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tildahlia's review against another edition
4.0
A lot of people I really respect recommended this book, which admittedly, I probably would never have picked off the shelf. I’m glad I took their advice! A sprawling multi-generational family saga in a political context, it does evoke Gabriel Garcia Marquez, although I know the comparison is overdone and in some ways doesn’t do justice to the very specific point of view. What I liked about Allende (and what I think distinguishes her from Marquez) is her ability to write female characters of complexity and nuance. They will stay with me for a long time.
delafork's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
ellies_92's review against another edition
4.0
It’s the first time I read something from Isabel Allende and I will be reading more for sure.
At first I hated Esteban Trueba’s misogyny and I must admit I would have quit had I not known this book had been written by a woman (and therefore I understood it couldn’t reflect the author’s thought for sure) but I was impressed with the how the character evolved over time.
His evolution happens in a realistic way, I might add. No over-night big changes but small breaches in his personality & way of thinking over the course of decades.
I liked how Del Valle family traits were “handed down” in generations, but I would have liked “stronger” women. They were depicted as brave and with feminist thoughts but they lacked independence in my opinion. It is also true that this reflected how women from the high society would have probably behaved back in those years.
And this brings me to the next point: I was not expecting a political excursus and a history lesson on Chile’s golpe de estado.
I liked it, but in all honesty it felt like another book, and it’s hard for me to put the first part of the book where Allende tells us about “La Tres Marias” and Trueba’s fictional life & his ascent to wealth and power with the real-life facts of Chile’s military dictatorship.
I’m not sure this two stories belonged in the same book.
I understand the importance of including the impact of economic & Politic facts on the life of the characters, and maybe this was the whole point of the book, that we cannot escape generational traumas, fate & dictatorships… but it confuses me on how the economic & political facts are completely missing in the first part.
Should I consider this a historic novel or not?
Again, this doesn’t mean I didn’t like jt, it just felt unrelated & like it was another book.
Overall I liked it, and I would recommend it, a special notion goes to Allende’s ability to depict a character’s feelings though the increasing rhythm of their words flowing out like a river. It reminded me exactly how when you’ve been holding a thought, it then comes out by itself in a moment of anger.
At first I hated Esteban Trueba’s misogyny and I must admit I would have quit had I not known this book had been written by a woman (and therefore I understood it couldn’t reflect the author’s thought for sure) but I was impressed with the how the character evolved over time.
His evolution happens in a realistic way, I might add. No over-night big changes but small breaches in his personality & way of thinking over the course of decades.
I liked how Del Valle family traits were “handed down” in generations, but I would have liked “stronger” women. They were depicted as brave and with feminist thoughts but they lacked independence in my opinion. It is also true that this reflected how women from the high society would have probably behaved back in those years.
And this brings me to the next point: I was not expecting a political excursus and a history lesson on Chile’s golpe de estado.
I liked it, but in all honesty it felt like another book, and it’s hard for me to put the first part of the book where Allende tells us about “La Tres Marias” and Trueba’s fictional life & his ascent to wealth and power with the real-life facts of Chile’s military dictatorship.
I’m not sure this two stories belonged in the same book.
I understand the importance of including the impact of economic & Politic facts on the life of the characters, and maybe this was the whole point of the book, that we cannot escape generational traumas, fate & dictatorships… but it confuses me on how the economic & political facts are completely missing in the first part.
Should I consider this a historic novel or not?
Again, this doesn’t mean I didn’t like jt, it just felt unrelated & like it was another book.
Overall I liked it, and I would recommend it, a special notion goes to Allende’s ability to depict a character’s feelings though the increasing rhythm of their words flowing out like a river. It reminded me exactly how when you’ve been holding a thought, it then comes out by itself in a moment of anger.
cncept's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
anxietyberry's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Torture, and War
jgverrero's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.25
sonya2828's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
chupito's review against another edition
4.0
estoy triste porque tengo muchos sentimientos encontrados con este libro.
La primera mitad de la historia me parece maravillosa, me encanta Clara, los espiritus, Rosa, las aventuras de su tío, Barrabás, la Nana, Nívea, y hasta el nacimiento de Blanca. Me gusta la ambientación la magia y el misterio y la mundaneidad en las descripciones, las aventuras y las situaciones.
Pero conforme avanza la historia cuando van a las tres marías, se me empezó a hacer un poco bola. Resurgí con el nacimiento de Alba, y después de ahí, me fui completamente a la mierda.
Toda la trama del conflicto político se me hizo muy muy bola, y no me interesaba lo más mínimo. Quería que siguiera la magia, que contarán sus aventuras, verles vivir sus vidas cotidianas, y conocer más en profundidad a las mujeres de la historia, que me parecen los personajes más interesantes y originales del libro, y dejar de lado al flanders esteban trueba.
Me da mucha rabia la verdad, porque me encantaba leer las pequeñas anécdotas que le sucedía a la familia, y que a mitad libro esa parte se elimine por completo me ha dejado triste, necesito más de Clara, de la Nana, de Férula, de Alba, q tristeza... hasta de barrabás necesito más...
La primera mitad de la historia me parece maravillosa, me encanta Clara, los espiritus, Rosa, las aventuras de su tío, Barrabás, la Nana, Nívea, y hasta el nacimiento de Blanca. Me gusta la ambientación la magia y el misterio y la mundaneidad en las descripciones, las aventuras y las situaciones.
Pero conforme avanza la historia cuando van a las tres marías, se me empezó a hacer un poco bola. Resurgí con el nacimiento de Alba, y después de ahí, me fui completamente a la mierda.
Toda la trama del conflicto político se me hizo muy muy bola, y no me interesaba lo más mínimo. Quería que siguiera la magia, que contarán sus aventuras, verles vivir sus vidas cotidianas, y conocer más en profundidad a las mujeres de la historia, que me parecen los personajes más interesantes y originales del libro, y dejar de lado al flanders esteban trueba.
Me da mucha rabia la verdad, porque me encantaba leer las pequeñas anécdotas que le sucedía a la familia, y que a mitad libro esa parte se elimine por completo me ha dejado triste, necesito más de Clara, de la Nana, de Férula, de Alba, q tristeza... hasta de barrabás necesito más...
manuelamartinez's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25