El pergamino de la seducción. (The Scroll of Seduction)

By staff -- Críticas, 11/15/2006

This novel of romance, politics, and intrigue—by an author famous for exploring such topics in her works—is constructed around two narratives: the story of Lucía, an orphaned young student in Spain, and a fictionalized history of Juana de Castillo, also known as Juana la Loca (“Juana the Mad”). The two stories intertwine when an older historian, Manuel, asks Lucía to help him reconstruct Juana’s life in the 16th century. While Juana’s story centers on intrigue and betrayal, Lucía’s involves her affair with Manuel, who persuades her to indulge his obsession with Juana and make it her own. Belli first intertwined contemporary stories with those of the 16th century in her first novel, La mujer habitada (Editorial Vanguardia, 1988; reprint, Salamandra, 2003), a widely celebrated coming-of-age tale of awakening and revolution (see interview with Belli). Belli’s fans will find similar themes here and will certainly recognize the breathless eroticism that brought her fame as a young writer. Though Belli seems to have done a good amount of research to reconstruct Juana’s life, some feminists—and not a few historians of Spain—will have problems with the insertion of a modern-day protagonist as a window into Juana’s psyche and sexuality. Still, readers can count on a fast-moving plot told with vivid detail and excitement. Recommended for libraries and larger bookstores.—Laura Barbas-Rhoden, Wofford Coll., Spartanburg, SC