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sofipitch's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
The genre is listed as a romance but I don't think that's accurate at all. This is definitely a life journey/generational saga novel.
I really enjoyed how while this was a sequel to Daughter of Fortune, you didn't necessarily have to read it to appreciate and understand this book. It's been over a year since I read that book. All relevant information is summarized simply and anything else is not important. Some characters from The House of the Spirits are also in this one but you don't have to have read that one either, refrences to it are kind of tongue in check.
I'm not entirely sure if this is a Latinx author trait but the way ugly aspects of life, like death and health problems, are described and without judgement on the character they are happening to is so different. I was mostly think of how the way Allende describes things is very similar to Garcia Marquez. I feel like a lot of American/European literature shys away from the grosser or more brutal parts of life (I don't think this is limited to literature either, my latino family is more frank about this kind of stuff in a way my white american side of the family would never be). Idk I like it bc again, value judgements aren't made on the characters. And since this book covers a long time, lots of characters die, it's an expected part of life. I wonder if this outlook is healthier than just pretending it doesn't exist?
I really enjoyed how while this was a sequel to Daughter of Fortune, you didn't necessarily have to read it to appreciate and understand this book. It's been over a year since I read that book. All relevant information is summarized simply and anything else is not important. Some characters from The House of the Spirits are also in this one but you don't have to have read that one either, refrences to it are kind of tongue in check.
I'm not entirely sure if this is a Latinx author trait but the way ugly aspects of life, like death and health problems, are described and without judgement on the character they are happening to is so different. I was mostly think of how the way Allende describes things is very similar to Garcia Marquez. I feel like a lot of American/European literature shys away from the grosser or more brutal parts of life (I don't think this is limited to literature either, my latino family is more frank about this kind of stuff in a way my white american side of the family would never be). Idk I like it bc again, value judgements aren't made on the characters. And since this book covers a long time, lots of characters die, it's an expected part of life. I wonder if this outlook is healthier than just pretending it doesn't exist?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, War, Death of parent, and Infidelity
Minor: Body shaming and Panic attacks/disorders
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