The Scroll of Seduction: A Novel of Power, Madness, and Royalty - Softcover

"The Scroll of Seduction engages the reader on multiple levels...an intelligent work of fiction."--Daily News

"In Belli's story-within-a-story, expertly translated by Lisa Dillman, a historian uses Juana's saga to seduce a 16 year old orphan at a Madrid boarding school...the novel gallops along. A-"--Entertainment Weekly

"A lush memoir....both intensely personal and informatively political....An honest, insider's account of the very real debates surrounding this major revolution would be valuable in itself, but Belli offers more: a frank examination of her struggle for love."--Publishers Weekly

"Lush...Belli's rich prose provides fascinating insight into Juana's life..."--Tu Vida Magazine

"Love and revolution have rarely been so splendidly and provocatively intertwined than in this heretic memoir of a woman's sensual and intellectual voyage of self-discovery in Nicaragua."--Ariel Dorfman

"Gioconda Belli's memoir reads better than a novel. It recounts her larger-than-life experiences as a revolutionary, lover, and mother with honesty, passion, intelligence and, above all, poetry. The Country Under My Skin is as much the story of Nicaragua as it is one extraordinary woman's dreams."--Cristina Garcia

Praise for THE COUNTRY UNDER MY SKIN--:

"A poetic, penetrating and revelatory tale of love and war, literature and politics. . .lyrical, dramatic and incisive, Belli's soulful self-portrait and paean to her beautiful, beleagured country is at once timely and timeless, tragic and life-affirming."--The Chicago Tribune

"A surprisingly frank picture of the movement. . .Belli presents a complex picture, revealing the ego clashes and massive blunders as well as moments of incredible bravery under fire."--Los Angeles Magazine

"Engaging. . .When Belli speaks from the depths of her woman's insight. . . her prose pierces the heart. . .A window to one woman's extraordinary journey."--San Antonio Express-News

Drawn to sixteen-year-old Lucia during a visit to Madrid's Prado museum, art historian Manuel draws parallels between Lucia's exotic beauty and the physical features of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabelle's daughter Juana the Mad, whose story Lucia and Manuel find themselves replaying in the modern world. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.