Genre Fiction
![Isabel Allende - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B000APY7B8.jpg)
The House of the Spirits: A Novel
"Spectacular...An absorbing and distinguished work...The House of the Spirits with its all-informing, generous, and humane sensibility, is a unique achievement, both personal witness and possible allegory of the past, present, and future of Latin America." -The New York Times Book Review
Our Shared Shelf, Emma Watson Goodreads Book Club Pick November/December 2020!
The House of the Spirits, the unforgettable first novel that established Isabel Allende as one of the world's most gifted storytellers, brings to life the triumphs and tragedies of three generations of the Trueba family. The patriarch Esteban is a volatile, proud man whose voracious pursuit of political power is tempered only by his love for his delicate wife Clara, a woman with a mystical connection to the spirit world. When their daughter Blanca embarks on a forbidden love affair in defiance of her implacable father, the result is an unexpected gift to Esteban: his adored granddaughter Alba, a beautiful and strong-willed child who will lead her family and her country into a revolutionary future.
One of the most important novels of the twentieth century, The House of the Spirits is an enthralling epic that spans decades and lives, weaving the personal and the political into a universal story of love, magic, and fate.
Our Shared Shelf, Emma Watson Goodreads Book Club Pick November/December 2020!
The House of the Spirits, the unforgettable first novel that established Isabel Allende as one of the world's most gifted storytellers, brings to life the triumphs and tragedies of three generations of the Trueba family. The patriarch Esteban is a volatile, proud man whose voracious pursuit of political power is tempered only by his love for his delicate wife Clara, a woman with a mystical connection to the spirit world. When their daughter Blanca embarks on a forbidden love affair in defiance of her implacable father, the result is an unexpected gift to Esteban: his adored granddaughter Alba, a beautiful and strong-willed child who will lead her family and her country into a revolutionary future.
One of the most important novels of the twentieth century, The House of the Spirits is an enthralling epic that spans decades and lives, weaving the personal and the political into a universal story of love, magic, and fate.
Editorial Reviews
"Spectacular…An absorbing and distinguished work…The House of the Spirits with its all-informing, generous, and humane sensibility, is a unique achievement, both personal witness and possible allegory of the past, present, and future of Latin America." -- Alexander Coleman ― New York Times Book Review
"Both an engrossing narrative and an impassioned testimony to the people of Chile… Allende has her own distinctive voice [with] a whimsical charm…Richly and meticulously detailed." ― Publishers Weekly
"There are few trips more thrilling than those taken in the imagination of a brilliant novelist. That experience is available in The House of the Spirits … The characters, their joys and their anguish, could not be more contemporary or immediate." ― Cosmopolitan
"An alluring, sometimes magical tale…In its tumultuous story of rebellion and love among three generations, it is an allegory in which any family should be able to recognize a bit of itself." ― The Wall Street Journal
"Nothing short of astonishing… Isabel Allende has indeed shown us the relationships between past and present, family and nation, city and country, spiritual and political values. She has done so with enormous imagination, sensitivity, and compassion." ― San Francisco Chronicle
"Moving and powerful…Her novel captivates and holds the reader throughout…The House of the Spirits is full of marvelous and unforgettable women who add a special dimension to the book." ― The Christian Science Monitor
"The only cause The House of the Spirits embraces is that of humanity, and it does so with such passion, humor, and wisdom that in the end it transcends politics…The result is a novel of force and charm, spaciousness and vigor." -- Jonathan Yardley ― The Washington Post
"Allende is a talented writer who deftly uses the techniques of magical realism but also shows great sensitivity in the delineation of character." ― Library Journal
"A vivid, absorbing work of art . . . [Allende's] characters are fascinatingly detailed and human." ― People
"Magnificent…Imaginative and compelling…A truly enchanting world where hope is never lost." ― Detroit News
"Both an engrossing narrative and an impassioned testimony to the people of Chile… Allende has her own distinctive voice [with] a whimsical charm…Richly and meticulously detailed." ― Publishers Weekly
"There are few trips more thrilling than those taken in the imagination of a brilliant novelist. That experience is available in The House of the Spirits … The characters, their joys and their anguish, could not be more contemporary or immediate." ― Cosmopolitan
"An alluring, sometimes magical tale…In its tumultuous story of rebellion and love among three generations, it is an allegory in which any family should be able to recognize a bit of itself." ― The Wall Street Journal
"Nothing short of astonishing… Isabel Allende has indeed shown us the relationships between past and present, family and nation, city and country, spiritual and political values. She has done so with enormous imagination, sensitivity, and compassion." ― San Francisco Chronicle
"Moving and powerful…Her novel captivates and holds the reader throughout…The House of the Spirits is full of marvelous and unforgettable women who add a special dimension to the book." ― The Christian Science Monitor
"The only cause The House of the Spirits embraces is that of humanity, and it does so with such passion, humor, and wisdom that in the end it transcends politics…The result is a novel of force and charm, spaciousness and vigor." -- Jonathan Yardley ― The Washington Post
"Allende is a talented writer who deftly uses the techniques of magical realism but also shows great sensitivity in the delineation of character." ― Library Journal
"A vivid, absorbing work of art . . . [Allende's] characters are fascinatingly detailed and human." ― People
"Magnificent…Imaginative and compelling…A truly enchanting world where hope is never lost." ― Detroit News
Readers Top Reviews
MikeNicksLouiseSuzy
I think Isabel Allende is one of the greatest writers of the past half century, and this well-known book is an excellent example of that assessment. In a style that draws on the Latin American "magical realism" school, Allende tells the story of the Trueba family as metaphor for the history of Chile through the 20th century, up to the time of the American-backed Pinochet coup against the elected government of Salvador Allende (a cousin of Isabel Allende) in 1973. She creates a family of compelling, sometimes quirky, sometimes tragic figures who each represent a thread of Chilean society as it evolved from a frontier setting into one of the more advanced nations of Latin America. The conflicts among family members mirror those of the different segments of the Chilean population, with the linked themes of development and destruction creating constant tension over a period of 70 years. Despite what I have written above, this is not some polemic on economics and sociology. It is a beautifully written, well-translated, character-driven novel that will hold your attention right to the end. As with other books by Allende that I have read, she is a master of the sweeping narrative that makes you see the larger picture through the eyes of specific characters. Her ability to describe people and places is unmatched - an enchanting and colorful style without being overwrought. "The House of the Spirits" was Allende's first major work, but it already showed her ability to spin a yarn that will keep reader engaged right up to the end.
Peyt McMahon
Good book, I liked it. Well suited for young readers (12-18); would make a good and easy-reading introduction to magic realism, Latin American literature, and the history of US intervention in Latin America. Pinochet's coup d'etat, backed by the CIA, sets the backdrop during the climax of the novel. I also appreciate how even handedly the authors treats the bitter polarization between the Chilean Left and Right, despite her own familial ties to President Allende. I read some articles on the coup, and was struck on how much of what I was reading I first heard of in House of the Spirits! On the downside, I felt the love affairs became repetitive, and occasionally felt a metaphor in a sentence, or an entire passage altogether, pushed the magic realism theme outside of something aesthetically substantial. Still, a good book, meaningful, respectable.
BookBird
The House of the Spirits was a wonderful read. Allende's description of the viewpoint of the old Chilean aristocracy via Estanban Trueba was fascinating and insightful. Her plot line was complex; it didn't necessarily go where I expected, yet it always made sense. Her depiction of the devastating reaction of the aristocrats to the election of her uncle (lightly disguised) was remarkable and terribly sad - their willingness to destroy the economy and let people across the country suffer rather than lose their grip on power. With the election and then the military takeover, history had a tendency to take over from the novel's story line, but her characters stayed believable and followed their paths in the characters she had given them. Allende doesn't necessarily believe in giving everyone a happy ending, but her ending was appropriate and satisfying for me. I enjoyed the story tremendously, and continue to think about it every now and then.
I’m not usually a huge fan of the spiritual genre but having lived in Chile under the Pinochet Dictatorship anything having to do with Chile interests me. As Salvador’s niece (once removed?) I have long wanted to read Isabelle Allende. I found her story very strange in the early going but as it developed I became increasingly intrigued. I could almost see the DeValle and Trueno families and their homes. I could feel there ecstasy and their despair. While Allende didn’t mention specific Chilean locales save referencing the Andes Mountains her descriptions left little doubt that the mining area was northern Chile, the “capital” was Santiago and Las Tres Marias was like so many agricultural areas of Chile’s central regions. Her description of the 1970 election and subsequent coup in 1973 were just as they had been described to us by Chileans who had experienced both. It was an emotional and gut-wrenching read. I lived it.
Camp Runamok
I didn't realize until just now. reading the Wikipedia post, that this was the 1982 debut novel that launched her career. I had previously read the Island Beneath the Sea. I thought Island Beneath the Sea was fantastic, but I was at first a bit underwhelmed by House of Spirits. Both are historical novels, but House of Spirits seemed more like a family soap opera, until I realized where she was going with this book. Allende's father was a first cousin of Salvador Allende, President of Chile from 1970 to 1973. So the former head of state is her first cousin once removed. As a result, Allende was forced to flee when Pinochet overthrew the elected socialist government. This book evolved from a letter she wrote to her Grandfather, when he was dying at age 99. Because the book culminates with the military takeover, I found the last third of the book much more compelling, and would in the end give it a thumbs up for a very unique and clever perspective on 20th century Chilean cultural and political history.
