The House of Spirits
I discovered Isabel Allende about a year ago, and I've really liked her books so far. I was prepared to fall head over heels in love with this one, which is the one everyone always references when they talk about her. Unfortunately that didn't quite happen. But I think it had more to do with mismatched expectations than the book itself.
This is Allende's first novel, and I had to remind myself of that while I was reading it. It's not quite as polished as some of her later works. I particularly had trouble with the shifting narrators. The book shifts between two first person narratives. But the identity of the second narrator is revealed so late in the book (and looking back, refers to herself in the third person more often than not) that there might as well have been three narrators. Except that the epilogue makes it pretty clear there were only two.
When I wasn't struggling with who was telling the story, I mostly enjoyed it. It's an epic family saga, set against a country that's going through some major upheavals. The patriarch of the family starts with nothing, wins everything, and ends with nothing again. Meanwhile his wife, daughter, and granddaughter live out their own lives, mostly hidden from his temper and strong conservative ideals.
The other issue I had with this book is how coy Allende was when describing the country and political shifts. The country is never named. Key figures are referred to as the President or the Poet. I'm sure this would be just fine for someone well-versed in the history (as Allende was no doubt expecting her audience to be), but I had to keep looking stuff up. I shouldn't complain too much. After all, I hate it even more when authors talk down to their readers and assume they know nothing. At least I have Wikipedia to help me through.
This is one of those books I wish I had read for a class or as part of a book club. I have no doubt that I'd get a lot more out of it with some discussions and supplemental materials. Alas, it's just me and this blog.
This is Allende's first novel, and I had to remind myself of that while I was reading it. It's not quite as polished as some of her later works. I particularly had trouble with the shifting narrators. The book shifts between two first person narratives. But the identity of the second narrator is revealed so late in the book (and looking back, refers to herself in the third person more often than not) that there might as well have been three narrators. Except that the epilogue makes it pretty clear there were only two.
When I wasn't struggling with who was telling the story, I mostly enjoyed it. It's an epic family saga, set against a country that's going through some major upheavals. The patriarch of the family starts with nothing, wins everything, and ends with nothing again. Meanwhile his wife, daughter, and granddaughter live out their own lives, mostly hidden from his temper and strong conservative ideals.
The other issue I had with this book is how coy Allende was when describing the country and political shifts. The country is never named. Key figures are referred to as the President or the Poet. I'm sure this would be just fine for someone well-versed in the history (as Allende was no doubt expecting her audience to be), but I had to keep looking stuff up. I shouldn't complain too much. After all, I hate it even more when authors talk down to their readers and assume they know nothing. At least I have Wikipedia to help me through.
This is one of those books I wish I had read for a class or as part of a book club. I have no doubt that I'd get a lot more out of it with some discussions and supplemental materials. Alas, it's just me and this blog.
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