A review by dapper
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

2.0

This book is like a super long outline for a book. There’s barely any dialogue and the characters don’t have personality, rather they just have the “idea” of a personality. (I’m almost convinced that the author wanted the characters to be a certain way but wasn’t sure how to get it done so she just took this impersonal roving camera style of writing)

I couldn’t get into it. It started losing me more and more as it went on. Clara seemed mentally challenged to me and the brother and sister fighting over her made no sense. She doesn’t communicate beyond saying “That’s lovely” apparently, isn’t very beautiful and is a wet noodle in bed. She also neglects her children, can’t handle housework and lacks the capacity to even know how dinner makes it’s way onto her plate. It was at the point where her husband and his sister were fighting over who would get to give Clara her bath that I lost my fortitude. Perhaps it was trying to say that magic made people love her?? Okay, still not interested.

There’s a ton of references to the future as well, which I also found annoying. As if it wasn’t enough that the book lacked personality, it also takes away any suspense as to their fates.

I truly don’t see why so many people love this book so much