Night of Sorrows by Frances Sherwood

Night of Sorrows Reviews

• 
  Connie G

  "Night of Sorrows" brings us to the 16th Century when the ruthless Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes battled his way through Mexico in his quest for gold. The story centers around Malintzin, an Aztec princess who was sold as a slave a few years after her father died. She was later given to Cortes as a slave, and became his interpreter and lover. Malintzin is sometimes considered to be a traitor to her people, but she was also a victim as a slave, and she tried to soften Cortes' attitude.
  
  Cortes was thought to be the god Quetzalcoatl by the native people, and he used that mistaken idea to manipulate the Mayans. Much of the Mayan civilization was destroyed by Cortes and his soldiers. The ancient civilization was very sophisticated, but brutal with frequent human sacrifices to their gods. Slavery was very common, and military victors were presented with slaves as spoils of war. Thousands of native people in Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) eventually succumbed to starvation and smallpox. Cortes is portrayed as a ruthless man and a strong leader who had little compassion for the native people.
  
  The book was interesting, but could have been shortened. It may bother some readers that there are so many mentions of brutality by both the Spaniards and the Mayans.
• 
  Jen

  This story revolves around Hernan Cortes's arrival to Mexica, and his subsequent conflicts with the Maya peoples. Surprisingly, Cortes is not the primary character; instead the majority of the tale is told from the eyes of a resident Azteca, who becomes a translator between the native tongues. This makes for an entertaining retelling of, to paraphrase, "Who the hell does this stinky guy think he is, strolling in and claiming our land in the name of a king we've never heard of and a God who doesn't require human sacrifice?"
  
  I wish all historic fiction could be written by Ms. Sherwood.
  
  This is set in a foreign land, and the cast of characters vacillate between a minimum of three languages. When Ms. Sherwood decides to use a non-English term, it flows seamlessly in context. She does assume the reader is stupid; she does not stop her storytelling to explain it. That habit alone was greatly appreciated.
  
  Heavy descriptions are only used when absolutely necessary. (Here's glaring at you, Anne Rice.)
  
  Punches are very rarely pulled. It's scathingly brutal at times.
  
  In the vein of Morgan Llywelyn's works, this was brilliantly researched and retold. I would not hesitate to shelve the two authors together, if only in terms of their literary superiority.
• 
  Kathy Leland

  This is an interesting, engaging work of historical fiction covering the dark years when Cortez decimated and destroyed the Aztec empire. This book stands out in its overall objectivity and level of historical research, which is careful, thorough, and refreshingly lacking in a lot 21st century judgment. The author includes the viewpoints of Cortez and the other Spanish conquistadors, as well as that of Malintzin (aka Malinche), an Aztec princess later sold as a slave who served as Cortez's interpreter and later his lover and mother of his child. Both characters are revealed to be products of their cultures and the time in which they lived, not stereotypes, but real people. Cortez is not portrayed as an evil monster, and Malintzin is not a traitor to her people; as in real life, a huge number of complex factors collide to form historical events, including (especially in this case) two truly brutal religions, one demanding a constant supply of sacrificial victims and the other one fundamentally based in European class structures, greed, and imperialism.
  
  I also learned quite a lot about why and how the Spanish were able to more easily conquer the Aztec as a result of political turmoil already existent in Montezuma's kingdom. The amazing and beautiful city of Tenochtitlan really comes to life in this novel, and it's impossible to miss the irony that its splendor clearly reflected a higher level of civilization than any European city of the same time period. Overall, I recommend this novel if you seek a better understanding of how this time in history, and despite the horrible end result for Aztec civilization, the story overall is fascinating, not overtly depressing.
• 
  Cyndi

  Frances Sherwood tackles the difficult subject of historically representing a time period of which we have little documentation: Hernan Cortes' journey to Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) and La Noche Triste (the Night of Sorrows) that ensues. The story follows the difficult life of Malintzin, a girl who was born an Aztec princess, only to be sold into slavery by her mother. Malintzin spends years as a sex slave until she joins the Cortes' entourage and becomes his mistress. Through her eyes, and through the eyes of a myriad of characters, we learn about Cortes' attempt to conquer Mexico and the tragic Night of Sorrows that takes the lives of many.
  
  I knew nothing about this time period before reading this, so I enjoyed learning about Mexican history and the tumultuous plight of its people. With that said, I found it very difficult at times to keep track of all the characters, especially the many different men who served Cortes. I found myself having to turn back pages constantly in order to keep track of who was who and why they were behaving in a certain manner. I think that a chart at the beginning with names and descriptions would have been extremely helpful in this instance. I also felt that the plot dragged at times and I found my mind wandering with many of the passages. On the other hand, I feel like I got a good overall flavor of the Mexican people and Cortes and his army. This will make for an interesting book discussion.
• 
  L. (Being kinder to my books for 2023)

  Sad.
  
  When I say sad, I'm not meaning the tragic events in history. I'm referring to the quality (snerk) of this story - sad. I've been looking for a book on Malinche and it appears I'm going to have to keep on looking. I just can't force myself to read any more. I know Cortes was no angel, but I refuse to believe he was thinking with his Lil' Hernan as much as he does in this book.
• 
  Amanda

  Couldn't finish this one...too wordy.
• 
  Megan

  Mostly this was just hard to read. There was something about the writing style I didn't like, and the subject matter was difficult. It was interesting to see how close the conquest came to failure.
• 
  Fernando Henrique

  Nenhuma review em português?
  Farei a minha então. Esse livro é muito interessante, pois trata de uma personagem pouco conhecida fora do México, mas extremamente importante para toda a história do continente. Malintzin, Malinche, Malinali, ou seja lá como era de fato o nome dela. São poucos livros que se dispõe a falar sobre "La Conquista" que retratam-na com tanta profundidade. Sem escolher um dos lados (embora com claras tendencias a mostrar uma suposta nobreza de caráter indígena em detrimento da falta de caráter espanhola) a narrativa nos conduz as profundezas do abismo, tal como deve ter sido os últimos dias de uma grande civilização.
  O ponto negativo é que por ser um romance, ela poderia abordar mais a vida da protagonista antes da chegada dos espanhóis, mostrando aspectos da cultura meso americana, como Gary Jennings faz em Asteca.
  Mas o livro é sobre a Noite Triste, então isso é perdoável. Para quem se interessa por história das américas, em especial da conquista do México (E leu Asteca de Gary Jennings), esse é um livro essencial, pois vai mostrar um outro lado de uma cultura obliterada e que pode ajudar a entender alguns aspectos da cultura Latino Americana, como por exemplo a força de suas mulheres.
• 
  Sara

  This book is amazingly lyrical and well-written, however I struggled with the subject matter along with the many scenes that depicted violence in such a way as to be disturbing. It takes place in Mexico during the conquest of the Aztec empire by Hernan Cortes. It seems well-researched, however I am not knowledgeable enough about Aztec customs and history to know how accurately all is portrayed. I'm not sure it matters in what is essentially a story about a native lover of Cortes. This woman's circumstances begin on a high note, deliver her to slavery, and ultimately to Cortes himself. Few of the conquerors are painted in a positive light, and few of the natives as well. I struggled to finish it, and in the end found it unsatisfying.
• 
  Mirah W

  I really wish I would have liked this book as much as the other reviewers here. I was excited to read about a topic I had not read much about in the past. The book started out well...it was interesting, dramatic, and pulled me in. That quickly dissipated into a droning black hole. I had to force myself to keep reading. When I still had a quarter of the book left I had to start skimming passages to get through it. I could skip while paragraphs and not miss anything crucial to the plot. The last two or three chapters were good and had the same dramatic pull as the beginning of the novel. I was very disappointed.
  
• 
  Darla

  This was picked up on a whim at a library sale and was a delightful surprise. Vibrant characters and a fascinating story line - I wanted to know what was to become of Malintzin & Cortez and his crew. Fascinating read. I'm looking forward to reading her other books.
• 
  Gretchen

  This book dragged on forever it seems. I read more about codpieces and genital scratching than is necessary for a lifetime. I just skipped through the last 100 pages to see who lived or died. I have to believe there is better literature out there about this time period.
• 
  Dfunky1

  Sherwood conjures up Mexico on the cusp of conquest by the Spanish. She builds the story using both historical and imagined characters; the result is enthralling.
• 
  Renee

  I very much like the writing style of Frances Sherwood and the story lines in the books. Another enjoyable book.
• 
  Natasha Kucic

  
  
  Interesting book about Mayans....must read about explorers....and should be required reading for history class
• 
  Lillian Hatfield

  Very good novel. It is hard to put yourself in the shoes of an indigenous teenager who lived over 500 years ago. However, the author, Frances Sherwood did a great deal of research. Malinche ( as she is known now) was a fascinating study and a character I could identify with as a woman of indigenous heritage.
  I recommend this novel! So interesting that I couldn't put it down.