Night of Sorrows

by Frances Sherwood

Book Overview

A historical novel about the conquistador Cortes and the Aztec princess Malintzin, by a "stunning" ("New York Times Book Review") writer. "Night of Sorrows" plunges readers into the conflicting New Worlds of the mysterious Malintzin, born as an Aztec princess and sold as a slave, and her dashing and ruthless lover-master, conquistador Hernan Cortes. As they march through the Empire of the Sun to the shimmering island metropolis, Tenochtitlan (Mexico...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393329747
• ISBN13: 9780393329742
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 434 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Night of Sorrows and Malinche

I have just completed the fascinating exercise of reading Night of Sorrows by Frances Sherwood and Malinche by Laura Esquivel back to back. These two novels tell the same story--Cortes's conquest of the Aztec empire, aided by his slave-mistress-translator--and explore the same themes--the clashing of 2 cultures, languages and religions--but in wildly differing styles. Sherwood describes her work as "contemporary historical" fiction (on her own website). She explores events and characters taken from history using modern language and psychology. Her novel is a sensual feast, evoking the place in all its color, texture and flavor and exploring the characters' experience in a visceral way. We get to know a large cast, with Malintzin and Cortes at the center, and the story moves forward with action and suspense. Laura Esquivel, on the other hand, delivers an undulating meditation on the spiritual themes of the story. We are inside the mind of Malinalli as she struggles with her own past, her spirituality, and her role as liaison between her own people and the Spaniards. This is not a linear telling of the tale, and it is all about exploring the highly subjective feelings and beliefs of the main character. It places demands on the reader, in terms of attention span, and a willingness to go to an otherworldly place. This may be why some other reviewers did not want to hang in there for it. The experience of reading both of these books was one I relished and would recommend to any lover of historical fiction.

"Cortez, it is time to stop."

Hernan Cortez arrives with a fleet of ships, prepared to march to the heart of the Empire of the Sun in 1519, making his way to the famed Tenochtitlan and the legendary Monteczuma. The conquest recorded by history is expanded by Sherwood's novel, at the center of the novel an Aztec princess, Malintzin, who is sold into slavery by her mother; as a slave, Malintzin comes to the attention of Cortez, who early realizes the advantage of her language skills in accomplishing his task. With Malintzin as an integral part of Cortez' plan, embarks upon a forced march to the interior built on assumption rather than fact, including race, imperialist ideals and the role of women in society. The barbaric newcomers are horrifying to the native peoples, the Aztecs and Mayans, the invaders' hygiene repugnant and their religious beliefs insensible. But Malintzin is a survivor and once she becomes attached to the strange Spaniard, her fate is inextricable from his. In the end, Spain is conquered, but those first fitful battles reveal the transitory nature of such an adventure. Cortez learns along the way, making horrendous mistakes at the cost of many lives, but his warlike acuity serves him well, an almost instinctive reaction to danger that eventually accomplishes the inevitable, given the imbalance of resources. The Spanish arrive fully armed, the natives unable to match their firepower and incendiary devices. Most striking, however, are Cortez' Machiavellian machinations, pitting one group against another in service of his ultimate goal. He tests his men at every turn, with the instincts and courage of a natural leader, certainly appreciating that Malintzin is a precious asset, her translating skills critical to the venture. In this great culture clash, the bloodthirsty ancient gods of Tenochtitlan and the Christian God imposed by the Spanish, the cities are filled with carnage enough to appease any sacrificial requirements. It is the weight of civilization that turns the tide, the rule of Monteczuma toppled by attrition, smallpox accomplishing what could not be managed by military action, over half the Aztecs destroyed by the disease, drought and famine decimating the rest of the inhabitants of the city. Like a cancer, once Cortez' troops infiltrate the civilized, if bloody, culture, the old infected by the new. The Night of Sorrows, June 30, 1520, signals a temporary defeat, but the continent will eventually be overrun. With trenchant observations, Sherwood illustrates the arbitrary nature of war, the fractious humanity that accompanies Cortez' endeavors and the many mistakes that mar his passage into legend. Surely, Malintzin is critical to his success at every turn, her translations paving the way for an intrusion into the deepest riches and resources of the continent, her love for this inconstant man the cement that binds his dream to reality. Luan Gaines/ 2006.