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chlorentine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
That history is going on in the background of a simple family dynamic, but the writing and the rich imagery throughout keeps you engaged until the politics come into play in the final act. I think the Del Valle/Trueba family is best summarized in the moment Clara tells Alba that all families have at least one member infected with madness, meanwhile their family has the madness spread out evenly amongst them all. Every striking image from the first chapter returns by the end, and so much has happened between the first and last chapter that you feel nostalgia for kinder times alongside the characters. Truly haunting.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Death, Confinement, Colonisation, Classism, Torture, Violence, War, Child abuse, and Abortion
Moderate: Car accident, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Police brutality
Minor: Ableism
perseffable's review against another edition
- 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
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
notmyselfimareplica's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Abortion, Blood, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, and Animal cruelty
writingcaia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
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.
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
leandrathetbrzero's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My favorite characters to follow were the story’s original matriarch, Clara del Valle, and her granddaughter, Alba. These women captivated me in very different ways. Clara’s clairvoyance, her reading of the tarot cards, and her constant connection to the spirits that roam her halls fascinated me to death, especially when she would experience one of her premonitions. Oppositely, her granddaughter is fiercely defiant and grounded in her reality at least until she falls in love with Miguel, a young man whose call for a violent revolution prevents her family from ever accepting him as a suitable match. While I thoroughly enjoyed following these women’s lives, there was another character who I despised. The man I speak of is Esteban Trueba, Clara’s husband. Early in the narrative, prior to their marriage, he commits horrible acts of violence, including but not limited to numerous acts of explicit sexual assault and violence toward animals. I was disgusted by these moments, particularly because Esteban acts as the novel’s narrator at times when the story is not being described in a third-person omniscient voice. As much as I enjoyed the narrative, I just could not get over the atrocities he committed that other characters seem to forgive or disregard. [Hence why it is not a 5-star read]
With that said, this first experience with Allende's writing was beyond impressive. I admire her ability to interweave the stories of multiple family members are once. She also foreshadows certain events without ruining the tension or giving too much away. I cried at the death of Barrabas, Clara's faithful dog companion, I felt shock and horror many times, and I experienced the destruction of a nation as if it were my own. I appreciated the authenticity of the volatile political climate that becomes more pressing and dangerous with each generation. The tension in the air is palpable, and I was on the edge of my seat even as Allende prepared me many times for the violence and deaths that were to come when the country’s government finally fell. A turbulent story of family and country, of love and survival, Allende's first novel of many is an epic that rivals The Odyssey.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, and Rape
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Ableism, Misogyny, Incest, Excrement, and Drug abuse
michelareadsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Abortion, Rape, Torture, Violence, and Police brutality
Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Domestic abuse
amandabcook's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Colonisation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Torture, War, and Violence
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
- 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
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
howwoolatthemoon's review against another edition
- 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
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
minxtte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Medical content, Abortion, Murder, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Car accident, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Infidelity