BOOK REVIEW of The Newspaper Widow a Novel by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
PALH 2021 & University of Santo Tomas Publishing House 2017
By ANGELES DE LEON
Starting out as a riveting murder mystery, it took me along as it branched, twisted & turned along the way, it deepened into the story of a friendship between 2 women, of differing personalities from different cultures (one a Frenchwoman, the other a Chinese-Spanish-Native hybrid) as they mourned their lost loves, and struggled to survive in the clash of the early 1900’s American Colonial Period. The customs, costumes, society, and details of those times gone by, ring true; they evoke tales of my own grandma. The characters are recognizable- — reminiscent of some folks I have met in the Visayan society of my day. Ubec, (Cebu named backwards) a southern Philippine island, is painted with the atmosphere redolent of the tropical islands where I grew up.
For copies of the book:
In the US check out Amazon, Barnes & Noble and others; in the Philippines check out Lazada and Shopee
tags: Filipino murder mystery, Filipino novels, Philippine novels, Philippine detective novels, Filipino detective novels, Filipino books, Philippine literature books, best Filipino novels, best Filipino books
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