Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

34 reviews

perseffable's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, War, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death of parent, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Kidnapping, and Murder

writingcaia's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

A story of a family that starts with rape and violence and will end the same way. There’re no spoilers here since it’s constantly reiterated by the narrator what to expect in the future. And, so be warned this is not for the faint of heart.
At the beginning I felt so disgusted and revolted with the rapes and violence of the man of the family, Esteban Trueba, I almost wanted to quit, but I didn’t because I soon realised this is mostly the story of the strong women of his family, the women that survived him and the evil that he festered with his deeds, and how they tended and healed and suffered. How in a family ruled by this conservative moralist patriot every family member was not, how they diverged, maybe because of their mother, the patriarchs wife, Clara, a clairvoyant, a mystic, a beautiful woman who brought even to the horribly tempered husband a light and hope he did not deserved. But, such is the story of this family that pays for the mistakes of the father, for their bravery, for their giving and romantic hearts, not made for a world like that of their patriarch, and worse even.
A family saga in Chile spanning almost a century, and ending during the violent fascist dictatorship. A hard historical fiction and magical realism tale, but so worth the read due to its writing, and the hope that is born of ashes and love.
I can’t believe this was the debut of one of my fave authors. She was destined to be great from the very beginning.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and War

kittykaz's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

This is probably what young kids have in mind when they think about adult fiction books. A lot of political talk, lots of classism and talk about rules and the consequences of ones actions. Definitely not a light read, and meant to make you think about the bigger picture and put your problems into perspective. 

I took a gamble with this - just randomly pulled it out of my parents’ bookshelf - and I think I might have to do that more often. Though I do recommend you try and inform yourself about it before reading this book, so you won’t get blindsided by all the rapeing and violence that is going on. It might take a certain type of person to enjoy this, is all i’ll say. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and Racism

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Car accident, Grief, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

Minor: Addiction, Gun violence, Homophobia, and Vomit

They use a LOT of slurs of all kinds, mostly racial ones

evenstarwen's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide

nothingforpomegranted's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

Clara is born as the younger sister to the most beautiful girl in the city, Rosa, whose translucent skin and green hair capture the love and attention of Esteban Trueba, a poor man who endeavors to make a name for himself in order to win Rosa's hand in marriage. Rosa dies before their marriage can be actualized, and, after several years, the now-wealthy Esteban marries Clara, and it is their love story that drives the rest of this mystical, political family saga. 

Clara and Esteban have three children who grow up amid political strife as their country hovers on the edge of Communist revolution. Wealth, violence, and romance feature heavily throughout the course of the novel as the family grows and circulates around their patriarchs. The story is narrated alternately by Esteban himself and his granddaughter, whose reflective tone is engrossing and propulsive.

Indeed, the circular structure of the novel is a fascinating approach to a family saga, connecting the generations and highlighting their interactions rather than progressing linearly from one generation to the next. The relationships between the characters are so intriguing, engrossing despite a relative lack of depth. Allende's tone is simple and matter-of-fact, which sweeps the story along in a luscious, wonderful way.

That said, some of the descriptive language was a bit excessive for my tastes, especially when it came to the magic. I am always hesitant about magical realism, and while this mostly worked for me, there were moments when the clairvoyance just pulled me out of the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Sexual violence, Rape, Pregnancy, and Infidelity

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Animal death, Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and War

menomica's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

Aunque es un libro muy largo y muy denso, a mí me ha gustado el linaje familiar y como los eventos y sucesos tienen se influencian entre sí. Está lleno de trigger warnings, pero si lo puedes aguantar, y si tienes mucho tiempo que perder, y eres fan del drama y historias largas y enrevesadas, te recomiendo este libro (no lo digo como insulto: como ya he dicho, me ha gustado el libro bastante).

PS: El peor personaje de todo este libro es sin duda, Esteban Trueba. La mejor fue Clara Del Valle

y ADIVINAD QUIÉN MUERE PRIMERO

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Death, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and War

Moderate: Abortion, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Car accident, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Stalking, Vomit, and Ableism

lanid's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Car accident, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual harassment, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Animal death, Grief, Miscarriage, and Racial slurs

howwoolatthemoon's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Beautiful, enthralling, sometimes difficult and disturbing, but I wanted it to never end

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Grief, and Racism

Moderate: Hate crime, Grief, Pedophilia, Addiction, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Murder, Police brutality, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse

rieviolet's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5

I cannot say bad things about Isabel Allende's writing style but I had to trudge a bit to get through the book. Personally, it was hard for me to feel much connected to the characters and also to digest some of the crudest passages. 

I have to say that it's been a long time since I've despised a character as much as Esteban Trueba and I cannot emphasise enough how much I disliked the sections with him as a narrator. I listened to the audiobook and I think that I managed to finish the book only because I really liked the voice actress, otherwise I would have given up after the umpteenth of his capitalist rants or descriptions of his male prowess and insatiable desires, they made me want to scream.

I liked much better the final chapters that focused more on the social and political commentary and also the  epilogue with Alba as narrator (honestly I would have preferred her as the main point of view).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Ableism, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Blood, Cursing, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Antisemitism, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, and Suicide