Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

Largo pétalo de mar by Isabel Allende

10 reviews

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative 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

5.0


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mericherry's review against another edition

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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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my_weird_bookish_heart's review against another edition

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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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bibliogouine's review against another edition

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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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abicaro17's review against another edition

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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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kelly_e's review against another edition

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emotional informative 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? No

4.25

Title: A Long Petal of the Sea
Author: Isabel Allende
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: May 21, 2019

T H R E E • W O R D S

Powerful • Beautiful • Profound

📖 S Y N O P S I S

In the late 1930s, civil war grips Spain. When General Franco and his Fascists succeed in overthrowing the government, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee in a treacherous journey over the mountains to the French border. Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love. In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage neither of them desires.

Together with two thousand other refugees, Roser and Victor embark for Chile on the SS Winnipeg, a ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda: "the long petal of sea and wine and snow." As unlikely partners, the couple embraces exile as the rest of Europe erupts in world war. Starting over on a new continent, they face trial after trial, but they will also find joy as they patiently await the day when they might go home. Through it all, their hope of returning to Spain keeps them going. Destined to witness the battle between freedom and repression as it plays out across the world, Roser and Victor will find that home might have been closer than they thought all along.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Isabel Allende is an author whose books I've heard wonderful things about, yet have still never read. It made complete sense to include her on my 'Author Taste Test' challenge for 2023, especially since A Long Petal of the Sea already sat unread on my shelf. Allende embarks on the ambitious task of telling such a grand tale, and yet she does so with historical accuracy and poignant prose.

Spanning decades, continents, and the lives of many characters, this novel took me through the history of both Spain and Chile in the 20th century. With beautiful writing and impeccably crafted, Allende has weaved together love, war, family, and the search for belonging. I love historical fiction for many reasons, but mostly for gaining knowledge about past events I may know little about. This one definitely broaden my understanding and has encouraged me to seek out more diverse historical fiction, beyond WWI and WWII.

While there are many characters in this book, it is really Victor and Roser's story. Forced into an unconventional union they face many challenges yet remain hopeful. Their characters are so beautifully developed, where the reader is privy to their story layer upon layer and I was along for the heartbreaking ride.

This may have been my first book by this author, but it definitely won't be my last. I look forward to exploring her backlist, as well as seeing what future projects she writes. And again I must take a moment to acknowledge the stunning cover. The colours, the gold detailing, even the font - all of it is just gorgeous.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• historical fiction lovers
• readers looking for diverse historical fiction
• bookclubs

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Pain is unavoidable, but suffering is optional."

"Our land only rewards those who work hard in it."

"Poetry is what stays in your head and isn’t forgotten." 

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ka_cam's review against another edition

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

3.75

following a Spanish family as they flee the Spanish civil war to Chile, the Chile to Venezuela, then back to Chile. Slower moving plot and I thought more could have been done with the politics and reflections of the characters.

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mysterymom40's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative sad tense 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

2.75


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solacelight's review against another edition

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

3.0

Unfortunately, Allende fails to evoke true emotion beyond the emotion of a fact, in either the reader or the characters. This is a story of selfish people with in a time of great upheaval, personally and otherwise. Even the love Allende so deeply relies on is not truly explored. They don't feel like real people. However, it is undoubtedly incredibly well-researched. Read this for the history with an extra hit of intrigue, not for the story itself. The story is not about the characters, rather the characters are vehicles of history.

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tprsjr's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25


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