Reviews tagging 'Torture'

A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende

22 reviews

dani__gomezz's review

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

A beautiful book where Isabel Allende’s own connection to the Chilean civil war and dictatorship. The story of Victor’s resilience and love in the face of uprooting himself constantly is touching. The book reads a little slow because it’s clear Allende is an expert on the history here, but other than that, it’s wonderful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Police brutality, Death, War, Classism, Colonisation, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent, Religious bigotry, and Torture

jinmichae's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative 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? No

3.75

This one didn't pull me in nearly as much as the others I've read by the author. It feels more like a biography than something with an overarching plot.

It mostly explores the full lives and loves of the main two characters and how they were affected by the Spanish Civil War, what was done in Chile on September 11, 1973, and other instances closer to their family. I enjoyed it--the writing was beautiful as always, the subject interesting and giving voice to parts of history I haven't encountered before--but because it was many narratives coming together, it didn't have as much focus as I prefer.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Deportation, Medical content, Pregnancy, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Xenophobia, Dementia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Torture, Gore, Terminal illness, and Genocide

Minor: Addiction, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Rape, Cancer, Abortion, Confinement, Mental illness, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Racism, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Colonisation, and Homophobia

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

emotional informative 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? No

4.0

This book waddles along the line between fiction and non-fiction. The pacing and gravity of events take on a distinctly non-fiction feel to them while the story is fiction though based on lives of actual people. As such I had a difficult time feeling engaged while reading.
This book still serves as an interesting view into what the Spanish Civil War was like even if it just felt like an excerpt in a history textbook for the majority of the time. 
Edoardo Ballerini does an excellent job narrating the work and at no point did his reading voice detract from the experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, and War

Moderate: Pregnancy, Torture, and Sexual content

Minor: Gun violence, Child death, and Cancer

abicaro17's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

This gets an extra star exclusively for the fact that the man whose life this book was based on died 6 days before Allende could give him the final manuscript and tell him she dedicated it to him. The main plot of this book is the long and painful lives of Victor and Roser. The background of their lives includes the Spanish Civil war and political unrest in Chile. Unfortunately this book is boring. Because it never settles on a time period and elaborates on feelings and growth of the main characters, this story falls flat for me. The characters are flawed (as most people are) but, they spend almost no time ruminating or atoning for things like cheating or lying. I just couldn't bring myself to care about anyone or anything in this book. Allende is a beautiful writer I just think this is a boring story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Antisemitism, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Medical content, Sexism, Torture, War, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Colonisation, Death of parent, Acephobia/Arophobia, Body horror, Cancer, Deportation, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, and Slavery

grereads's review

adventurous emotional informative reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

I had to read this book for spanish class, as we were learning about the Spanish Civil War as well as the dictatorships in Chile and Argentina, making a wider discourse on the importance of historical memory. I had about a month to read this, but as a master procrastinator I ended up reading this on the last 2 days before the writing test about it. This definitely negatively affected my reading experience, as I couldn't fully appreciate the writing or sympathise with the characters because I was in a rush, and I ended up not liking this as much as the other Allende books I've read.
That being said, I really appreciate Allende's creativity, she comes up with really interesting and entertaining stories. The fact she managed to unite important parts of both of Spanish and of Latin American history was very cool. Also, Roser is a fantastic female character.
The ending kind of sucked in all honesty, and the book could have been shorter, but it's not a bad novel overall. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Deportation, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Abandonment, Child death, and Dementia

Minor: Abortion, Antisemitism, Cancer, and Torture

annamay1021's review

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, War, Pregnancy, and Cancer

Moderate: Torture

maevebm's review

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Another beautiful story. This serves as a reminder of the pointlessness of war and violence, yet demonstrates the resiliency and determination of humanity. The characters were independent and flawed, and their interactions with one another felt genuine. As always, Allende’s prose flowed and felt like a friend recounting memories. What made this book so special, was knowing how closely Allende’s and her family’s history so close echo it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Torture, War, Classism, Deportation, Death, Xenophobia, Violence, and Genocide

Moderate: Child death and Terminal illness

Minor: Pregnancy and Medical content

kelly_e's review

emotional informative reflective 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? No

4.25

Title: A Long Petal of the Sea
Author: Isabel Allende
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: May 21, 2019

T H R E E • W O R D S

Powerful • Beautiful • Profound

📖 S Y N O P S I S

In the late 1930s, civil war grips Spain. When General Franco and his Fascists succeed in overthrowing the government, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee in a treacherous journey over the mountains to the French border. Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love. In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage neither of them desires.

Together with two thousand other refugees, Roser and Victor embark for Chile on the SS Winnipeg, a ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda: "the long petal of sea and wine and snow." As unlikely partners, the couple embraces exile as the rest of Europe erupts in world war. Starting over on a new continent, they face trial after trial, but they will also find joy as they patiently await the day when they might go home. Through it all, their hope of returning to Spain keeps them going. Destined to witness the battle between freedom and repression as it plays out across the world, Roser and Victor will find that home might have been closer than they thought all along.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Isabel Allende is an author whose books I've heard wonderful things about, yet have still never read. It made complete sense to include her on my 'Author Taste Test' challenge for 2023, especially since A Long Petal of the Sea already sat unread on my shelf. Allende embarks on the ambitious task of telling such a grand tale, and yet she does so with historical accuracy and poignant prose.

Spanning decades, continents, and the lives of many characters, this novel took me through the history of both Spain and Chile in the 20th century. With beautiful writing and impeccably crafted, Allende has weaved together love, war, family, and the search for belonging. I love historical fiction for many reasons, but mostly for gaining knowledge about past events I may know little about. This one definitely broaden my understanding and has encouraged me to seek out more diverse historical fiction, beyond WWI and WWII.

While there are many characters in this book, it is really Victor and Roser's story. Forced into an unconventional union they face many challenges yet remain hopeful. Their characters are so beautifully developed, where the reader is privy to their story layer upon layer and I was along for the heartbreaking ride.

This may have been my first book by this author, but it definitely won't be my last. I look forward to exploring her backlist, as well as seeing what future projects she writes. And again I must take a moment to acknowledge the stunning cover. The colours, the gold detailing, even the font - all of it is just gorgeous.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• historical fiction lovers
• readers looking for diverse historical fiction
• bookclubs

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Pain is unavoidable, but suffering is optional."

"Our land only rewards those who work hard in it."

"Poetry is what stays in your head and isn’t forgotten." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Torture, Confinement, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Medical content, Rape, Grief, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Police brutality, Child death, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content

Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, Body shaming, Misogyny, and Terminal illness

teigancollins's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative 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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, War, Terminal illness, Dementia, Child death, Gun violence, Torture, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

ka_cam's review

adventurous emotional informative medium-paced

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

3.75

following a Spanish family as they flee the Spanish civil war to Chile, the Chile to Venezuela, then back to Chile. Slower moving plot and I thought more could have been done with the politics and reflections of the characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, and War