Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

La casa de los espíritus by Isabel Allende

61 reviews

theskyboi's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

What can my review possibly add to a book that is celebrating its 40th anniversary? The House of the Spirits fits snugly into the moniker of "debut novel," given the old adage to "write what you know." As a patchwork history of Chile in the 20th century, as well as a saga of the purportedly fictional Trueba family's women, this book weaves magical realism and historical fiction into an unforgettable read that any author would feel lucky to consider their first foray into fiction.

Having read the novel in Spanish, I feel both blessed and cursed to have had access to the original text; I was enchanted and haunted in equal measure. While the book deals largely in political and historical themes, the legacies of the women within the Trueba family are at the crux of the story. From Clara's clairvoyance to Blanca's indecision and to Alba's tenacity, this book illustrates the power that comes with sharing the stories that are most personal to us.

Often taking a circuitous path between past and present, the prose of this novel is what enchants the reader most of all. From the moment that Clara has her first premonition until the narrator utters that final phrase, reading this book is a challenge rewarded with mischief, absurdity, solemnity, and satisfaction. However, that flowery language Allende seems predisposed to include in her story did result in a rather slow-paced read, so consider yourself warned.

In light of warnings, the content of this novel, while fictionalized, does align with the true struggles of the life of 20th-century Chileans. The violence perpetuated across lines of gender, class, and race is far too prevalent in this book for me not to warn any potential readers. While typically dealt with in ways that I find historically accurate to the spirit of many lived experiences, I do note the very graphic nature of this novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Car accident, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Incest, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Violence, War, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Rape

seawarrior's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

4.0

While I felt that this book was difficult to initially get invested in since the plot didn't have a clear direction, and the narrator was unknown, once I fell into the story I was able to appreciate how lyrical and magical the writing is, even when describing horrific events. At its roots, this is a story about how a single patriarch destroys an entire country. Yet it blooms a story of family triumph and tragedy, of love that endures destruction, and how acts of violence are never restrained to a single point in time. It's a modern epic that is as rewarding to read as it is distressing. Although reading it does require a level of acceptance that this family is steeped in racism, misogyny and the violence inherent to massive wealth, I did think the book has worth. I would recommend it to those that can withstand reading about the subject matter, namely, the egregious sexual, physical, and political violence the leading character commits over his seemingly never-ending lifetime.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Death, Rape, War, Torture, Slavery, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Lesbophobia

_chonklord_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

denisesbookstory's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Torture

Moderate: Misogyny, Classism, Death of parent, Police brutality, Sexual assault, and Slavery

erinwolf1997's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Abortion, Classism, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Rape, and Torture

Moderate: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Blood, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Pregnancy, Murder, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical content, Police brutality, Racism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use

chiaraaaa's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Abortion, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Child abuse, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Genocide, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Racism, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Self harm, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual content, and Sexism

Minor: Animal death

mirireads's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Physical abuse, Misogyny, Death, Alcohol, Animal death, Sexual content, Rape, Racism, Confinement, Murder, Abortion, Car accident, Classism, Violence, Racial slurs, and Police brutality

Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, Drug use, Excrement, Death of parent, Medical content, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Pedophilia

pogue's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, and Torture

mengzhenreads's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Read for school

This was just a strange, flavorful, and at times horrifying read that I wasn't expecting at all.  The characters are all so interesting in their own way and the generational saga worked extremely well for me. It was funny, it was sad, it was horrifying, and it was super weird and it's definitely a book I'll be thinking about a lot more in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Sexual assault, Death, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Abortion, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Misogyny, and War

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Car accident, Drug abuse, and Religious bigotry

cozylifewithabby's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I loved the narrative style and the weaving of different perspectives. I also appreciate the threads of events that all tie together by the end. However, though I do like magical realism and the fantastic, I had a hard time stomaching all the violence (mostly domestic and sexual with some torture) that is thrown in nonchalantly. Also, although the violence comes back to wreak havoc on the next generation it is almost always the women or the good who pay for the mistakes of the men (or more "manly" men in their lives. I might have more to say later, but for now those are my thoughts. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Car accident, Death, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Gore, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Abandonment, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, War, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Police brutality, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Medical content, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, and Homophobia