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A review by barbaraf
Ines of My Soul: A Novel by Isabel Allende
4.0
This is another book on the recommended reading list for South America. The author, Isabel Allende, is just a phenomenal writer. Born in Peru but raised in Chile, her novels are meticulously researched and personal. She conveys her stories through strong women characters with incredible historical accuracy.
This book was a page turner for the most part - my only complaint would be that it gets wordy at times (especially the bedroom scenes). It is the story of Inés Suárez who in the 16th century sets out from Spain for South America to find her conquistador husband. He has left Spain, like thousands of others, with the blessing of Emperor Carlos V, in search of El Dorado. It takes the reader through decades of turmoil, brutality, and sadly the horrific treatment of the native population that prevailed during the Spanish conquest of South America. Beware, a lot of it is quite gruesome. Some reviewers have taken issue with the fact that this abhorrent treatment of the natives was put in too much of a justifiable light by the author. Obviously, the Spanish conquest of the Americas is not a pretty history (which could basically be said of all history). I think it's important to keep in mind that this book is supposed to be Inés' fictional autobiography, being told through her 16th century eyes, and is written in first person to her daughter Isabel. I learned a lot about the history of Chile and South America in general from this book and plan on reading more of her work.
This book was a page turner for the most part - my only complaint would be that it gets wordy at times (especially the bedroom scenes). It is the story of Inés Suárez who in the 16th century sets out from Spain for South America to find her conquistador husband. He has left Spain, like thousands of others, with the blessing of Emperor Carlos V, in search of El Dorado. It takes the reader through decades of turmoil, brutality, and sadly the horrific treatment of the native population that prevailed during the Spanish conquest of South America. Beware, a lot of it is quite gruesome. Some reviewers have taken issue with the fact that this abhorrent treatment of the natives was put in too much of a justifiable light by the author. Obviously, the Spanish conquest of the Americas is not a pretty history (which could basically be said of all history). I think it's important to keep in mind that this book is supposed to be Inés' fictional autobiography, being told through her 16th century eyes, and is written in first person to her daughter Isabel. I learned a lot about the history of Chile and South America in general from this book and plan on reading more of her work.