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Kissing the Virgin's Mouth
Selected as the first winner of Barbara Kingsolver's Bellwether Prize, Kissing the Virgin's Mouth is a beautifully written, lyrical first novel that offers a rare window into another culture. Its irresistible heroine takes the reader into her Mexican world and the experience is unforgettable. Barbara Kingsolver founded the Bellwether Prize in support of a literature of social change. In her words, Donna Gershten's novel has "the kind of political boldness and complexity we're hoping to promote with this prize. It sets a standard for what we're defining as a literature of social responsibility." Kissing the Virgin's Mouth is the fictional memoir of Guadalupe Magdalena Molina Vásquez -- wife, scoundrel, courtesan, and mother. In a world where gender and class roles are unbending, and religion predominant, Magda creates a philosophy of life that she can thrive in, a religion of cynical optimism, pragmatism, and determined gratitude. The invincible yet fallible Magda climbs from the poor barrio of a coastal Mexican town to American affluence, from wide-eyed childhood to worldly courtesan life, from full-blooded youth to oncoming blindness. In the Golden Zone of Teatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico, where tourists and wealthy Mexicans thrive and where poor Mexicans come only to work or to visit the shrine of the miracle baby Jesus, Guadalupe Magdalena Molina Vásquez performs her daily ritual. In the chair of her beloved Tía Chucha, mortared to the roof of her Golden Zone home, Magda shaves her long legs, tells her life stories, and thrusts her fierce prayers of gratitude toward the Sea of Cortés. "More cabrón than hunger is the person who has suffered it," Magda says, and in her unsentimental and savvy fashion, she recounts her life strategies -- seasoned with an earthy, hard-earned wisdom -- so that she might pass them along to her half-American daughter, Martina, and to her young Mexican cousin, Isabel. Kissing the Virgin's Mouth is a novel about love, the power of sex, and the struggles of women. It is about the secrets of survival. It is about what a woman can do.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
April 1, 2026
Kissing the Virgin’s Mouth was the winner of the Bellwether Prize for Fiction, and the ambitious debut novel by Donna M. Gershten. This beautifully written, lyrical novel was selected as the first winner of Barbara Kingsolver’s Bellwether Prize. It offers a rare and unforgettable glimpse into another culture with its irresistible heroine, Guadalupe Magdalina Molina Vasquez, as she lets us into her Mexican world in Teatlan, the resort city in Sinaloa, Mexico. And we learn early of her devotion to the Virgin de Guadalupe, known affectionately to Magda as Lupe a she speaks with her daily. Her Virgin Guadalupe with her dark skin stands on burgundy velvet with golden milagritos and candles shining at her feet, la Virgen, my Lupa.
Having spent a lot of glorious time in Mexico over the years, one of our favorites remains Mazatlan in Sinaloa, just below the Sierra Madres. While Gershten identifies the village as Teatlan, it is most likely Mazatlan. One of the beautiful traditions of that iconic Mexican village was that in the barrios, in the evening all would leave the squalor and poverty of the streets below and go to their rooftops with their chairs and focus toward the Sea of Cortes and sunset. This tradition looms large in the Molina family and Magda carries on the tradition in a beautiful way in her fictional memoir. We see her experiences as a young girl in the barrio and how she goes on to become a wife, courtesan, and mother. In ending this review I will quote from the book jacket that says it all.
Having spent a lot of glorious time in Mexico over the years, one of our favorites remains Mazatlan in Sinaloa, just below the Sierra Madres. While Gershten identifies the village as Teatlan, it is most likely Mazatlan. One of the beautiful traditions of that iconic Mexican village was that in the barrios, in the evening all would leave the squalor and poverty of the streets below and go to their rooftops with their chairs and focus toward the Sea of Cortes and sunset. This tradition looms large in the Molina family and Magda carries on the tradition in a beautiful way in her fictional memoir. We see her experiences as a young girl in the barrio and how she goes on to become a wife, courtesan, and mother. In ending this review I will quote from the book jacket that says it all.
“In the Golden Zone of Teatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, where tourists and wealthy Mexicans thrive and where poor Mexicans come only to work or to visit the shrine of the miracle baby Jesus, Guadalupe Magdalena Molina Vasquez performs her daily ritual. In the chair of her beloved Tia Chucha, mortared to the roof of her Golden Zone home, Magda shaves her long legs, tells her life stories, and thrusts her fierce prayers of gratitude toward the Sea of Cortes.”
August 13, 2019
A story about being a woman in Mexico and what that means. A story about the old ways, the men, their needs, sex, cultural expectations, of finding oneself in spite of and because of this.
Magda has seen poverty and riches and had learned and loved and lost. So much she wants her daughter to know, to experience, to really understand.
I enjoyed the feel of it, but at times it seemed to drag. I was anxious for more action. Some of the years of Magda's life were narrated in one sentence, others had chapters devoted to them. I would have liked the focus to be somewhat different to illuminate some parts of her life that I feel are still in the dark.
I learned, though. Much to think about.
Magda has seen poverty and riches and had learned and loved and lost. So much she wants her daughter to know, to experience, to really understand.
I enjoyed the feel of it, but at times it seemed to drag. I was anxious for more action. Some of the years of Magda's life were narrated in one sentence, others had chapters devoted to them. I would have liked the focus to be somewhat different to illuminate some parts of her life that I feel are still in the dark.
I learned, though. Much to think about.
April 5, 2010
Purely as fiction, this was a fascinating portrayal of a strong, independent woman looking back on a life rife w/ experience and success, but also misfortune and mistakes - it read much like a memior WRT its immediacy and life. However, I was put on guard by the writer's choice of perspective - that of a Mexican protagonist who spends the majority of the novel in Mexico when in fact the writer is a white (middle class?) American who grew up in NC. I have to admit that held me back, but I guess it comes down to a question of intent. Is it a story for a story's sake only (a fictionalized version of life as imagined from stories heard, or life as imagined by watching others), or is it a deeper attempt at showing the reader authentic Mexican bario experience as seen by Mexican girls ("Let me teach you about Mexico and Mexican culture...")? If the first, I was enthralled - I especially loved how Gershten portrayed feminism; Magda was in survival mode that had me gripping the edge of my seat. This was a quest novel told from the refreshing perspective of a woman. However, if this was the second, my ardor would cool...
I loved the use of Orozco's murals and the inclusion of Dona Marina/La Malinche - of which I knew nothing.
Reminded me of "The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao"
I loved the use of Orozco's murals and the inclusion of Dona Marina/La Malinche - of which I knew nothing.
Reminded me of "The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao"
June 27, 2009
ohmygosh this was such a great book. She writes about her childhood in Mazatlan during the 60's or 70's and I think the author even lived in Idaho for a brief spell. You must read it!
August 29, 2013
After the first 20 pages, I lost interest, which was a disappointment because on the front cover there's a quote from Barbara Kingsolver that this is one of her favorite books (which was part of why I chose to read it).
This book is a memoir disguised as a novel, which could have been fine. Similar to Isabel Allende, Gershten relates her memories of growing up in a Latin-American community and uses a semi-spiritual, dream-like voice. The main character reminisces about how she received her multiple given names and nicknames, many relating to various Latin saints, from her grandmother, mother, and aunts. She talks about her old neighborhood (poor) and her new neighborhood (wealthy). Among other things, she describes moving a special chair that was attached to her grandmother's roof in the old neighborhood and attaching it to her own, new roof (excellent symbolism).
The writing was beautiful in its way but it was almost all "tell" and very little "show." There were detailed descriptions of the characters' feelings and actions and only small bits of actual dialogue and interaction. Since the story was told in the first person, I wanted to get inside the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist -- instead I was on the outside looking in, like watching a slide show with a voiceover. I also became annoyed at the sentimental tone ("I remember ____..." up the music). When I left the book in my car for a few days and didn't look for it, I realized it was time to find my way to another story somewhere else.
Obviously Barbara Kingsolver, whom I respect as a novelist and essayist, saw something wonderful in this book that I missed (therefore two stars instead of one).
This book is a memoir disguised as a novel, which could have been fine. Similar to Isabel Allende, Gershten relates her memories of growing up in a Latin-American community and uses a semi-spiritual, dream-like voice. The main character reminisces about how she received her multiple given names and nicknames, many relating to various Latin saints, from her grandmother, mother, and aunts. She talks about her old neighborhood (poor) and her new neighborhood (wealthy). Among other things, she describes moving a special chair that was attached to her grandmother's roof in the old neighborhood and attaching it to her own, new roof (excellent symbolism).
The writing was beautiful in its way but it was almost all "tell" and very little "show." There were detailed descriptions of the characters' feelings and actions and only small bits of actual dialogue and interaction. Since the story was told in the first person, I wanted to get inside the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist -- instead I was on the outside looking in, like watching a slide show with a voiceover. I also became annoyed at the sentimental tone ("I remember ____..." up the music). When I left the book in my car for a few days and didn't look for it, I realized it was time to find my way to another story somewhere else.
Obviously Barbara Kingsolver, whom I respect as a novelist and essayist, saw something wonderful in this book that I missed (therefore two stars instead of one).
December 24, 2016
A terrific book. Reads fast and delves deep. Engaging and funny, and also enlightening about the awkward intersection of Latino and gringo expectations of what it means to be a woman. I highly recommend this book.
April 16, 2020
Book about one women's resilience and intelligence, breaking rules, Mexican culture and traditions. I found the book by chance while on vacation and read it within a week.
January 2, 2025
This book took awhile to get started, but in the end, I learned to respect, love and admire Magdelna.
April 6, 2016
It took me until I was about two thirds of the way through this book to really feel pulled forward by it. I always have trouble with books that switch from one time to another, and even more so when that switching is unsystematic.
That said, I enjoyed seeing Magda's culture through her eyes, and I am glad to gain her perspective on the world. Narratives of people living between more than one culture (between countries and socio-economic class, Magda experienced an amazing variety in one life) are so important and helpful for my better understanding the world.
I enjoyed when she talked of feminism (and not always by name). I'd love to read this book as part of a book club, where I think it would inspire many worthwhile discussions.
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I give this book four out of five stars. I recommend it to those pulled between more than one culture, and those who enjoy thinking about what it means to be a woman in the world.
That said, I enjoyed seeing Magda's culture through her eyes, and I am glad to gain her perspective on the world. Narratives of people living between more than one culture (between countries and socio-economic class, Magda experienced an amazing variety in one life) are so important and helpful for my better understanding the world.
I enjoyed when she talked of feminism (and not always by name). I'd love to read this book as part of a book club, where I think it would inspire many worthwhile discussions.
---
I give this book four out of five stars. I recommend it to those pulled between more than one culture, and those who enjoy thinking about what it means to be a woman in the world.
April 9, 2009
This book started as a 2 for me but ended closer to a 4 so I will be kind and give it a 3. The woman in this fictional memior grew up in major poverty in Mexico. She deals with all kinds of terrible things that were hard for me to read. There was quite a bit of Spanish in the book that wasn't always translated. You might want to read it with a Spanish/English dictionaary on hand. However, many of the naughty little words she used will not be found in a dictionary. Maybe that's why it seemed so brash to me, I understood too much of her language. I liked that she makes her way out of the poverty but it wasn't a fairy-tale ending. She was still a little bit "broken" as a person but I felt like the person she became was believeable considering her background.
December 28, 2014
I can't recommend this one. The description of Magdalena as a "courtesan" makes her sound a lot more active than she is, and her relationship with Guadalupe feels like an afterthought. Magdalena falls into relationships with men and just sort of floats in the relationship until she is put aside. Hardly inspiring. Still, I can't give this book a completely negative rating, because the writing is so vivid and the way the story is told, I was never bored, and always turned to the next chapter. Overall though, give it a pass.
January 6, 2008
It's written in Spanglish. That's fun...I guess?
January 26, 2022
When I first picked up this novel, I read four pages, hated it, and put it down. I was deeply irritated by the wanton peppering of Spanish words and phrases, as though the author were straining to advertise how, although she’s a gringa, she Really Gets Mexico. But when I gave it a second go I found there’s a lot to like and admire in this story of a 50-year old Mexican woman, reminiscing about how she rose by her own devices from a dirt-poor and repressive background to wealth and contentment.
Magda is a compelling narrator and the descriptions of her family and town are often lyrical, while there’s a humorous earthiness that keeps the voice grounded. Some passages are beautiful: “South and east of the tourist shade palapa on the beach … there is an estuary where newborn shrimp larvae dance their crescent jerk, where flamingos fly with their pink necks and bellies almost touching the water, and where white egrets strut the shallow waters on skinny legs with eyes sharply focused for the movement and shadow of snake or eel.”
Though the story is meandering, many of the chapters contain surprises. Some are riveting; the one in which aunt Chucha loses her braid at the fairground had me gripping my head in discomfort. The relationship with the rich mother-in-law is fascinatingly complex. Men and women are very well drawn in visual terms, but there’s quite a mismatch: the women are rounded, the men are Dickensian caricatures.
I thought the author would do more with the theme of race, which is so often absent from Mexican literature, despite the daily marginalisation of the country’s dark-skinned majority. She introduces it in her very first sentence – bravo!, I thought – but then forgets about it until the book’s final pages. There Magda reflects upon “lessons learned,” but it’s not clear what those lessons are. That life is better without men? That men are so hopelessly macho, it’s best to take from them what one can and move on? That self-absorption is acceptable as along as it leads to material progress?
Back to the Spanglish: it continued to bother me. I look at reader reviews and find a lot of understandable frustration among those who are not privileged to be bilingual. In addition to the discomforting of such readers, I find it an ill-conceived device. One doesn’t see Spanglish in translations of García Márquez. As academics would say, the device “exoticizes” the milieu, which is not only culturally problematic (the risk of stereotyping) but also undermines the purpose of humanising the characters.
Magda is a compelling narrator and the descriptions of her family and town are often lyrical, while there’s a humorous earthiness that keeps the voice grounded. Some passages are beautiful: “South and east of the tourist shade palapa on the beach … there is an estuary where newborn shrimp larvae dance their crescent jerk, where flamingos fly with their pink necks and bellies almost touching the water, and where white egrets strut the shallow waters on skinny legs with eyes sharply focused for the movement and shadow of snake or eel.”
Though the story is meandering, many of the chapters contain surprises. Some are riveting; the one in which aunt Chucha loses her braid at the fairground had me gripping my head in discomfort. The relationship with the rich mother-in-law is fascinatingly complex. Men and women are very well drawn in visual terms, but there’s quite a mismatch: the women are rounded, the men are Dickensian caricatures.
I thought the author would do more with the theme of race, which is so often absent from Mexican literature, despite the daily marginalisation of the country’s dark-skinned majority. She introduces it in her very first sentence – bravo!, I thought – but then forgets about it until the book’s final pages. There Magda reflects upon “lessons learned,” but it’s not clear what those lessons are. That life is better without men? That men are so hopelessly macho, it’s best to take from them what one can and move on? That self-absorption is acceptable as along as it leads to material progress?
Back to the Spanglish: it continued to bother me. I look at reader reviews and find a lot of understandable frustration among those who are not privileged to be bilingual. In addition to the discomforting of such readers, I find it an ill-conceived device. One doesn’t see Spanglish in translations of García Márquez. As academics would say, the device “exoticizes” the milieu, which is not only culturally problematic (the risk of stereotyping) but also undermines the purpose of humanising the characters.
August 29, 2021
I have very mixed feelings about this book. It’s written beautifully and captures the emotions of the main character (Magda) perfectly and complete translates all of her moral conflicts. It makes you think and view Sinaloa through a different lens.There’s moments where you feel like you’re present in that memory of Magda, moments that are described beautifully then there’s moments where they are described in one simple sentence. There’s a lack of continuity in the way that some things are explained in so much detail that there two whole pages dedicated to the air of Sinaloa. Another thing that was hard to overlook, (which may be due to my own Mexican-immigrant background) was the fact that this book that champions, grieves, and explains the live of a Mexican woman growing up in poverty in Sinaloa is written by a white woman who grew up in NC, to me it comes across as ironic. It feels a little out of place to be honest. Knowing this affected the way I viewed this book so much, and it wasn’t something I could ignore.
April 13, 2022
Would recommend knowing some Spanish. There’s not a lot in here but it would help.
Tia and mami reminded me of some of my family that I know in Mexico. The whole book felt familiar to me.
This book may not be a happy book. The views of Magda do not align with my current views. But it doesn’t matter because it felt very accurate of the times and described the machismo culture in Mexico. It described accurately the double standards that men have towards women vs their own daughters.
I liked how Magda’s daughter would complain about how her moms interacted with men how she supported using one’s body to entice men. It gave a nice twist to when you would read Magda’s time where it showed that she used men and her body to get out of her situation. I get it. That’s not a great thing to do but it was realistic.
Tia and mami reminded me of some of my family that I know in Mexico. The whole book felt familiar to me.
This book may not be a happy book. The views of Magda do not align with my current views. But it doesn’t matter because it felt very accurate of the times and described the machismo culture in Mexico. It described accurately the double standards that men have towards women vs their own daughters.
I liked how Magda’s daughter would complain about how her moms interacted with men how she supported using one’s body to entice men. It gave a nice twist to when you would read Magda’s time where it showed that she used men and her body to get out of her situation. I get it. That’s not a great thing to do but it was realistic.
May 17, 2021
This is a fictionalized memoir of a spunky girl growing up in the barrio of a seaside town in Mexico. It depicts a poor and macho culture where people hang out on their roof tops and dance. The author chooses to use Spanish language so often, but I decided to just go with it, not knowing the language. But I learned a few words, mostly profanity and other slang for body parts. A couple scenes stood out for me—the amusement park accident made me cringe, then the first movie theater scene with the food on the seat was hilarious! This book left me thinking, and was much better than I expected it would be. It seems this is her only novel, unless she changed her name.
September 16, 2024
A woman, facing the onset of blindness, recalls her life with gratitude. She grew up in poverty in a resort city on the west coast of Mexico, then escaped to a life of relative economic comfort and repeated heartbreak. There are lots of Spanish words and phrases. Sometimes those are translated, though many are not, and it seemed like many of the ones that were translated were ones that I could make out on my own with my 3 years of high school Spanish from almost 60 years ago while most of the rest were beyond my abilities. And the novel was not otherwise strong enough to make up for that frustration.
June 21, 2017
The first Bellwether Award winner for fiction.
I truly enjoyed it but if one does not read Spanish it is a challenge at times.
I don't, so I am disappointed I could not follow the conversations at times. But I just kept on reading and would understand the idea.
The narrator tells the reader At the beginning that she makes it she is successful. If not for that I would not have finished the book, however she does so it makes one want to know HOW
Not everyone would be able to skim over the Spanish but if you can , if you can read a book like that you will enjoy this book!
I truly enjoyed it but if one does not read Spanish it is a challenge at times.
I don't, so I am disappointed I could not follow the conversations at times. But I just kept on reading and would understand the idea.
The narrator tells the reader At the beginning that she makes it she is successful. If not for that I would not have finished the book, however she does so it makes one want to know HOW
Not everyone would be able to skim over the Spanish but if you can , if you can read a book like that you will enjoy this book!
November 28, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
The Spanish in this novel is perfect. The aphorisms abound and the translations happen just enough to keep you on your toes as a reader. Some things are left and that is right. It took about half of the nook for me to really begin to understand Magda and then my interest took hold. There is beautiful symbolism throughout and themes of seeing, blindness, surviving, and belonging that are universal.
The wise Chucha comments, “once your belly is full you discover there are many kinds of hunger. Each more complicated than the one before it.”
The Spanish in this novel is perfect. The aphorisms abound and the translations happen just enough to keep you on your toes as a reader. Some things are left and that is right. It took about half of the nook for me to really begin to understand Magda and then my interest took hold. There is beautiful symbolism throughout and themes of seeing, blindness, surviving, and belonging that are universal.
The wise Chucha comments, “once your belly is full you discover there are many kinds of hunger. Each more complicated than the one before it.”
April 24, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this! A very well wrought story about a woman's life, family, loves and failures. And yet so much more. Magda's strength, cunning and sense of self was very relatable and admirable. I found this book at the thrift store and will definitely take the time to seek out more of Gershten's work. I'm curious to see how she builds and works with other characters.
November 11, 2023
This book has been sitting on my shelf waiting to be read for about 15 years or more. I finally picked it up and it was not bad. It is more than anything a jaded view of sexuality and religion based on damaging childhood impressions. It was an interesting perspective. Not uplifting, but an ironically intimate account of a woman who has cut herself away from human relationships of any depth.
August 19, 2018
Bellwether Award Winner, 2000, published 2001: v. weird w. lots of Spanish about a love-lorn woman trying to “make it” in a male dominated society—finished but read a lot of 1st sentences then moved on; 2001, hardback via Berea Library, 226 pgs.
August 2, 2020
Don't understand the rave reviews or the point of this book.
May 7, 2021
vivid and moving portrayal of family and survival and embracing the abundance of life. i love magda vasquez, the narrator and heroine.
July 6, 2021
I wish this were an actual memoir, but otherwise, this was a powerful and fascinating read.
Read
August 11, 2021DNF
June 19, 2022
All time favorite book
May 14, 2023
Beautifully written, life-changing tale of effort and learning. My new favorite.
November 18, 2024
Very beautiful writing. I missed some things because I don't speak Spanish, but I think the author did an impressive job making most things pretty easy to understand from context.
January 17, 2025
The author had an interesting approach to storytelling that attracted me to the novel. There were some stories that required time to process.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews