A review by kalizahira
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

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

3.75

I enjoyed this book. It weaves together five generations of an unusual and powerful family with the history of an evolving country. I enjoyed the magical realism elements and the matter-of-fact handling of brutality as part of life. It features some hateful characters with little self-awareness and much entitlement who never really take stock of those they doom with their violence. I appreciated the characters having different names but still, the multiple viewpoints and many characters make the story require active reading to stay enmeshed in the story. It is a fascinating and quirky story and well worth the read.
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