The Philippine Edition of Cecilia Brainard's When the Rainbow Goddess Wept was released by the University of Santo Tomas Publishing House in 2019. The book is a coming of age novel of a young girl during World War Two in the Philippines. Associated Press reviews it as follows:

“When the Rainbow Goddess Wept by Cecilia Brainard is the tearful, seldom-told story of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during World War II as seen through the eyes of a young Filipino girl. The many hardships that 9‑year-old Yvonne Macaraig and her family are faced with teach her the value of hope and endurance … Brainard’s wonderful novel shows how war brings out the best and the worst in people as it describes both the atrocities and the heroics that befall her characters. The novel’s theme, the vast cost of war on the human spirit is illustrated well by Yvonne’s tragic loss of innocence. In the words of her grandfather, Lolo Peping: ‘Before man sinned, he was innocent. Man’s original sin wasn’t eating the forbidden fruit; it was Cain’s murder of his brother.’” (Associated Press) ( )

When the Rainbow Goddess Wept by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is the story of a Filipino family during the invasion of their country by the Japanese during World War II. The story is narrated by Yvonne, a lively nine year old in 1940, happily living in her family compound. Her father is an American trained engineer and is very valuable to the guerrilla movement and is often called away on mysterious errands. She and her mother, along with a few of the household servants move ever deeper into the jungle, fleeing from the Japanese, but never forgetting the loved ones that they leave behind.

This lively young girl is witness to a number of horrific events. She sees her mother’s health slipping away and lives through the fear of having her father fall into the hands of the Japanese. She is enriched by the Philippine folktales that are passed on to her through the family cook.

When The Rainbow Goddess Wept deals with the psychological damage that war wreaks through the events that happen within this small family. Yvonne refuses to give up hope and learns how to cope with the uncertainties that come their way. With this young girl, the author has created a sensitive and intelligent recorder, one who sees what is happening and, even though she doesn’t always understand, is able to paint a vivid picture of endurance and survival. This is an excellent story that highlights how war can bring out both the best and worst in people ( )

Philippines.

Narrated by Yvonne, a Filipina girl, this novel blends local legends and the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, heightening their parallels (and those of the legends and the plot) in a slightly folkloric, slightly magical realistic blend. I enjoyed the narrator's voice and found the story easy to follow and poignant. Read with Davenport's [b:Song of the Exile|281573|Exile's Song (Darkover, Book 25)|Marion Zimmer Bradley|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173388891s/281573.jpg|3095906], Stephenson's [b:Cryptonomicon|816|Cryptonomicon|Neal Stephenson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1157396454s/816.jpg|1166797], and Kim's [b:Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood|210469|Lost Names Scenes from a Korean Boyhood|Richard E. Kim|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172720297s/210469.jpg|203711] for a broader fictional representation of the effects of Japanese expansionism from World War II through the Korean War. ( )

This is a very good book that should be better known, I think. It's a coming of age story told through the eyes of a 9-year old girl growing up in the Philippines whose life is shattered by the onset of WW Two and the Japanese invasion of the country. Her family literally heads for the hills so that her father, an American-educated engineer sure to be targeted by the invaders, can join and help lead the guerrilla resistance forces. Mixed into this tale (and the story does not spare the horrors of war) are many Filipino folk tales, as told to the narrator (and then recounted by her) by the family's old retainer, who learned them at the feet of an old folk master.

The novel relates the ways in which the narrator relies upon these old tales of her people's past to retain her sanity and her hope for the future through sadness, horror and death. This is a beautifully told tale. ( )