A review by maria_pulver
Of Love and Shadows by Isabel Allende

4.0

Devoid of any artifice this book tells a story of small people suffering under an unnamed dictatorship. Their fate is very much dependent on the whimsies of the armed forces and the secret police and even their day-to-day goings are affected by the abuse of power. Among them are those who have the courage to resist the regime be it once or as an everyday work.
I found the story of Irene and Francisco investigating together a mass murder case an exceptionally good and captivating framework for the book settings. However, their love story is a bit too smooth and their path to each other too simple when compared to other heroes in the book.
With all the horrors and pain of the narrative at the end Allende leaves us a glimmer of hope.