Reviews

La casa de los espíritus by Isabel Allende

quenchgum's review against another edition

4.0

Multi-generational family saga that’s known for magical realism and that’s set in South America. Like if you had managed to make Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “100 Years of Solitude” more compelling (or maybe just less tedious) without sacrificing any of its narrative power.

ellalalacht's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective 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

4.5

hrttaz's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

lillianviolinist's review against another edition

4.5

I really enjoyed this mixture of magical realism, historical fiction, memoir(?) and family epic. I haven't read any Garcia Marquez to compare this with but One Hundred Years of Solitude has moved up my tbr as a result of my enjoyment of this. I love Allende's writing and the dive into Chilean history was very worthwhile. The one thing I didn't love here was the occasional direct foreshadowing - I think it weakened the impact of the novel and distracted from the present. 

abecuellar's review

adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

rachelliechti's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

sarahpineislandme's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

melloui's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

galihoffman's review against another edition

5.0

It honestly took me a while to get it but towards the end it all began to come together. The multi-generational family dynamics were so incredibly written, Allende conveyed her love for Latin America beautifully, and I learned a lot from her take on political/historical fiction.

5/5 recommend! I felt a bit like I was doing required school reading at first, but I now see why this is such an incredible book to teach. I wanted to talk about it with someone as soon as I finished (I FaceTimed my mom immediately)

toc's review against another edition

4.0

Such a marvelous book! Full of life, love, death, hatred, and the common everyday. There were times I wanted to put it down, give it up, not finish it. Some if it seems just silly, some of it is just too painful to bear. But the last few pages push it beyond most things you will read and will render it one of your life's treasures. I knew nothing about this book or the author when I started it, suggested by my daughter which is very fitting, so even the author's short bio at the end transformed the book into something else. Magical realism, indeed!