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devonforest's review against another edition
3.0
I just couldn't quite get into this book fully. At the beginning it took me a while to get all the family connections between the characters. Then when I started getting interested in their story they became secondary characters and so it kind of lost the momentum that it had been gaining.
paoenrsan's review
adventurous
emotional
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? No
4.0
paige1947_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
angrymoomin's review against another edition
1.0
La verdadera pregunta aquí, es porque se me ocurrió leer esto?
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Audiobook narrated by Blair Brown
This is the third book Allende has written about the Del Valle family. Though it was the last published, in chronological order it falls between [b:Daughter of Fortune|16527|Daughter of Fortune|Isabel Allende|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1299666780s/16527.jpg|3471915] and [b:The House of the Spirits|9331|The House of the Spirits|Isabel Allende|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388187463s/9331.jpg|3374404], but can easily be read as a standalone novel. The sweeping scope of this book takes us from mid 19th-century San Francisco to early 20th century Chile, and is narrated by Aurora Del Valle, a fiercely independent woman who followed her own destiny regardless of convention.
I love Allende’s writing. There is a decidedly Latin beat to the flow of her sentences. And her descriptions are full of sensory highlights – the reader smells the sea air, feels the quality of fine fabrics, suffers in the tropical heat, hears the cacophony of a busy marketplace, and tastes the herbs and spices of Chinese or Chilean cuisine.
The characters are larger than life and run the gamut from a wealthy Chilean grand dame to a Chinese herbalist to an English butler and a Serbian physician. I greatly appreciated the family tree printed in the text version, and wished that I also had a map handy to help with the geography.
While she is known for magical realism, there is little of that in this book, aside from a reference to the ghost of Aurora’s grandfather being ever present. I think I need to go back to [b:The House of the Spirits|9331|The House of the Spirits|Isabel Allende|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388187463s/9331.jpg|3374404] and read it again….
Blair Brown does a fine job performing the audio version. She has good pacing and enough skill as a voice artist to clearly distinguish the many characters.
This is the third book Allende has written about the Del Valle family. Though it was the last published, in chronological order it falls between [b:Daughter of Fortune|16527|Daughter of Fortune|Isabel Allende|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1299666780s/16527.jpg|3471915] and [b:The House of the Spirits|9331|The House of the Spirits|Isabel Allende|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388187463s/9331.jpg|3374404], but can easily be read as a standalone novel. The sweeping scope of this book takes us from mid 19th-century San Francisco to early 20th century Chile, and is narrated by Aurora Del Valle, a fiercely independent woman who followed her own destiny regardless of convention.
I love Allende’s writing. There is a decidedly Latin beat to the flow of her sentences. And her descriptions are full of sensory highlights – the reader smells the sea air, feels the quality of fine fabrics, suffers in the tropical heat, hears the cacophony of a busy marketplace, and tastes the herbs and spices of Chinese or Chilean cuisine.
The characters are larger than life and run the gamut from a wealthy Chilean grand dame to a Chinese herbalist to an English butler and a Serbian physician. I greatly appreciated the family tree printed in the text version, and wished that I also had a map handy to help with the geography.
While she is known for magical realism, there is little of that in this book, aside from a reference to the ghost of Aurora’s grandfather being ever present. I think I need to go back to [b:The House of the Spirits|9331|The House of the Spirits|Isabel Allende|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388187463s/9331.jpg|3374404] and read it again….
Blair Brown does a fine job performing the audio version. She has good pacing and enough skill as a voice artist to clearly distinguish the many characters.
ludmilaravazi's review against another edition
4.5
Adoro Isabel Allende. Esse livro é uma espécie de continua do livro A Filha da Fortuna. Adorei como a escritora retrata mulheres fortes e à frente de seu tempo. Mulheres obrigadas a lidar com preconceitos, homens egocêntricos e egoístas, traumas. Esse livro é mais uma dessas histórias onde as mulheres são as protagonistas.
carmelawahlen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0