Title: Voice of the Vanquished: Story of the Slave Marina and Hernan Cortes.
Author: Helen Heightsman Gordon
Genre: Historical
ISBN: 1-56002-530-1
Purchase URL: http://www.anacade.biz
Barnes & Noble link:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=978
1560025306&itm=3
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Book description or synopsis:
Santa Barbara Author Wins Award for Historical Fiction
At the Hollywood Book Festival 2007, Helen Heightsman Gordon earned an award for best book in the
category of historical fiction. The contest was judged on the basis of the author’s story-telling ability
plus the potential for the novel to translate into other media such as a movie or television series.
Her novel, titled Voice of the Vanquished: The Story of the Slave Marina and Hernan Cortes, is about
authentic historical figures (realistically depicted) who changed the fate of two continents. Marina, one
of 20 slaves given to Hernan Cortes by the natives of Tabasco, spoke Mayan as well as her native
Nahuatl. She quickly learned Spanish, became Cortes’ interpreter, and enabled him to form alliances
with the enemies of Moctezuma II.
After Cortes conquered the Aztecs, Marina bore Cortes a son from a love greater than a master and a
slave are ever supposed to know. For the last two centuries she has been demonized as La Malinche
the traitress, but Gordon believes she was a courageous woman who should be honored and admired.
You can purchase a copy for $15 at Chaucer’s Book Store in Santa Barbara or from the distributor’s
web site, www.anacade.biz .
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Author Bio:
Dr. Gordon is a semi-retired English professor who enjoys researching and writing. She has published
5 textbooks, many articles in professional journals, 3 chapbooks of poetry and humor, and numerous
opinion pieces in newspapers.
In addition to promoting her first historical novel, VOICE OF THE VANQUISHED, she is producing her
second edition of a new interpretation of Shakespeare’s sonnets, entitled THE SECRET LOVE STORY
IN SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS. Her next project will be to turn the exciting research she has done for
that book into a novel.
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Read the sample chapter here
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Link to book reviews:
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Chapter reviews given by members:
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REVIEW
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REVIEWER
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1
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It was an interesting well written story. There was a lot of good
information in the story.
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Naomi Chapman
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2
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A very impressive read that leaves you in no doubt about the writer’s
strong command of the language and brilliantly executed research. I
was quickly drawn in as a reader by the eloquent and warmly written
passages which slowly builds up pace to leave you with a feverish
sense of urgency and tense excitement at the end to find out what’s
going to happen in the rest of the novel.
Vivid scenes make you feel as if you were travelling back in time
yourself.
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Candy Adderley-Dawe
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3
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It starts off with us meeting the woman who seems to be the heroine,
a native of the land We meet her family and find she uses an old
dialect of her people with its own belief system too. That sets the
story up for the conflict we see coming with the friar's conversation
with the sailor. Looks like there will be intrique and adventure in this
story. I was very intriqued also by the time period, Spanish, 1500's
and we all know it was a very trying time for the peoples of that land
south of the border. Hope to someday find out what happens
because I really like where this story is headed. Very nice beginning.
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Peggy L.Johnson
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4
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5
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