A review by charley0796
A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende

dark sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A historical fiction about the Spanish Civil War and Chilean Coup - emphasis on the history and information with some entwining of character’s stories. It spans a whole generation, with quick jumps between time periods, which can make it hard to form bonds to the characters. 

I’m glad I read this book, I knew nothing about these two periods of history so I found it interesting to learn about. However, I just couldn’t connect to the characters and felt at arms length (something many other readers seem to feel). At first I felt that there were too many POVs considering we only actually follow Roser and Victor. Characters we have spent time with and you think are going to be incorporated into the main story vanish half way through (Ofelia), coming back with a bit of a butchered character - which is somewhat understandable with what happened. 
There was also some misogyny and mention of rape, and adult physical abuse, which I think more reflects the time period accurately and so didn’t bother me like another reviewer. The two main women were business women in their own right.

Overall,  it didn’t capture me enough to score more than 3.5 - it was just too matter of fact.

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