Introduction

Karen Mann compels us not to read but to live her novel. In The Woman of La Mancha, Mann immediately transports us across centuries to Spain, where we find ourselves in the body of a child who wakes up in a peasant's cart and has no idea who she is.

Like a baby, she experiences the world through her senses and an intuitive sense of friend and foe, of safety and danger.

We grow with her and feel the inevitable stirrings of body and mind. To what extent, she questions, are the rules and prohibitions of church and state to be cherished or flouted? Where does one find the strength to overcome trauma and begin again? And what of love and kindness and their dark twins, hatred and cruelty?

For all the differences between straw, silk, and gold, our protagonist finds delight in humble rural life, in the luxuriousness of forbidden pleasures, and in the splendor of wealth without measure.

This is a book about courage in both an extraordinary young woman and an extraordinary young man. Their lives will awaken your senses and engage your heart and mind. You won't want to leave their world, and you won t want for this novel to end. --Sena Jeter Naslund

Editorial Review

No editorial review at this time.

Excerpt

What do you admire most about Cinda? About Christopher? What themes from the book speak to our lives today? Even if you have not read Don Quixote, you probably know that he was the fellow who jousted at windmills and did not live in the real world. How does Cinda meet the world, as a fantasy or reality? By the late sixteenth century, the idea of honor had become corrupted from the time of knights. Honor, Charity, Piety, Chastity, and Loyalty were no longer the top tenets in men’s minds. How does society see the idea of honor today? How does the idea of revenge play into our society today? Are there parallels between Cinda’s life and the life of women of today? What has changed? What aspects today still need improvement? What can we learn from the way Cinda learned about how she wanted to live her life? If you have read Don Quixote, talk about the parallels between the two books.... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

What do you admire most about Cinda? About Christopher?

What themes from the book speak to our lives today?

Even if you have not read Don Quixote, you probably know that he was the fellow who jousted at windmills and did not live in the real world. How does Cinda meet the world, as a fantasy or reality?

By the late sixteenth century, the idea of honor had become corrupted from the time of knights. Honor, Charity, Piety, Chastity, and Loyalty were no longer the top tenets in men’s minds. How does society see the idea of honor today?

How does the idea of revenge play into our society today?

Are there parallels between Cinda’s life and the life of women of today? What has changed? What aspects today still need improvement?

What can we learn from the way Cinda learned about how she wanted to live her life?

If you have read Don Quixote, talk about the parallels between the two books.

Weblinks

»	Author's web site
»	Publisher's Book Info

Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 0 of 0 members.

Member Reviews

There are no user reviews at this time.
Rate this book