Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Eva Luna by Isabel Allende

5 reviews

jinmichae's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I really loved the writing of this book. It made for a very compelling story, and as soon as I was finished, I put several more of the books by the same author on my "to read" list.

The ups and downs of Eva's life, and the way she interacts with the people in her life, are the main focus. And she's such an interesting character in an interesting setting that it was hard to put down: I was always wanting to see what would happen next, and how the plot would resolve.

It's definitely dark in places: much of the story is set against corruption and political takeovers.

But there's a happy ending, which felt almost impossible with the odds placed against the characters, but I was glad for it. I don't need everything to be cold hard reality, and it was set up enough to feel like a satisfying payoff: even if it only exists because of a sometimes unreliable narrator. It's just a story, so why not let Eva tell it how she wants to?

Also, I adore Mimí. Her success and happiness might have been the best part of the whole book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Dysphoria, and War

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, and Trafficking

freddybingsu's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Sexism, Police brutality, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicide, and Transphobia

Minor: Sexual violence and Torture

kalmia31's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Classism

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Islamophobia and Death of parent

beauvisseau's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

3.25

This story is dense. It spans years and years filled with magical adventures, but combined with a slow pace, it was difficult to get through. The writing is stunning and I loved the diverse cast of characters, the look into differing prespectives and lives. I saved many quotes from Eva Luna, but I would suggest reading something fast-paced alongside it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Genocide, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism

laurikas's review against another edition

emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 This is my second Allende book that I've discovered, and God only knows what took me this long to pick them up. Especially because Latin American literature is my top favourite, and her writing explodes with all the characteristics I admire from that region.

She also writes particularly well about women. I remember reading she was raised mostly by her mother & grandmother, because her father was an absent father, which made writing about women more natural for her. And I couldn't agree more.

Also her writing is sprinkled with the magical realism that I so adore, so it's two combinations made in heaven (women stories + magical realism = perfection!).

Left one star behind because I felt Eva's story too neatly wrapped up - sometimes the many coincidences got in the way of truly enjoying her life story. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Death, Infidelity, Police brutality, and Dementia