Reviews

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

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janabehrens's review against another edition

3.75

Fand es war irgendwie zu lang wüsste aber auch nicht wie man es kürzen hätte können. Das Ende hat es irgendwie nochmal verbessert. Dachte auch relativ lange das die Mutter von Clara und ihr Mann Geschwister sind und das war etwas komisch, aber sind sie nicht.

fabrilg's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious 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

3.5

marenisblonde's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

alexanderjamie's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

3.75

skybluespines's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I really enjoyed this book, but it is slow. I felt like I was in it for the long haul. There's quite a bit of violence (with intention). To some extent, I may just not have been in the right head space for this book at this time. (I've been reading a lot of Latino and magical realism books lately, and I think I just need to shift into a different genre for a bit and come back to it.)

This follows a family in their day-to-day lives and interactions over the course of 3 generations. It is beautiful and skillfully written, as Allende is a master of her craft. It was just too long for me—although I don't know that her message would have come across as clearly had it been shorter. I think the end especially brought everything together masterfully. I didn't realize it was semi-autobiographical... I want to learn more about Allendes life now!

Content Warnings