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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
Historical fiction at it finest! I first fell in love with Allende at age 16 when travelling to Santiago for a 6 week study abroad program, and my travel ritual of reading a book from a local author lead me to Allende. Now, close to 2 decades later I have found her again in just as much fervor and passion as I recall that cold "summer" vacation as a teen. She continues to amaze me, and her writing takes me through the dark histories of some of my favorite countries in this story.
Spanning 65 years, tyrannical governments, multiple immigrations, questioning and understanding family/ancestry, as well as a beautifully epic love story...this book delivers in all of Allende's beautiful prose from startbto finish. I am usually not impressed with romance intertwined in a story. This love story however was pure, complex, and real as the terrain of a beautiful mountain scape (that is the imagery that comes to mind when I think of the love between Victor and Roser). A true depicition of what love and a healthy relationship can look like as it grows with time and the human experience.
This is a book I will definitely read again, and find warmth everytime I see it's title holding space on my bookshelf. I hope this recollection of my time spend with these beautiful fictional character will encourage you to dive into this story. I absolutely LOVED it.
Spanning 65 years, tyrannical governments, multiple immigrations, questioning and understanding family/ancestry, as well as a beautifully epic love story...this book delivers in all of Allende's beautiful prose from startbto finish. I am usually not impressed with romance intertwined in a story. This love story however was pure, complex, and real as the terrain of a beautiful mountain scape (that is the imagery that comes to mind when I think of the love between Victor and Roser). A true depicition of what love and a healthy relationship can look like as it grows with time and the human experience.
This is a book I will definitely read again, and find warmth everytime I see it's title holding space on my bookshelf. I hope this recollection of my time spend with these beautiful fictional character will encourage you to dive into this story. I absolutely LOVED it.
The book was beautifully written and I learned so much about parts of history I had been completely ignorant of prior to reading this book. I found the characters interesting and the politics, while I didn’t always agree with them, to be interesting as well. In general I was not a fan of the morals of the characters or how the church was portrayed completely negatively. The author was definitely calling out the hypocrites in the Catholic Church and I’m all for that but she kind of seemed to have it out for the church in general. My biggest complaint with the book came out of this general amorality portrayed in the book leading to the the sexual looseness of all the characters.
Spoilers following
Commitment in a relationship seemed to be non-existent in this book. You could make an argument for Roser and Victor and the author definitely tries to but no matter how you try to sugar coat it they just sleep with whoever they want to sleep with but it’s ok because they’re “committed to each other”.
Spoilers following
Commitment in a relationship seemed to be non-existent in this book. You could make an argument for Roser and Victor and the author definitely tries to but no matter how you try to sugar coat it they just sleep with whoever they want to sleep with but it’s ok because they’re “committed to each other”.
I liked how the characters were weaved together and how it covered a long time period but didn’t drag. Also interesting to get the historical background.
I have read a number of Allende’s books, but this was absolutely my favorite. These characters will stay with me for quite some time.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another absolutely solid Isabel Allende novel. This is a historical fiction novel that of course, Allende style, spans multiple generations and multiple countries and conflicts. She gives her characters such full lives
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Book : A Long Petal of the Sea
Genre : Historical Fiction
Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I discovered this genre an year back, and have been rightly obsessed with it, which makes me wonder now why I used to run away from History in school. Every book I've read in this genre continues to astound me and leave an imprint, and this was no less.
Victor Dalmau is a young aspiring doctor, barely surviving in the midst of the Spanish Civil War, who is desperate to flee in search of a safer home. With Roser, his brother's pregnant widow and a budding pianist as his companion, they move to Chile as a married couple and live in a purely platonic relationship, with immense respect and love for each other.
Spanning over four generations, we witness the tale of love and survival through the prism of several characters, as they turn out stronger in the face of suppression. ✨
The book started extremely well researched with tons of historical events and elements pooled around together, so it took me a while to get interested in the book. But once I did, it was a page turner.
Victor and Roser are characters I ended up falling in love with over the course of the book, rooting for their friendship and love for each other. Victor as an old man was adorably hilarious, and I loved every bit of it. ❤️
If you're into historical fiction, and do not mind a bit of too much detail, this is certainly for you!
Genre : Historical Fiction
Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I discovered this genre an year back, and have been rightly obsessed with it, which makes me wonder now why I used to run away from History in school. Every book I've read in this genre continues to astound me and leave an imprint, and this was no less.
Victor Dalmau is a young aspiring doctor, barely surviving in the midst of the Spanish Civil War, who is desperate to flee in search of a safer home. With Roser, his brother's pregnant widow and a budding pianist as his companion, they move to Chile as a married couple and live in a purely platonic relationship, with immense respect and love for each other.
Spanning over four generations, we witness the tale of love and survival through the prism of several characters, as they turn out stronger in the face of suppression. ✨
The book started extremely well researched with tons of historical events and elements pooled around together, so it took me a while to get interested in the book. But once I did, it was a page turner.
Victor and Roser are characters I ended up falling in love with over the course of the book, rooting for their friendship and love for each other. Victor as an old man was adorably hilarious, and I loved every bit of it. ❤️
If you're into historical fiction, and do not mind a bit of too much detail, this is certainly for you!
This is a lovely book, following a family from the Spanish Civil War to the Chilean revolution covering more than half a century of their lives. It's subtly emotional and written plainly and openly, speckled throughout with Pablo Neruda's poetry. It ignited a stronger interest in both Spain and Chile's history.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
No