Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

34 reviews

j_mindelan's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75


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josefineisreading's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative 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

4.75

A very good read I think. I didn’t necessarily enjoy it but it was interesting enough that I was able to continue reading without getting bored or wanting to give up. My favourite chapter was definitely the epilogue. 

Through this book you learn so much about the political landscape of Chile through the escapades of the characters through the generations. The horrors of the military junta are more towards the end of the book and seen through the eyes of an upper class family but nonetheless horrifying. I did enjoy learning the history through the Trueba family and all the others surrounding the household. I did think there was going to be more magical realism but maybe I’ve not read enough to solidify my understanding of the genre. 

My final thoughts are that I would recommend it but I don’t think I would reread it. 

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imlfox's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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miuku's review against another edition

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

4.0


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elisavaz's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Livro excepcional, muito bom. Ele passa por várias gerações e não é um livro particularmente longo, mas há caracterização de grande parte dos personagens e suas peculiaridades. Eu acho isso muito rico. Cada personagem é tão único, tão excêntrico. O livro foi muito bem escrito, com uma mistura de romance histórico com realismo mágico.
A autora conta uma história que já se encerrou, então ela sabe tudo o que já aconteceu. Por isso, ela dá spoilers dos acontecidos durante o livro (quando alguém vai morrer ou se um casal vai terminar junto...). Eu, particularmente gosto disso e, quando bem feito, não tira o suspense e a curiosidade (e foi muito bem feito).

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knenigans's review

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4.75


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ricefun's review

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challenging dark emotional tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.75

I had a very difficult time getting into this narrative. It has taken me several tries with several Allende books to finally finish one. I am working through the ALA Banned Books journal, and that is the motivation for completing this novel. And listening to the audiobook format made that possible. 

I can understand why Allende is well loved as an author. Her ability to invoke feelings and passion is evident. She mixes character development with plot that feels deeply rooted in real-life circumstances. I didn't come away feeling particularly warm about any characters. And this novel leaves me feeling even more concerned about how quickly government can degenerate into chaos and  totalitarianism. And still, I will look forward to reading other books by Allende in the future. 

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manasvini's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

An expansive story of violence, injustice, the pursuit of justice and its consequences. This story is as wide as it is deep, spanning decades with a multitude of characters and storylines, intertwined with a family and a nation's history of revolution. The density of the writing and the sheer amount of trauma described in these pages make it a challenging read, but a worthwhile one. I leave feeling both sorrow and hope simultaneously, with an immense appreciation for the importance of recording our histories.

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enchanteddroppings's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5


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laedyred's review

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I cannot figure out if I like this book or not. On one hand, I admire the attempt to show the strongest side of women and fully explain how we have to be better than men in society. Every male character in this book is disgusting, often making me want to put the book down for good. The nastiest things about men are told with no detail skirted around. The women in the story are complex enough to show their weaknesses to men while still being strong, but I couldn't help but be disappointed in them for allowing these men in their lives that act like living trash. Too much of the story is spent in this weird arc of "redemption" of the grandfather, who is a serial rapist, misogynist, and horrible human being. It made me sick to read about his acts and then somehow be expected to...forgive him? Like him? Just because he becomes "oh woe is me, my country fell apart". Guess what, you're part of the reason, you made people's lives awful. I don't know, maybe my rating will change after I ruminate on the book. But for now, I'm conflicted.

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