A review by zoejpap
A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende

emotional medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

I started this book for the first time in late October/early November 2023 for my class on Women in Literature, and then restarted it in April 2024 before finishing the class. In my opinion, it was a VERY slow start. It took getting through a good quarter-third of the book for me to enjoy it, but once I was there I was THERE. Did not want to put the book down. It was an epic in all senses of the word, and I cannot recommend it enough. However! If your mom (or any loved one) just recently passed from cancer, I’d stay clear for a while! There was a cancer diagnosis and ultimate death towards the end that I was in no way prepared for, though Allende handled it beautifully.