First, I’d like to thank fellow Cannonballer Badkittyuno for sending this novel to me as part of the holiday exchange. I had mentioned that, to my shame, I had not read any of Isabel Allende’s novels and Badkittyuno sent one of her personal favorites, Island Beneath the Sea. And now it’s one of mine. This is a work of historical fiction set in late 18th century Haiti and Louisiana. The novel shows the effect of slavery and revolution on a group of people, slave and […]
Spain and pirates and swordfighting! Oh my!
I’ve now read a second Allende novel, and I’m definitely in love. While Zorro does not have the same gravitas and impact that The House of the Spirits did, it’s still thoughtful and substantive, but also a lot of fun to read. I’ll definitely be adding “read more Allende” on my 2016 reading goals list. The full review can be found at my blog, The Universe Disturbed.
A new literary favorite
The Chancellor has been at me for years to read Isabel Allende, and finally, I caved in. He chose Zorro for February’s book club, and I thought I would start by first reading The House of the Spirits. It’s drawn a lot of comparisons to Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, which on the surface seems fair, but honestly, I think Allende’s is the superior novel. Full review can be found at my blog, The Universe Disturbed.
Interesting Characters, Incredible Writing
Isabel Allende’s Portrait in Sepia, which I read earlier this year, is the sequel to Daughter of Fortune. I read them in the wrong order, but it doesn’t matter too much in this case. In Portrait in Sepia, we find out what happens to Eliza’s granddaughter, Aurora del Valle — a young lady being raised in San Francisco. In Daughter of Fortune, we learn how Eliza Sommers made it there in the first place. “She has a fixation on love. Strong trouble. The girl left her window open one […]