aztec princess who is captured, taken to Europe, and has many years of adventures there. This part of the story is quite interesting, and indeed is pure fantasy in many of its elements. In that sense it reminded me of The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay. Although having these fantastical elements, the historical details did ring true enough to carry the story forward well.
I suspect that if this part of the story could have been fleshed out a bit, and the contemporary back story removed entirely, Murray might have had a quite popular "historical fantasy" novel. As it is, the lukewarm rating of the book indicates that the actual structure chosen for the novel was not particularly successful.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Previous review: State of the World 2008
Next review: Sword of Honour Trilogy Evelyn Waugh
More recent review: Regeneration Barker
Previous library review: A Canticle for Leibowitz Walter Miller
Next library review: We Were the Mulvaneys Oates
July 25, 2009
This is a fascinatingly odd little book, novel that follows the twin stories of Sara, a modern-day book restorer at the Getty museum in Los Angeles, and Helen, an Aztec juggler from Tenochtitlán, sent to the court of Clement VII by Hernan Cortés. Along the way there are multiple intrigues, from the day-to-day question of whether a person's life's work is meaningful, to the drama of piracy and the Inquisition. It's absorbing in the way certain movies are absorbing - the whole thing defies description or categorization, and while at times it all seems too preposterous for words, there's a lot of fun in the piece.
The book recommends itself on many levels - it interrogates the history of European colonialism, the meaning of cultural survival, the problems of assimilation, and the complexities of melded religious beliefs. Two central characters are gay, and enter into a profoundly loving relationship with each other at a time when the Church was burning people at the stake for far less. At times the prose is absolutely breathtaking, and I would re-read a passage just to absorb the particular, marvelous combinations of words that added up to a description that felt alive.
Yet the book is, at heart, also about love - and in the contemporary story, it's a strange, unsettling love that borders on obsession, involves multiple betrayals, and which sees such highs and lows that the central protagonist seems almost bipolar. Perhaps she is - there's more than a suggestion of mental illness in the actions and thoughts of many of the characters in the book, and perhaps it's an older kindness to call those things love and reason.
I'll definitely seek out more of Murray's novels, if only because reading this was an exercise in meeting the wholly unique!
The book recommends itself on many levels - it interrogates the history of European colonialism, the meaning of cultural survival, the problems of assimilation, and the complexities of melded religious beliefs. Two central characters are gay, and enter into a profoundly loving relationship with each other at a time when the Church was burning people at the stake for far less. At times the prose is absolutely breathtaking, and I would re-read a passage just to absorb the particular, marvelous combinations of words that added up to a description that felt alive.
Yet the book is, at heart, also about love - and in the contemporary story, it's a strange, unsettling love that borders on obsession, involves multiple betrayals, and which sees such highs and lows that the central protagonist seems almost bipolar. Perhaps she is - there's more than a suggestion of mental illness in the actions and thoughts of many of the characters in the book, and perhaps it's an older kindness to call those things love and reason.
I'll definitely seek out more of Murray's novels, if only because reading this was an exercise in meeting the wholly unique!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2010
This fascinating novel centers around Sara Rosario Gonzales, a restorer of rare books and manuscripts at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. When Sara is assigned to restore a 16th century manuscript about a female Aztec juggler enslaved by Cortes and sent to Europe to entertain the Pope as well as Emperor Charles V, she doesn't realize the power of the tale she's about to immerse herself into.
The juggler, we find, is determined to take revenge on the king of the empire who contributed to the slaughter of her people, and Sara is determined to prove that the book, which caused scandal when it was published, was written by the Aztec juggler herself, and not the European monk reputed to have penned it.
Entwined within Sara's fascination of the manuscript is Sara's own life; the frustration she has over her inability to commit to Karl, the man who has loved her since high school, her cultural displacement as a Latina in L.A., along with straddling the surreal world her departed mother kept alive with the pragmatic thinking of her demanding father.
This is a beautifully written novel which shows that sometimes, a sense of amnesia is the only thing that allows us to forget a painful history.
Review from Barnes & Noble
The juggler, we find, is determined to take revenge on the king of the empire who contributed to the slaughter of her people, and Sara is determined to prove that the book, which caused scandal when it was published, was written by the Aztec juggler herself, and not the European monk reputed to have penned it.
Entwined within Sara's fascination of the manuscript is Sara's own life; the frustration she has over her inability to commit to Karl, the man who has loved her since high school, her cultural displacement as a Latina in L.A., along with straddling the surreal world her departed mother kept alive with the pragmatic thinking of her demanding father.
This is a beautifully written novel which shows that sometimes, a sense of amnesia is the only thing that allows us to forget a painful history.
Review from Barnes & Noble
April 21, 2012
I thought this might be another Shadow of the Wind book, and while it does feature my favorite plot device -- a mysterious manuscript -- it becomes a standard romance novel, if a little better written than most.
We have our beautiful and plucky heroine (a manuscript restorer at the Getty Museum) and our impossibly upright and gorgeous hero (Marine officer aspiring to be an astronaut) ... and the formula then plays out.
The positive: a well-written depiction of the restorer's work and the workings of the Getty.
The negative: the mystery manuscript is little more than the erotic adventures of a captured Aztec princess in 16th-century Europe -- who knew that there were so many high-born ladies who loved books and sex with men and women so much, and had so much fun at it!
There is not a pretense of trying to imitate any kind of real writing of the period, even though the physical description of the manuscript and its repairs feels absolutely authentic.
But if you want a good escapist read, this might be it, even if it calls far short of its potential.
We have our beautiful and plucky heroine (a manuscript restorer at the Getty Museum) and our impossibly upright and gorgeous hero (Marine officer aspiring to be an astronaut) ... and the formula then plays out.
The positive: a well-written depiction of the restorer's work and the workings of the Getty.
The negative: the mystery manuscript is little more than the erotic adventures of a captured Aztec princess in 16th-century Europe -- who knew that there were so many high-born ladies who loved books and sex with men and women so much, and had so much fun at it!
There is not a pretense of trying to imitate any kind of real writing of the period, even though the physical description of the manuscript and its repairs feels absolutely authentic.
But if you want a good escapist read, this might be it, even if it calls far short of its potential.
April 23, 2017
I found this to be incredibly boring. I literally had to force myself to finish reading it since I couldn't have cared less what was going on.
June 9, 2018
The Conquest was published in 2002. Despite a love of multi-cultural literature developing in earnest about that time, I had never heard of the novel or its author, Yxta Maya Murray, until I picked the work up at a used bookstore over a year ago. (Have I mentioned that my TBR pile could easily claim its own room?!?)
Yxta is a law professor at Loyola. Her first novel was published in 1998. Her latest, A Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped, was published in 2010. As of today’s date, there are six novels in her canon and it would appear her fiction has been replaced by scholarly pieces on constitutionalism, rape, and violence. The Conquest was her first foray into historical fiction, but she did not commit 100%. In all honesty, there is so much about this novel that is deliciously amazing but it’s still not quite there. Don’t get me wrong – I thoroughly enjoyed the story – but it’s almost like ordering dinner and finding it good but knowing a little more seasoning would send it over the top.
I think I connected to the main character, Sara Rosario Gonzales, because I personally have had to face my own life while hunting for the identity of an author of a dusty manuscript. (My search for Hannah Crafts was brief but it has marked me for life.) Sara is a rare book restorer who works at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. A dusty 16th century manuscript finds its way to her desk to be restored. The story of an Aztec princess (named Helen by her captors) enslaved and sent to Europe to entertain the likes of the pope and Charles V as a juggler is considered by scholars to be the work of a monk. Sara is to restore it, but she finds herself made mad by her quest to prove the identity of the woman who penned it.
The manuscript, which Sara has named “The Conquest,” is provided in bursts of passages while Sara’s own love story unfolds. Truth be told, I don’t like Sara and I don’t care for her love story. The sections about her and Karl annoyed me as I eagerly awaited more of Helen’s story. Sara’s hunt to prove The Conquest was written by a woman is at the heart of the novel. There’s an intensifying suspense as she checks other historical references, using passages from the manuscript as clues to point her in the right direction. The life of a painter said to be madly in love with the exotic princess. Does she show in his work? The written works of others from the Church, written in secret and not for public consumption, did these tales of sex and gluttony reveal the dark-skinned beauty. Does she find her way into his journals full of food and scandalous affairs?
As Sara’s love life unravels, she resigns herself to the fact that Helen is fictional and indeed the shocking tale of women loving women and made “mad” by poetry, and pirates and obsidian daggers, and juggling spheres that can stop the Pope’s heart is nothing more than fiction penned the monk it has been attributed to by scholars. Defeated in love and life, she catalogues the work. She curses the manuscript for having ruined her life as she has lost Karl, seemingly for good. She contemplates setting the ancient pages ablaze, but she could never hurt a book. (I understand that sentiment!) Then, at her lowest of lows, a letter from 1561, a love letter of course, makes it all worth it.
The novel is a love story that crosses ages and time. It’s Helen moving heaven and earth for her true love, Caterina, and being blinded by her desire for revenge against Cortez. It’s Sara spending every waking hour trying to breathe life into a manuscript and a woman no one believes existed in her quest to remember her mother. Yes, this is a love story between Sara and her mother – Karl was an unnecessary distraction and Yxta didn’t flesh out the mother/daughter relationship the way I would have liked, but it’s a love story all the same. Helen won’t be forgotten. And neither will Beatrice
Yxta is a law professor at Loyola. Her first novel was published in 1998. Her latest, A Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped, was published in 2010. As of today’s date, there are six novels in her canon and it would appear her fiction has been replaced by scholarly pieces on constitutionalism, rape, and violence. The Conquest was her first foray into historical fiction, but she did not commit 100%. In all honesty, there is so much about this novel that is deliciously amazing but it’s still not quite there. Don’t get me wrong – I thoroughly enjoyed the story – but it’s almost like ordering dinner and finding it good but knowing a little more seasoning would send it over the top.
I think I connected to the main character, Sara Rosario Gonzales, because I personally have had to face my own life while hunting for the identity of an author of a dusty manuscript. (My search for Hannah Crafts was brief but it has marked me for life.) Sara is a rare book restorer who works at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. A dusty 16th century manuscript finds its way to her desk to be restored. The story of an Aztec princess (named Helen by her captors) enslaved and sent to Europe to entertain the likes of the pope and Charles V as a juggler is considered by scholars to be the work of a monk. Sara is to restore it, but she finds herself made mad by her quest to prove the identity of the woman who penned it.
The manuscript, which Sara has named “The Conquest,” is provided in bursts of passages while Sara’s own love story unfolds. Truth be told, I don’t like Sara and I don’t care for her love story. The sections about her and Karl annoyed me as I eagerly awaited more of Helen’s story. Sara’s hunt to prove The Conquest was written by a woman is at the heart of the novel. There’s an intensifying suspense as she checks other historical references, using passages from the manuscript as clues to point her in the right direction. The life of a painter said to be madly in love with the exotic princess. Does she show in his work? The written works of others from the Church, written in secret and not for public consumption, did these tales of sex and gluttony reveal the dark-skinned beauty. Does she find her way into his journals full of food and scandalous affairs?
As Sara’s love life unravels, she resigns herself to the fact that Helen is fictional and indeed the shocking tale of women loving women and made “mad” by poetry, and pirates and obsidian daggers, and juggling spheres that can stop the Pope’s heart is nothing more than fiction penned the monk it has been attributed to by scholars. Defeated in love and life, she catalogues the work. She curses the manuscript for having ruined her life as she has lost Karl, seemingly for good. She contemplates setting the ancient pages ablaze, but she could never hurt a book. (I understand that sentiment!) Then, at her lowest of lows, a letter from 1561, a love letter of course, makes it all worth it.
The novel is a love story that crosses ages and time. It’s Helen moving heaven and earth for her true love, Caterina, and being blinded by her desire for revenge against Cortez. It’s Sara spending every waking hour trying to breathe life into a manuscript and a woman no one believes existed in her quest to remember her mother. Yes, this is a love story between Sara and her mother – Karl was an unnecessary distraction and Yxta didn’t flesh out the mother/daughter relationship the way I would have liked, but it’s a love story all the same. Helen won’t be forgotten. And neither will Beatrice
February 19, 2019
The story a young Latina, Rosa Gonzalez who is a restorer of rare books working on a controversial book of 16th century Europe with a tie to the Aztec world intrigued me. I am not a huge fan of parallel stories across time but I am a book lover, a Latino and an avid Aztec scholar. I dove in hoping for a solid read. Instead, I had a mixed response and opinion after reading the book.
The novel began well with the tale of a young Latina book restorer and historian being assigned to restore and research 'Conquest', a forgotten and controversial book written by a supposed Padre de Pasamonte, a rebellious priest. The book tells the tale of captured and enslaved Aztec woman, Helena whose juggling skills and gender are the reason for her capture. This tale is intriguing when we read excerpts from tee manuscript. Her tale is intriguing as her tragic and tumultuous life is revealed.
Unfortunately, more than half of the book focuses on the mundane and emotional upheaval of Ms. Gonzalez' modern life. We learn of her mother, Beatrice's bad marriage, intense pride of her Aztec heritage, her father's wandering passions and passive attitude about marriage and Rosa's contrived and shallow relationship with Karl. The author intertwines Rosa Gonzalez' frustrations with love and her family with a parallel tale of Helena's (Helen) lesbian relationships with Spanish noble women and fellow servants and a hatred of the Spanish (Cortes and her captors and the Catholic Church. Helen hates them for destroying her Aztec world, killing her father and destroying her future. Sadly, the author reduces an interesting Aztec woman to a vengeful and lusty creature. As Helen goes from female to male lovers (some of whom are famous), I had a reminder of the tale of 'Tom Jones.' But Helen is an obsessed woman with no future and obsessed with killing the pope and the king of Spain. Helen floats through history and historical events and devours everything in her hunger for revenge. Rosa's life is no better in that she has passion for career and current assignment and falsely believes she has the same level of passion for her love, Karl. She has a detective-like commitment for her work but sees life as an afterthought. She always seems to be re-acting to life, In time, the relationship ends, begins again, ends and then is rekindled. This roller coaster ride reduces this tale to an overly dramatic modern romance tale. This hurts the book. I became exasperated and wanted to hear more about Helen. The lukewarm ending was predictable.
In the end, I liked the history but the romantic aspects were tiring. The author should have tied in her modern character's tale instead of just telling two disconnected stories.
The novel began well with the tale of a young Latina book restorer and historian being assigned to restore and research 'Conquest', a forgotten and controversial book written by a supposed Padre de Pasamonte, a rebellious priest. The book tells the tale of captured and enslaved Aztec woman, Helena whose juggling skills and gender are the reason for her capture. This tale is intriguing when we read excerpts from tee manuscript. Her tale is intriguing as her tragic and tumultuous life is revealed.
Unfortunately, more than half of the book focuses on the mundane and emotional upheaval of Ms. Gonzalez' modern life. We learn of her mother, Beatrice's bad marriage, intense pride of her Aztec heritage, her father's wandering passions and passive attitude about marriage and Rosa's contrived and shallow relationship with Karl. The author intertwines Rosa Gonzalez' frustrations with love and her family with a parallel tale of Helena's (Helen) lesbian relationships with Spanish noble women and fellow servants and a hatred of the Spanish (Cortes and her captors and the Catholic Church. Helen hates them for destroying her Aztec world, killing her father and destroying her future. Sadly, the author reduces an interesting Aztec woman to a vengeful and lusty creature. As Helen goes from female to male lovers (some of whom are famous), I had a reminder of the tale of 'Tom Jones.' But Helen is an obsessed woman with no future and obsessed with killing the pope and the king of Spain. Helen floats through history and historical events and devours everything in her hunger for revenge. Rosa's life is no better in that she has passion for career and current assignment and falsely believes she has the same level of passion for her love, Karl. She has a detective-like commitment for her work but sees life as an afterthought. She always seems to be re-acting to life, In time, the relationship ends, begins again, ends and then is rekindled. This roller coaster ride reduces this tale to an overly dramatic modern romance tale. This hurts the book. I became exasperated and wanted to hear more about Helen. The lukewarm ending was predictable.
In the end, I liked the history but the romantic aspects were tiring. The author should have tied in her modern character's tale instead of just telling two disconnected stories.
March 11, 2017
Sara restores ancient books for a living, and always seems to find herself drawn in and completely engrossed by the stories in the books she restores. This has caused problems for her in her personal life, especially with Karl, the man she has loved since she was a girl. He always gets left behind when she's restoring a book and is frustrated she can't commit to him. Will Sara be able to untangle herself from the story of the Aztec Princess's quest for revenge so she can save her relationship with Karl?
This is a beautifully written book. It's dreamy and eloquent at the same time. As a reader I was as engrossed in the Aztec Princess's quest as Sara was before diving back into reality and feeling her pain as Karl is one step further away from her. It's a relatively short read and I was entertained the whole way through the novel.
When I first started it, I thought perhaps Karl was just too controlling and Sara would be better off without him so she could focus on what she had a passion on. But as I got further in I realised that it was actually Sara who was treating Karl badly. He'd describe his feelings of being abandoned, or having her disappear on him for months at a time because she was too engrossed in her work. He was miserable with her but at the same time they shared such an intense connection that he couldn't stay away. I felt that Sara needed to let him go rather than selfishly keep trying to win him back.
I also felt this book could have been split into two. One book focussing on the Aztec Princess, there was definitely enough of a story there for that, and then a second dramatic story about Sara and Karl. This would have needed to be fleshed out more, and maybe some of the elements of her work included, but I think the Aztec Princess at time overpowered the actual story about Sara and Karl a bit too much.
Overall though, I did enjoy this book, it was so well written and was entertaining the whole time I was reading it.
Read more on my blog.
This is a beautifully written book. It's dreamy and eloquent at the same time. As a reader I was as engrossed in the Aztec Princess's quest as Sara was before diving back into reality and feeling her pain as Karl is one step further away from her. It's a relatively short read and I was entertained the whole way through the novel.
When I first started it, I thought perhaps Karl was just too controlling and Sara would be better off without him so she could focus on what she had a passion on. But as I got further in I realised that it was actually Sara who was treating Karl badly. He'd describe his feelings of being abandoned, or having her disappear on him for months at a time because she was too engrossed in her work. He was miserable with her but at the same time they shared such an intense connection that he couldn't stay away. I felt that Sara needed to let him go rather than selfishly keep trying to win him back.
I also felt this book could have been split into two. One book focussing on the Aztec Princess, there was definitely enough of a story there for that, and then a second dramatic story about Sara and Karl. This would have needed to be fleshed out more, and maybe some of the elements of her work included, but I think the Aztec Princess at time overpowered the actual story about Sara and Karl a bit too much.
Overall though, I did enjoy this book, it was so well written and was entertaining the whole time I was reading it.
Read more on my blog.
October 19, 2020
Osvajanje je propuštena prilika koja samo dotiče zanimljive teme: odnos osvajača i osvojenih, kome pripadaju kulturna blaga, muzejima ili pravim vlasnicima, da li vredi čuvati prašinjave artefakte koji su nekad bili obični predmeti, a vreme tj kontekst im je dalo vrednost, moć sadašnjeg trenutka nasuprot istoriji... Ti najzanimljiviji delovi udavljeni su u ljubavnoj melodrami dve ljubavne priče, jedna je u prošlosti, druga u sadašnjosti, s tim da ta u sadašnjosti nije ni uverljiva. Kraj baš razočarava.
November 3, 2018
Sara restores old books for the Getty museum. While working on a Spanish novel from the sixteenth century she become obsessed with the story that reveals information to her that no other scholar ever conceived. All the while she must navigate her love for Karl without losing herself in his passion for the stars above. An interesting melding of the ancient and modern.
December 6, 2020
I first read this book 20 years ago in college where it was the favorite of my college career. I re-read it, fearing I would be disappointed. Somehow it has only become more perfect through the years. The chemistry, the magic realism, the history, and the pain of an “unrecoverable past” explode out of Yxta Maya Murray’s gifted writing.
October 16, 2020
I had to read this book for my Chicana sexuality and literature class. And I was dreading reading it. But I ended up really loving it and developing more knowledge for the cultures exploited and ended up falling in love with the characters.
December 8, 2017
A lyrical love letter to the mysteries of history, ancient books, and Love.
November 13, 2016
4+. Liked this very much. More later
July 2, 2017
" And after a while, I realize that it's not all that surprising that I can't recover one apocryphal girl-the whole of Algiers itself disappeared, once.
The Conquest es un libro que me sorprendió muchísimo. Se divide en dos líneas argumentales: una princesa Azteca que viaja a Europa con la intención de asesinar a Cortés y la latina que vive en California e intenta demostrar que esa princesa existió y no es resultado de la imaginación febril de un monje español. Las dos tramas se alternan durante todo el libro para ofrecer una reflexión sobre historia, memoria, archivos y su importancia para la creación de la identidad.
Con esta novela, Murray intenta ofrecer una forma práctica de llevar a cabo la experiencia bordelands que Gloria Anzaldua defendía ya en los 80. En ese sentido, todos los personajes del presente se convierten en arquetipos, de forma que cada personaje representa un posicionamiento político y/o cultural (la madre de la protagonista sería el movimiento chicano de los 70 por ejemplo) sobre como abordar la cuestión de la historia y la identidad. Esto nos permite ver las virtudes y defectos de cada posicionamiento y deja espacio para que Murray planteé su propia propuesta.
Sin embargo, más allá de la interpretación más intelectual de la novela, lo cierto es que la historia es adictiva y funciona perfectamente como lectura de entretenimiento. Personalmente, disfruté más de la narración de la princesa azteca, porque la versión del pasado de Murray con su inclusión de una pareja homosexual y una versión más subversiva de la época fue muy interesante de leer. La trama moderna también, pero hacia el final se vuelve un poco cansina con los giros para mantener a la pareja separada y por ello, el libro no reciba 5 estrellas. ¿Lo mejor? Que Murray utiliza el género romántico para tratar temas de peso y lo hace en una forma tan poética a la par que entretenida que consiguió devolverme la esperanza en el género.
The Conquest es un libro que me sorprendió muchísimo. Se divide en dos líneas argumentales: una princesa Azteca que viaja a Europa con la intención de asesinar a Cortés y la latina que vive en California e intenta demostrar que esa princesa existió y no es resultado de la imaginación febril de un monje español. Las dos tramas se alternan durante todo el libro para ofrecer una reflexión sobre historia, memoria, archivos y su importancia para la creación de la identidad.
Con esta novela, Murray intenta ofrecer una forma práctica de llevar a cabo la experiencia bordelands que Gloria Anzaldua defendía ya en los 80. En ese sentido, todos los personajes del presente se convierten en arquetipos, de forma que cada personaje representa un posicionamiento político y/o cultural (la madre de la protagonista sería el movimiento chicano de los 70 por ejemplo) sobre como abordar la cuestión de la historia y la identidad. Esto nos permite ver las virtudes y defectos de cada posicionamiento y deja espacio para que Murray planteé su propia propuesta.
Sin embargo, más allá de la interpretación más intelectual de la novela, lo cierto es que la historia es adictiva y funciona perfectamente como lectura de entretenimiento. Personalmente, disfruté más de la narración de la princesa azteca, porque la versión del pasado de Murray con su inclusión de una pareja homosexual y una versión más subversiva de la época fue muy interesante de leer. La trama moderna también, pero hacia el final se vuelve un poco cansina con los giros para mantener a la pareja separada y por ello, el libro no reciba 5 estrellas. ¿Lo mejor? Que Murray utiliza el género romántico para tratar temas de peso y lo hace en una forma tan poética a la par que entretenida que consiguió devolverme la esperanza en el género.
April 7, 2009
I read this years before I found this Goodreads site, and this book was definitely a Good Read. I still remember the story vividly--so many amazing characters. The main character was a woman who worked as a restorer of antique books at a museum in LA, called the Getty, I think. She begins work on a text in which the writer claims to be an ancient (15th century?) Aztec woman, who learns to focus her mind and kinetically control the juggler's balls and entertain the Aztec king. She is then captured and transported to Spain where she is made to entertain the king and/or the Pope, then she escapes and meets some more strong female characters, and a few cool guys, too. It is a thoroughly engrossing story and I highly recommend it!
April 4, 2009
The premise of this book was interesting and it was on some top reading list, so I decided to read it. The beginning of the book started off ok, but then just went off in a different direction than I was prepared for after the first couple of chapters. I did like the way the author bounced back and forth between the "book" narrative the character was restoring and the actual plot.
However, the only reason why I kept ploughing through the book to the end was to congratulate myself on being able to correctly guess the ending. I was not up for all the homosexuality and overt sexual tones throughout the book.
However, the only reason why I kept ploughing through the book to the end was to congratulate myself on being able to correctly guess the ending. I was not up for all the homosexuality and overt sexual tones throughout the book.
May 27, 2009
La Conquista es una novela única que nos da la esperanza de que el amor verdadero sí existe, y que la historia, en toda su complejidad, es la que nos impulsa hacia nuestro destino. Sara Rosario Gonzáles lleva una existencia relativamente tranquila, como restauradora de libros y manuscritos antiguos en el Getty Museum de Los Ángeles. Pero cuando se encuentra ante la tarea de restaurar un manuscrito del siglo XVI sobre una princesa azteca que fue esclavizada por Cortés y enviada a Europa para divertir al Papa y a Carlos V, no se da cuenta del poder que tiene la historia en la que está a punto de sumergirse.
May 29, 2014
I'm not sure how I feel about The Conquest... I love books about books and the people who love them, but Sara, the rare book restorer who is the main character of this novel, is dreadfully unlikeable. Sara is on a quest to discover the mysteries behind the book she is restoring but also to win back her estranged lover, who is getting married to another woman. While I understand how a person can become totally immersed in a book and bewitched by the content in its pages, I did not find myself rooting for Sara. The premise of The Conquest is fascinating, but selfish characters alienated me from the storyline.
April 3, 2011
Un libro que cuenta la historia de una restauradora de libros antiguos del Museo de Paul Getty en el sur de California, de ancestros Mexicanos e Indigenas. Dentro de esta historia, la historia del personaje principal del libro que se restaura e investiga por la restauradora. Una linda historia de amor, tragedia, iluciones, magia, y sobrevivencia. Este es el tipo de historia que me gusta leer. Un personaje solitario y dedicado a su pasion que nos cuenta de su vida con el toque del realismo magico que tanto me gusta de las novelas Latinoamericanas. La conquista reune los temas que me interesan, los museos, la historia precolombina, la familia, y personajes insolitos.
August 5, 2007
Besides being a prof at my Alma Mater (LMU Law), Yxta is like totally smart and really cute. The appeal to SOCAL Natives like myself is obvious - References to Camp Pendleton, The Getty, etc. But more than that, the novel is a solid read that keeps you hooked. The main character is a restorer of ancient books at the Getty who is determined to prove the truth behind an ancient manuscript. She becomes consumed by an ancient text she is working on and a parallel story emerges. Check it out if you have time and are looking for something really good that's not uber-trendy.
April 19, 2016
Mental note to self: Don't stay up until three in the morning finishing a book that you need to read for class. Does not matter that you completely enjoyed it. This is a terrible idea and leads to exhausting, sore legs, and drinking far too many cans of Dr Pepper in an effort to stay awake. Besides that, however, I was actually surprised by this novel and I genuinely did enjoy it a lot. I would definitely recommend it.
March 19, 2013
This book has two stories that weave together. One story is set in the present and the other is a fantastical story of the 1500s. It reminded me of Like Water for Chocolate in the way that the lines between real & surreal are blurred. I liked it but you have to be prepared to suspend your disbelief.
July 19, 2022
I was really excited to read this book. The story is about a Mexican American rare book restorer, who restores a rare book about an Aztec woman trying to get revenge on Cortez. I did like that it was all wrapped in a Southern California background! Unfortunately, it was a bit slow and unbelievable. I did enjoy it but was really hoping for more excitement.
Loved all the socal references.
Loved all the socal references.
December 24, 2008
A very imaginative and sensual tale of a book restorer whose own passion comes to life while she's researching the escapades of an Aztec princess, who after being enslaved by Cortes and sent to Europe, became a powerful courtesan. A great book for historical fiction lovers.
October 28, 2007
Liked this book because it had good historical references about the conquest, also had a good fictional story that played along well with the history of the conquest.
December 27, 2007
I thought this book was okay...a bit boring at times & really predictable though..
February 16, 2008
Beautiful.
May 4, 2008
Murray really channels that poetic dreaminess common among Latin American writers, but the plotting's a bit thin for my taste.
February 20, 2009
This is the book I never knew I've always wanted to read. It resonated with me down to my bones, and I was stunned with euphoria for days.
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