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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
A lot of telling and barely any showing, which got boring and made me start to drift and not pay attention.
I have previously read four books by this masterful storyteller: Eva Luna (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/5b793120-b226-4393-974b-46c212c44be8), The Stories of Eva Luna (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/683ef1ba-49d3-47f1-b68a-fa8e8ced0ddf), A Long Petal of the Sea (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/46a43ce1-cbdc-46fa-af34-b46087bfb8e7) and The Wind Knows My Name (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/31df0182-fa74-493a-ae25-91c3001bdb5b). I ranked three of those books a 5, with the Stories Of… receiving a 3.
In this time of discouraging national events I am craving stories that wrap my head in other worlds, be they fantasy, fiction or historical fiction. As this is Allende's newest book I snapped it up as soon as it was available from my Library. Alas, I feel similarly about Emilia Del Valle's stories as I did about the stories of Eva Luna.
First of all, I did not feel connected to Emilia's story. Interestingly, I was more interested in her mother's story, but Molly Walsh does not figure prominently in this tale. This is Emilia's story through and through. Was I surprised by some of the events that occurred in the last forty or so pages, yes. I would have enjoyed learning more about Emilia's Aunt Paulina Del Valle and her husband, Fredrick Williams (possibly Paulina's former butler when they lived in California) but perhaps I have to read some of Allende's other books to learn more about the Del Valle family. Did I find Eric a believable character; hmm, am still debating that one. Did this book pique my curiosity to learn more about Chile's history? Maybe, though the descriptions of battle were gruesome and discouraged me from researching more in concert with my reading.
So, while I did not especially like the book, based on the above it certainly gave me a few things to think about, and for that I am appreciative.
In this time of discouraging national events I am craving stories that wrap my head in other worlds, be they fantasy, fiction or historical fiction. As this is Allende's newest book I snapped it up as soon as it was available from my Library. Alas, I feel similarly about Emilia Del Valle's stories as I did about the stories of Eva Luna.
First of all, I did not feel connected to Emilia's story. Interestingly, I was more interested in her mother's story, but Molly Walsh does not figure prominently in this tale. This is Emilia's story through and through. Was I surprised by some of the events that occurred in the last forty or so pages, yes. I would have enjoyed learning more about Emilia's Aunt Paulina Del Valle and her husband, Fredrick Williams (possibly Paulina's former butler when they lived in California) but perhaps I have to read some of Allende's other books to learn more about the Del Valle family. Did I find Eric a believable character; hmm, am still debating that one. Did this book pique my curiosity to learn more about Chile's history? Maybe, though the descriptions of battle were gruesome and discouraged me from researching more in concert with my reading.
So, while I did not especially like the book, based on the above it certainly gave me a few things to think about, and for that I am appreciative.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-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
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-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
Not my favorite historical fiction but it did make me want to learn abt the Chilean Civil War now!!!
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
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:
No
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Too long for me.
emotional
informative
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:
No
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
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:
Yes