breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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
4.5
16swest's review against another edition
5.0
Such a stunning and expansive story. Took me a minute to get hooked, but then I was all in; I love a generational tale and this did not disappoint. Final chapters were excellent, and made all the more heart wrenching given Allende’s personal relationship to the events. Fuck the United States government and long live the people.
This was my first Allende novel, and I look forward to more.
This was my first Allende novel, and I look forward to more.
romanticswillow's review against another edition
5.0
El libro en sí mismo es tan excelente que no podría hacerle justicia incluso si pudiera transmitir directamente mis pensamientos en lugar de intentar ponerlos en palabras. Es al mismo tiempo gracioso y durísimo, feliz y deprimente, una oscilación constante entre las emociones más positivas y las más negativas. Es la vida misma.
Dejo esta cita del final que me dejó loca:
Dejo esta cita del final que me dejó loca:
Spoiler
"Escribo, ella escribió, que la memoria es muy frágil y el transcurso de una vida es muy breve y sucede todo tan deprisa, que no alcanzamos a ver la relación entre los acontecimientos, no podemos medir la consecuencia de los actos, creemos en la ficción del tiempo, en el presente, el pasado y el futuro, pero puede ser también que todo ocurre simultáneamente [...]. Por eso mi abuela Clara escribía en sus cuadernos, para ver las cosas en su dimensión real y para burlar la mala memoria. Y ahora yo busco mi odio y no puedo encontrarlo".readingandliving's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
johnson_erine4's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
witchofoakandsky's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pinknblue's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
leni314's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
crafalsk264's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book has been on my TBR list for years but always slipped out of priority when something new came along. So it finally moved to the top because of its selection as a book club reading.
Esteban Trueba and his granddaughter, Alba, come together to tell the story of four women, their lovers, children and a country. Esteban provides the links between each generation of women. Esteban becomes engaged to a young, beautiful woman, Rosa del Valle, who is accidentally poisoned before the wedding. A distraught Esteban marries her youngest sister, Clara, with the approval of her mother, Nivea. All of the women in the del Valle female line have some kind of magical ability. Clara’s mother (Nivea) used her instincts to influence her family to her wishes. Nivea passes a gift of magical realism to Clara, Blanca and Alba. Clara’s gift is to predict the death for people around her. Esteban then takes on the mission of restoring the dilapidated hacienda, regaining the land making up the family’s legacy. He restores the family fortune and becomes a senior official in post-colonial Chile. Clara has a daughter called Blanca, who has a wild child upbringing and follows in the political footsteps of her father. When Blanca has a child called Alba, the full cycle of the Trueba women is completed. Esteban has moved to the city house of the family and becomes isolated from the family with the exception of his granddaughter, Alba. The timeline of the book is roughly tied to Esteban’s lifespan. In his 90s, Alba and he undertake a memoir following the family’s history incorporating crucial periods of political and sociopolitical development of a country.
The first observation is that this book is Allende’s debut novel that had been previously rejected by several Spanish publishers. The book is long (448 pages; 19 hrs) and definitely fits the bill of a family saga. There is a large cast of characters which could be confusing. However, the female characters all have a name with the meaning of “white” (Nivea, Clara, Blanca and Alba) which distinguishes between them. The time span (~100 years) is defined by tying it with one man’s lifetime and a political history is helpful. Translated into over 20 languages. The concept of the book began when Allende started to write Esteban a letter of the family history memoir which later became this novel. I am glad that the book finally made it to the top of my TBR list and enjoyed it even it was a little overflowing in some areas. Recommend to readers of magical realism, historical, fantasy, Spanish-Latin America and Chile.