Reviews

Slow to start (almost nothing happens in the first third). Very extensive character histories (sometimes too much). But, worth the read for a better understanding of what life was like for those living under Pinochet’s regime and those making life-altering decisions about leaving their home.

sarahlou79's review against another edition

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challenging emotional tense slow-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? No

4.5

booksandchocolates's review against another edition

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3.0

This book made me want to learn. I wanted to know more about Chile's dictatorship and it certainly taught me things (some of them I regret learning, they were so brutal and chilling, worse than any horror movie scenario). It was certainly educational - the censorship, brutality, mercilessness and the pointless violence in the middle of the military regime rang awfully true and were the peak of the books' essence. I guess it deserves a higher rating, but I'm afraid I couldn't connect with the characters as much as I wanted. It started off almost perfectly, I loved the introduction into the characters' backstories and thoughts but my main complaint is that whenever the story became interesting and started moving, Allende would start rambling about things that happened ages ago to the characters and fusing on with their inner thoughts and it would... put me off of what was happening right now. It was anticlimatic I guess. And it was going on all the time. No doubt these things were crucial to the current plot but you can't just leave important stuff on a cliffhanger like this. Complaints aside, the ending was such a flowless mix of bittersweet, hopeful, realistic and most tangible prose with careful, sensitive and full of concern for the characters writing. Such an amazing ending, one of the best I have read.

rolien's review against another edition

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4.0

When I was a student, I read a lot of fiction from around the world. I loved Isabelle Allende's books. Recently I saw a lot of unread books on my shelves, with this one being one of them.

On impulse, I started the book. The book follows two people from a South American country under dicctatorship (the author doesn't specify which country). One is Irene, a young woman and a journalist from a rich background. The other, Francisco, is a young man who is a psychologist, but doesn't have a job. He decides to become a photographer for a magazine. His first assignment is together with Irene. Gradually, they do more assignments together and grow closer.

I'm not too much into romance, but this is a very touching tale of love in difficult circumstances. The characters feel so real, three-dimensional and deal with the real-life problems in a country under dictatorship. Allende also writes beautifully about the different social classes and manages to capture the reader with little observations.

Happy to see there are two more books by this author in my posession!

libkatem's review against another edition

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4.0

What I learned? The dead must speak to Allende. She (by all accounts) accurately portrays a country that she fled, one that was torn apart by civil war.

A chilling read.

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