Reviews tagging 'War'

A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende

46 reviews

mericherry's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I usually love Allende’s work but this one missed the mark for me. It was very dry. Many character threads were dropped - perhaps as in real life as we lose touch with people, but not satisfying in a novel. I found many of the character traits to be inconsistent, especially toward the end as the main character reflects on his life - many reflections were counter to my own understanding of what I’d read (again, realistic perhaps to remember differently than at the moment of experience but a confusing way to read!). Overall lacking in the usual sparkle of Allende’s typical style. I did enjoy getting a thorough history lesson on the Spanish Civil War and of Chile for most of the 1900’s - I just wish the plot and characters had been more engaging too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Abortion

my_weird_bookish_heart's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

kquixotic's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? No

4.5

I was instantly attached to these characters and invested in their happiness. I have always loved The House of the Spirits and Eva Luna for the curious cast of players and fantastical worlds they all live in. I wondered if I’d be just as enchanted with Allende’s more pure historical fiction, and I’m pleased to say that I am. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and War

dani__gomezz's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? Yes

4.5

A beautiful book where Isabel Allende’s own connection to the Chilean civil war and dictatorship. The story of Victor’s resilience and love in the face of uprooting himself constantly is touching. The book reads a little slow because it’s clear Allende is an expert on the history here, but other than that, it’s wonderful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Minor: Torture, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

bibliogouine's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring 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? No

3.5

I love all Isabel Allende but the pace of this felt a bit off and I wasn't as gripped as I usually am. But saying that it has all the classic Allende elements - love, war, exile, death. Her prose is stunning and you fall in love with her characters as always.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Injury/Injury detail

jinmichae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This one didn't pull me in nearly as much as the others I've read by the author. It feels more like a biography than something with an overarching plot.

It mostly explores the full lives and loves of the main two characters and how they were affected by the Spanish Civil War, what was done in Chile on September 11, 1973, and other instances closer to their family. I enjoyed it--the writing was beautiful as always, the subject interesting and giving voice to parts of history I haven't encountered before--but because it was many narratives coming together, it didn't have as much focus as I prefer.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Child death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Deportation

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Confinement, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, and Classism

augie_'s review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, and Deportation

rayofhope's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

 My mom is from Spain, but I never knew much about the Spanish Civil War. Reading this book, I found myself imagining my family and wondering what they must've gone through during this battle, and Franco's reign. None of them were exiled, like the people in this book, but the pain of having your country ripped apart felt so personal and real to me. 
I was fascinated by the story of these characters, the loves found and lost, the tragedy, the joy. It really brought to life this period of history in Spain and Chile. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content

Moderate: Violence, Pregnancy, and War

Minor: Infidelity

melodyseestrees's review against another edition

emotional informative 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

4.0

This book waddles along the line between fiction and non-fiction. The pacing and gravity of events take on a distinctly non-fiction feel to them while the story is fiction though based on lives of actual people. As such I had a difficult time feeling engaged while reading.
This book still serves as an interesting view into what the Spanish Civil War was like even if it just felt like an excerpt in a history textbook for the majority of the time. 
Edoardo Ballerini does an excellent job narrating the work and at no point did his reading voice detract from the experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, and War

Moderate: Sexual content, Torture, and Pregnancy

Minor: Cancer, Child death, and Gun violence

abicaro17's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

This gets an extra star exclusively for the fact that the man whose life this book was based on died 6 days before Allende could give him the final manuscript and tell him she dedicated it to him. The main plot of this book is the long and painful lives of Victor and Roser. The background of their lives includes the Spanish Civil war and political unrest in Chile. Unfortunately this book is boring. Because it never settles on a time period and elaborates on feelings and growth of the main characters, this story falls flat for me. The characters are flawed (as most people are) but, they spend almost no time ruminating or atoning for things like cheating or lying. I just couldn't bring myself to care about anyone or anything in this book. Allende is a beautiful writer I just think this is a boring story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Acephobia/Arophobia, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation