User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
I enjoyed a number of Allende’s earlier books, but a few of the more recent ones have not been quite as satisfying. Yet, I could not resist the opportunity to read this one because I was looking for the Allende of those earlier novels and I found her . It felt like Allende at her best - a family saga with richly defined characters deeply connected to their family, their culture, their country, their lives shaped by the political landscape. There were times when I felt a bit bogged down by the political details later in the book, even though it is the political events which drive the story. Having said that, she does a wonderful job of depicting the effects of the Spanish Civil War, the ravages of that war and I learned things that I never knew about that war , about concentration camps there and about a ship carrying refugees to Chile. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Wi....
Victor and Roser Dalmau, who leave their home at the brink of WWII, after much hardship, loss and suffering arrive in Chile and it becomes their home for many years . They have married out of the need to survive, out of family loyalty, out of love for her son and his nephew and they stay together for many years out of love. The story of their relationship, who they are as individuals, and who they become together is the heart of the story, but the soul of this family saga is what Allende herself knows and experienced in the Chile where she was raised. The story was even more poignant after reading Allende’s Acknowledgements at the end of the book, where she says : “This is a novel, but the events and historical individuals are real. The characters are fictional, inspired by people I’ve known. I have had to imagine very little ....”
I received an advanced copy of this book from Ballantine through NetGalley.
Rating: really liked it
I just can't get into this one. The historical period was specifically what attracted me to the book but it overwhelms the story- too much research, too little character- all feeding into the list-like nature of the prose. It's impossible to feel any kind of emotional connection to a catalogue of:
this happened
and then this happened,
this is what this person thought of it.
And then this happened.
Page after page.
I've read academic history books with more feeling.
Rating: really liked it
“One of the most richly imagined portrayals of the Spanish Civil War to date, and one of the strongest and affecting works in [Isabelle Allende’s] long career” —
—The New York Times book review.
AGREE!!!!!!
I’ve read 15 books by this powerhouse pint-size extraordinary author.... both fiction, and nonfiction.
I’ve met Isabel Allende three times...
I admire Isabel Allende’s exceptional storytelling skills while educating me about history: ( people, places, and dates) —
This global humanitarian- feisty-strong-as-bull-woman - took my breath away in
“A Long Petal of the Sea”.
I’m one of her fans who has enjoyed all of her books - different topics and styles.....
from her early days...to a pause - (grief from her daughter’s Paula’s death), to two very special non-fiction books:
“Paula”
and
“The Sum of Our Days”....
to books she has written in more recent years...
to..... our present day: Jan. 2020.
I like reading what Isabel Allende writes: period!!!
That said... this is my favorite ‘fiction’ book of the many other wonderful novels she’s written.
I took twice as long to read it than was necessary...
I have pages of notes.
I did it for my own educational study. I had no agreement to write a review. I paid for the book myself —took notes for myself. Looked up information to fill in holes on Google.
I’m happy to share with others - have discussions - but I didn’t feel an ounce of obligation in reading/learning/ and enjoying it.
There are a few more details I’d like to say in this review - have some fun sharing more tidbits....
....I’m too tired to do it now...
but I’ll return.
Nobody has to read my updated review later - ( I want to write more - for my own memory pleasure & completion), but thank you ahead of time, for those who do read more of my chatter.
I’m grateful having ‘ ‘learned’ as much as I did.
I studied it - poured my entire soul into this novel....
looking up names information...
wanting to explore specific details more —
...it took a lot of extra time to read this book the way I did...And....
I had a darn great time doing it!
I’ll be back in a day or two for part II of this review.
I’m BACK:
From war-torn Spain to Chile....
....incredible history teachings, dramatic storytelling, epic in scope, ( spans decades), love and survival.
General Francisco Franco ruled over Spain from 1939 to 1975. During his rule Franco assumed the title ‘Caudillo’ (powerful political leader).
His dictatorship changed over time; people feared his brutal repression.
Much of the civilian population were escaping to the French borders by any means possible, escaping Franco’s dictatorship.
Victor Dalmau, a young paramedic for three years during the Spanish Civil War - (in Spain -from 1936-1939) ...along with other doctors transported the wounded from the hospital and trains, ambulances, and trucks. They had to make so many quick harrowing decisions to leave the most seriously wounded behind, since they were bound to die of the journey.
“Crammed into cattle trucks or battered vehicles, lying on the floor, freezing cold, constantly jolted, with no food, combatants who had just been operated on, or the wounded, blind, had amputated limbs, or were delirious from fever, typhus, dysentery, or gangrene, made their way out of Barcelona.
The medical staff had nothing with which to relieve their suffering, and could offer only water, words of comfort, and sometimes, if a dying man asked for it, a final prayer”.
“Victor had seen dreadful wounds, assisted at amputations without anesthetics, helped more than one unfortunate youngster die, and thought he had developed the hide of a crocodile; and yet the tragic journey in the wagons he was in charge of destroyed his spirit”.
France was watching in horror as the border became jammed with a crush of people that the authorities managed to keep barely in check by employing armed soldiers and the fearsome colonial troops from Senegal and Algeria, with their turbines, rifles,’s and whips. The whole country was overwhelmed by this massive
influx of undesirables, as they were officially called.
“Undesirables” .... is what the French government
called the refugees coming into their borders.
Women, children, soldiers, totally exhausted from anger and fatigued.... marched across the border into France -in a country that didn’t want them- singing with their fists raised.
After arriving in France, tens of thousands of Spanish refugees were taken to the camp of Argeles-sur-Mer. (fenced off on the beach)
Senegalese and armed police guarded the fenced off camp.
Roser Bruguera, was very pregnant, bearing Guillem Dalmau’s child.
She was strong. She knew could deal with whatever was thrown at her for the sake of her child and meeting Guillem again,
but...
....she didn’t know that Guillem had died.
It was maddening to know that the French government left the refugees out in the open day and night exposed to the cold and rain. Hygiene was nonexistent. They had no latrines or drinkable water.
Women gathered and tight groups to defend themselves against sexual aggression of the guards.
Between 30 and 40 people died every day, first of children from dysentery, then the elderly from pneumonia.
One woman woke up one morning to find her dead five month old daughter after the temperature had fallen below freezing.
Later that night, the grieving mother went out to the waters edge and waited out into the sea until she disappeared. She was not the only one. Many years later the exact statistics became known:
Almost 15,000 people died in those French camps, from hunger, starvation, mistreatment, and illnesses, Nine out of every ten children perished.
Elizabeth Eidenbenz -a real historical figure in Isabell Allende’s book....
was a teacher and a nurse.
She saved approximately 600 children who were mostly the children of Spanish Republicans, jewish refugees and gypsies fleeing the Nazi invasion.
Camp commanders in France were trying to get rid of the refugees. They were trying to force them back to Spain.
Elizabeth Eidenbenz was determined to set up a proper maternity home in an abandoned mansion in Elne ( in the Country of Roussillon, France)...
Anyone who was able to find a sponsor or a job we’re allowed to go free. So Elizabeth took Roser (who was still very pregnant), with her.
They arrived at Perpignan first... where a house was being used as a maternity unit. There were eight young women, pregnant, and others with newborn babies in their arms.
A little relief....a place to give birth, ( a baby boy named Marcel), a little replenishing .....but not much time to rest....
Eventually, Victor and Roser escape together, with the help from Pablo Neruda. Victor says he will marry Roser....take care of her and be the father to baby Marcel. ( a complete marriage-agreement -arrangement).
Victor doesn’t expect Roser to ‘do-the-duty’....( a sexless marriage in other words). But loveless? ..... No....I wouldn’t say loveless....
Pablo Neruda, ( famous poet), arranged and organized the transport of refugees of the war to Chile. Two thousand people traveled on ‘The Winnipeg’ to Chile.
LEARNING ABOUT PABLO NERUDA ....was a highlight for me.
Pablo Neruda - thirty four - was considered the best poet of his generation.
Neruda had been passionate for Spain; but he loathed Fascism and was so concerned about the fate of the defeated Republicans that he had managed to convince the new Chilean president to allow a certain number to come into Chile... in defiance of the right wing parties and Catholic Church.
The second part of this novel portrays the political, and social divisions among the Chileans.
We meet the upper class Solar Family:
......Isidro, del Solar, his wife, Laura, and their 19 year old daughter, Ofelia (Beautiful and flirtatious), were all together.
There were six del Solar children in all.
The year was 1939:
“The Reina Del Pacifico”- was the fastest motor liner of its time, which offered movies, theater, music, circuses, and ventriloquists), left the Chilean port of Valparaiso at the start of May, to dock in Liverpool twenty-seven days later.
There were 162 passengers in second class, and 446 in third.... of several different languages being spoken. ( Isidro, Laura, and Ofelia were on the boat too).
There was an orchestra and a female String Quartet on the ship.... and a Captain’s dinner ( foie gras, caviar, Champagne, and desserts), gathering one evening. I had my first laugh, when Laura groaned as she struggled into her ‘girdle’. I’ve never worn a girdle in my life -
I value breathing. Lol
But I know what it feels like to feel yucky from putting on weight.
Laura tried to get out of that dinner, as she obviously didn’t feel great about herself... but her husband, Isidro, wanted her to make an effort, for him... for his business connections.
I laughed as the couple argued about basic personal things. Laura worried about not being able to fit in her dress.
Isidro told her she always looked pretty... just wear something else. A horrific ‘war’ was going on....and Laura worried about beauty.
I found it amazing that such little things, ( clothes, jewelry, body image), still what mattered to a persons self-esteem.
Laura was aware of her privileged good fortune at being born into the Vizcarra family, of marrying Isidro del Solar. She knew she had been protected and waited on. She also gave birth to six children without ever having changed a diaper or prepares a bottle.
Juana Nancucheo was in charge of all of the childcare-she’s supervised the wet nurses and servants.
Juana was a wonderful memorable character to me.
Juana Nancucheo: mixed criollo and Mapuche...
had been in charge of the del Solar household. She supervised three maids, cook, laundress, Gardner, etc.
Felipe taught Juana to read, write and do sums
which created a close bond -
Juana covered up any mischief he got into
Later he helped her invest her savings in shares of stock exchange
Felipe had such a gentle character that people took advantage of him
His dad, Isidro, didn’t appreciate his son’s charitable impulses.
The worse earthquake( which left twenty thousand dead and whole towns flattened), to hit Chile - 1960 - coincided with the exodus of people from Catalonia toward the border of France.
The Spanish Civil War left hundreds and thousands dead, wounded, or refugees- by comparison was a far greater tragedy.
TONS TONS TONS ..... more I could say for this masterpiece achievement.
But I’ll end with words from Pablo Neruda......
“Let’s keep anger, pain, and tears,
Let’s fill the desolate void
And may the nightly bonfire recall
The light at the deceased stars”. .... Pablo Neruda ( “Jose Miguel Carrera,1810”)
Rating: really liked it
I really struggled with this book and was shocked as I really enjoy Allende's work. Ines of My Soul being my favorite of her books. I enjoyed the beginning, Roser comes from nothing and is adopted by a wealthy man and she has a gift for the piano. She falls in love with a young soldier who dies before their son is born. His brother Victor marries her to give the boy a father and to help her get to Chile with him. You see, people are fleeing Spain and Roser and Victor can get on a boat sailing to Chile. He is a doctor and she is a musician. They can contribute to their new country and make a life for themselves there.
Their book follows their life together, how they grow individually and together. How they share a deep bond and how they survive through their travels.
There are many themes here and this book is based on historical facts, but it just failed to grab me. It is slow moving and that is part of the issue. It is a slow burn and normally I don't mind that but, in this case, it didn't work for me. I don't know if it was my mood at the time or my inability to connect with her story telling. This is one of those books that I can say, I enjoyed but it won’t stay with me for long. Again, this took me by surprise as I normally have thoroughly enjoyed all her books. I encourage readers to read all reviews are decide for yourselves.
Thank you to Random House Publishing House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Rating: really liked it
It is January and that means the winter doldrums. I am afflicted with seasonal affective disorder each winter and combat it with a jolt of vitamin d and an annual trip to Florida. A week in the sun under the palm trees usually does the trick until I return to the winter gloom. There have been years where I haven’t picked up a book for five weeks and been miserable until this year when I realized the best way to combat winter blues- magic, or more specifically books by my favorite authors. I first found out about Isabel Allende’s new book last summer and was giddy with anticipation. Allende has been my favorite author since she first introduced me to Hispanic magical realism and the Latina amiga authors way back when I was in middle school. I have journeyed through her books over most of my life, rereading my favorites multiple times. Her last book In the Midst of Winter left a bad taste in my mouth because it was devoid of both the magical realism and historical fiction that has made her a leading author of her generation. With reviews heralding A Long Petal of the Sea as a book that places Allende at the peak of her powers, I knew that this would be a must read for me and a highlight of my reading year. Suffice it to say, this time around Allende did not let me down.
Upon reading the first lines of A Long Petal of the Sea, I knew that Allende had returned to her bread and butter. The premise reminded me of Daughter of Fortune, a quality historical fiction novel that she wrote from the heart but has little magical realism. In both cases, the fast moving story that still takes the time to develop complex characters is magic in itself. It is 1936 in Barcelona, Catalonia. The Spanish Civil War has threatened to destroy the country as Franco and his forces have attacked both communist and resister forces to their breaking point. Told on the eve of a war that threatened to destroy the European continent, Allende introduces her readers to the Dalmau family: Marcel Lluis, a music professor, and his wife Carme, a teacher, along with their two sons Victor, a doctor serving along the front lines of the war, and Guillém, one who has yet to find himself but is serving in the army as an able bodied person. The Dalmaus are also the surrogate parents to Roser Bruguera, a promising pianist, the heart and soul of this novel and the love of Guillem’s life. Although Franco threatens to ruin the Spain that citizens like the Dalmaus call home, the love between Guillem and Roser give hope for a new generation until Guillem is killed at the battle of the Ebro, and Victor promises to get his mother and sister in law to safety in France.
Europe is on the verge of exploding so 1939 France is no safer than Spain. Forward thinking citizens are fleeing to any North or South American country that will take them in, leading to a mass migration of humanity. Pablo Neruda, a communist who is also the leading poet of his generation and future Nobel laureate, sponsors a ship named that Winnipeg that will allow Spanish refugees to find a new home in Chile, that long petal of the sea at the end of the world. Carme is separated from Roser but Victor pleads his case to Neruda after he hastily marries Roser so that she and her son Marcel can have a better future. Neruda admires Victor’s quick thinking skills and tells him that there will always be a place in Chile for people like him, also setting a course for the two to enjoy a life long friendship. The doctor who at the time is married in name only earns a place on the Winnipeg, ensuring that his family will take root in a foreign country. Mirroring Daughter of Fortune twenty years earlier when Eliza Sommers seeks to immigrate to California from Chile, the Dalmaus set sail from Spain to Chile, setting the stage for a saga that spans another fifty years against the backdrop of a country that undergoes immense political and internal upheaval. Victor Dalmau will become a symbol for many of these changes as Allende tells a more intricate tale of her country than the one that first made her famous more than thirty years ago.
Quality historical fiction tells the story of a time and place while also weaving the tale of a complex characters over the span of time. At her best, Allende does this as well as anyone. A Long Petal of the Sea is the story of both her country and her family. In the course of parts two and three of this novel, she includes anecdotes of Pablo Neruda, her uncle Salvador Allende, the Pinochet regime, and the refugees who were forced to seek asylum in Venezuela. This is her personal story so one can sense that it was told from the heart. Victor Dalmau through his relationship with Felipe del Solar and his wealthy family becomes a respected surgeon in Santiago. He had put down roots for himself by establishing the Winnipeg tavern as a Catalonian watering hole so that new immigrants would feel comfortable in their new country, while paying homage to the ship that brought them to freedom. While running the tavern, Roser went to work at the university making a name for herself as a gifted pianist and teacher. Marcel grows up behind the bar in an environment permeated by adults and is gifted beyond belief, earning a PhD in mineral engineering. Over time, Victor and Roser’s marriage becomes one of tender love rather than just convenience, and members of Allende’s family begin to show themselves in the peripheral characters in the novel, resulting in a story that is powerful at the close.
Isabel Allende notes that this story tells itself. She got the inspiration for parts of the prose while her family was exiled in Venezuela and she met fellow refugee Victor Pey, who had a lifetime of stories to tell her about their homeland. At the time, Allende did not think that she was going to be a writer, yet, the magical part of her family’s story was already on her mind as she began to write House of the Spirits. When it came time to write A Long Petal of the Sea, the story began to tell itself. There are so many themes here that are prevalent in Allende’s novels that make this a special novel: an homage to Chile, strong female characters in Roser Bruguera and Ofelia del Solar, forbidden romance between lovers of different stations of society and the ensuing consequences. I have revisited these in Allende’s opus and complementary trilogy, which makes her reinventing herself toward the end of her career all the more special. Her uncle President Salvador Allende and Pablo Neruda play prominent roles to advance the plot, ensuring that Victor Dalmau is not only forever grateful to the Chilean people for furthering his family’s existence but that he also has a front row seat to the history unfolding before him.
With a sparkling cover to symbolize the hope the Spanish war refugees must have felt upon arriving in Chile, A Long Petal of the Sea is sure to reel in a reader from its first pages. It may not be permeated in magical realism, but it is a moving historical saga that has all the key elements of a quality Allende novel. Historical figures, love triangles, the story of her own family, and appearances by recurring characters all play a role in the development of this novel. Isabel Allende has told the story of the Spanish Civil War while also weaving the history of Chile during the course of the 20th century. If this is the novel that she has written as a swan song to her illustrious career, then the story of the Dalmaus and Del Solar families is sure to merit a place next to her award winning novels. This time, Isabel Allende did not disappoint. Her homage to Chile has helped to rescue me from the winter doldrums and while it is not rich in magical realism, the story is pure magic.
*5 stars*
Rating: really liked it
Isabel Allende is one of my favourite authors and I have read a lot of her books over the years. This one is a real epic in every sense of the word and I read with fascination, admiration and at times horror at what humans inflict on fellow humans. The central characters are Victor Dalmau and Roser Bruguera and the novel takes us from the Spanish Civil War to Chile in 1994. Victor and Roser fight on the Republican side against Franco’s Nationalists, they flee Spain and go to France, from there they eventually go to Chile as poet Pablo Neruda hires a ship The Winnipeg to rescue some the trapped Spanish citizens. The long petal of the sea in Chile and this is how Neruda describes it to those he has rescued. Each chapter has some of Neruda’s words or poetry which is lovely. Here are real events combined with fictional characters to create an amazing historical novel.
This is an incredible story which takes an overarching look at real events and to me it felt like a docu-drama. I like the first part of the book more than the second as I think the storytelling of the Spanish Civil War is very compelling. I had Picasso’s masterpiece Guernica in my mind as I read about the shocking events. The part of the story in Chile is very good and at times shocking - Pinochet’s military dictatorship is well documented and is part of other books by Isabel Allende. I think perhaps because I knew less about the story set in France and Spain and so I enjoyed those sections more. My one criticism is that the story is told in the third person and at times this feels a bit impersonal but I’m assuming this is a deliberate choice as at times the characters have to detach themselves from horrific events around them.
The book has many themes. There is love especially between Victor and Roser, there is hope symbolised by The Winnipeg and a new life in Chile, there is a desire to find a place to belong as Victor and Roser’s life journey took them to several countries, there is war and dictatorship, there is bravery and survival. This is a massively ambitious book and tremendous respect goes to the author for daring to tell such a huge story. There are some fantastic descriptions and one of the ones that I will remember is when Victor felt his heart physically break with the reality of the Nationalist victory in Spain and the consequences of that for him and others. The characters real and imaginary are fantastic- I especially love Roser as her optimism in the face of terrible odds is inspirational and Victor is brave, loyal and deeply caring.
Some of the events are heartbreaking and shocking both in Spain and Chile. I had no idea that France called the Spanish refugees Undesirables and either sent them back to Spain or put them in concentration camps where many died. That Roser and Victor survive to live on so successfully in Chile is miraculous. This is a soaring, inspirational tale which had me gripped from start to finish and I like that the book finishes on an optimistic note for Victor.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing.
Rating: really liked it
Allende can romanticize the simple things Just as she does with this title to describe where Chile snuggles into South America and the Pacific Ocean.
Her descriptions are so vivid you can smell the ocean; see the vibrant colours; hear the voices of country.
A story of the Spanish war that leads to a migration. Another generational story rich with characters, relationships and history. Maybe a little slower than some of her other works but appreciated the work that went into the research.
Gives me a wanderlust to travel.
My adoration for Allende continues 4⭐️
Rating: really liked it
4.5 So very glad that Allende has returned to form. I had trouble with her last few books, though her earlier novels were outstanding. Historicals are definitely her forte as this book about demonstrated.
This is the story of Victor and Roser who get together under tragic circumstances. It is also a story of war, refugees, displacement and making a new country one's home. The Spanish Civil War, Franco and his terror, which sends many fleeing to France where they are not welcomed. Pablo Neruda, and his ship the Winnipeg. Neruda sponsored and chose a group of refugees that would settle in Chile. Roser and Victor are among this group and will result in a lifelong friendship.
In Chile Victor plays chess with Allende, a duly elected President, though not for long. Replaced by the Generals in a coup that will result in Pinchocets dictatorship. The historical facts are true, as are the people. A book that shows love can grow, even under the worst possible circumstances.
Victor and Roser are wonderful, fully realized characters. The prose is terrific, and resulted in a very readable, well flowing story. The status and non welcoming of refugees is current today, where many are fleeing danger in their own countries, trying to find safety, a new life. The refugee camps, also still present today, are found I many countries , detention centers in my own. As always when reading historicals I am disturbed to find how much my own country is involved in the fate of others. Wish it wasn't so, but it is what it is. We can't change history but one would think we could learn from it and do better. Wishful thinking.
Rating: really liked it
‘Years later, Neruda was to define it as a long petal of sea and wine and snow…with a belt of black and white foam...’ Keep in mind that this was my first adult book my Allende that I've read (I read her YA books as a teen).
I didn't know anything about the Spanish Civil war and I struggled to keep up with everything in the beginning. The first 50 pages were a bit hard for me to get through but once the plot started moving forward, I got used to her writing style and I became hooked.
None of the characters were perfect, they all had their own flaws, made bad choices. But ultimately that's what made them so incredibly realistic.
A lot of this book was based on real events. Even some of the characters that our MC interacts with were real people. Like Pablo Naruda and Salvador Allende. You could really tell how much research the author did and that she drew from her own experiences as an exile.
“So much hatred, so much cruelty . . . I don't understand,' said Victor. His mouth was dry and the words stuck in his throat.
'We can all turn into savages if we're given a rifle and an order,' said another prisoner who had come over to them.”
So many things about this story was a new experience for me. From reading about the civil war and the Chile setting.
What I really loved was how we follow the characters through out their life until old age. I thought that was really brilliant.
I don't have much experience reading about characters in their old age. It seems most authors seem to avoid this period of life and I thought Allende did a beautiful job.
The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because of how long it took me to get into the story at the beginning but I found the second half (especially the last quarter) of the book to be so gripping and beautiful and by that time I didn't want the story to end.
I finished this with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes.
« Thank you to the publishers for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review. » Thoughts on the audiobook: I alternated between reading the book and listening to the audio version. The narrator was really good. His pacing was great and he did every accent exceptionally as well as the words in Spanish or French.
Rating: really liked it
I can’t believe this is the first book by Isabel Allende that I’ve read. If this is any indication, I’ve been missing out. This is such a well done historical fiction. It fulfills all my requirements for HF - teach me something new, but incorporate facts without overwhelming the story. I was surprised how much of this book resonated with me, drawing parallels with current times - the political divides, the migrants at the border. I also loved what she had to say about both socialism and fascism. One of the truest paragraphs was this:
“He had become cynical, with little left of his youthful idealism and generosity. He admitted that socialism was the most just system, but in practice it led to a police state or a dictatorship as in Cuba, where anybody who didn’t agree with the regime either escaped to Miami or ended up in prison. His aristocratic nature abhorred the disorder of equality.”
I loved the points the book made about making a home wherever you land, about family, about moving forward. I was unaware of Allende’s own history or that she herself was a political refugee and an immigrant. No wonder this book rang so true!
I read this for my book club and recommend it to others looking for a book that would lead to a fascinating discussion.
Rating: really liked it
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Isabel Allende is one of my all time favourite writers. When I was in middle-grade I fell in love with her
Eagle and Jaguar series and in the years since I’ve enjoyed other novels by her.
Having loved her memoir of Chile,
My Invented Country, I was looking forward to
A Long Petal of the Sea as it promised to be an evocative account of Spanish refugees in Chile.
Set against the tumultuous backdrop of the
Spanish Civil War, this novel tells the story of a young doctor, Victor Dalmau, who alongside his sister-in-law and many of their compatriots are forced into exile. The narrative opens in Spain, introducing us to Victor, his family, and Roser.
Here Allende spends large sections to detailing the causes and consequences of the Spanish Civil War. We read of the bleak reality of soldiers such as Victor’s brother as well as the dangers faced by civilians. Victor, who is fighting against the fascist regime of Francisco Franco, soon realises that the only way he and his loved ones can survive is by leaving their once beloved but now unrecognisable country.
Enter the poet Pablo Neruda. It is thanks to him and the Winnipeg ship that around 2,000 refugees were able to escape a war torn Europe. In Chile Victor and Roser will have to learn to acclimate to a culture that is different from their own one. Their new status as refugees is not an easy one to embrace and both Victor and Roser will find difficulties in adjusting themselves to their new home.
On paper the story sounded like a tragic yet poignant epic. Sadly, within the first pages I soon picked up on the fact that in this novel
Allende’s writing is all-telling and no-showing. There are a few brief dialogues here and there, but for the most part it is
an act-by-act account of historical events with a few uninspired soap-operish elements thrown into the mix.This ‘happened’, and then this ‘happened’, and years later this ‘happened’. Maybe I wouldn't have minded as much if the style hadn't been
so very dry. I never grew connected to the people she was writing of because they didn’t really strike me as real people (which is ironic given that there are a few cameos of real-life people).
I managed to make my way through this narrative but only out of a sense of duty (towards Allende, whom I still consider to be an excellent writer and towards NetGalley). Usually it takes me a few days to finish a book...
A Long Petal of the Sea took me over a week.
In the acknowledgments section Allende writes that
“This book wrote itself, as if it had been dictated to me”. And in some ways it makes sense.
This book feels like a blow by blow recital. The story lacks spontaneity and life, the characters are expandable. While I recognise the vast amount of research that Allende must have carried out in order to write this book, and that she was inspired by the story of someone she personally knew...
the writing is this novel far too passive for my taste.
Read more reviews on my blog / / / View all my reviews on Goodreads
Rating: really liked it
Thank you, Random House and Ballantine Books, for the gifted copy.
Isabel Allende has long been one of my favorite storytellers, ever since I read The House of the Spirits/La Casa de los Espiritus in Spanish while in college.
I was lost in A Long Petal of the Sea. So much so, I slowly savored reading it over a month’s time, which I rarely do. I needed to read it slowly because I never wanted to leave these characters. It also gave me time to reflect on this book’s brilliance. This type of characterization and storytelling is exactly why I read. Bonus points for learning more about Spain during this time period.
I know it's probably clear: A Long Petal of the Sea is at the top of my favorites list. If you love a story you can fall into, please don’t miss it. No one weaves a story like Isabel Allende.
Many of my reviews can also be found on instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Rating: really liked it
4+
"We're going to put an end to the privileges of the oligarchy, the Church, the big landowners, all the other exploiters of the people. We have to defend democracy."
Where is home? Where is your heart? Is it the country of your birth? Is it where you grow old, or is it some country in between? These are questions Roser and Victor, the main characters in A Long Petal of the Sea, face. They are the same questions thousands of displaced people face today. Whether escaping countries torn by war, authoritarian governments, violence, or draught, all victims have to struggle with this sense of where do we belong. Roser and Victor are forced to leave Spain, and years later, they are forced to leave Chile. Fascism and authoritarian regimes seem to follow them through the years.
Allende tells the epic story of this unconventional couple caught in the political upheaval during the Spanish Civil War. Roser is a young musical protege of Victor's father and the pregnant lover of Victor's brother, Guillem. When Guillem dies fighting for the Republican cause and the fight against Franco becomes futile, they, like 500 thousand other Spaniards, must leave Spain or face the brutality of the fascist regime. Victor, Roser, and Victor's mother undertake the arduous journey across the Pyrenees into an unwelcoming France. From the horrific French internment camps they are fortunate to be able to board a ship for Spanish refugees which will take them to Chile, a country sympathetic to their political beliefs and their current dilemma. The one requirement for Roser and Victor is they must marry.
Through their many years in Chile we follow their lives, the shared raising of Roser's baby, their careers, their relationships. Victor finishes his medical degree which was interrupted by the war. Roser follows her career as an accomplished musician. Their marriage of necessity becomes one of
understanding, respect, and deepening love. But trouble is brewing in Chile. A military coup replaces the socialist government with the dictator, Pinochet. They must leave Chile and go to Venezuela.
A Petal to the Sea refers to the slender blade shape of Chile. It is a line taken from a poem by Chilean
poet, Pablo Neruda. Allende begins each chapter with a line or two of his poetry. Neruda, the consul of emigration in 1938, was instrumental in obtaining the ship, the Winnipeg, that brought Roser and Victor to Chile. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in literature in 1971 "for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent's destiny and dreams".
Allende's novel is such a tribute to courage, resilience, endurance and love. Her characteristic strong women are present in all her books I have read and reflect who she is. The Isabelle Allende Foundation is "invested in the power of women". This is storytelling by a master. This is a history that needs to be known.
Rating: really liked it
With her latest book, I am reminded once again why Isabel Allende is one of my favourite authors. She tells a political story of love, hope and compassion. She paints beautiful portrayals of each character so that her readers can relate to and empathize with them and their imperfect humanities. Allende brings to light historical events I was totally ignorant about until now. Her extensive research of Spain's Civil War beginning in 1938, the Spanish refugees who escaped to France and then sailed on the SS Winnipeg to Chile in 1939, to Chile's political history up to 1991 was so enlightening that I had to Google these events to learn more. I found this story to be suitably paced with a satisfying ending. A MUST READ for all historical fiction fans!
Rating: really liked it
Pain is inevitable in this world. But what separates us as humans is how we react and respond to the relentless waves that pound against us in their fury. Who we become upon reaching the other side is telling in itself.
Isabel Allende is a masterful narradora......a Chilean storyteller with an amazing experiential background. Born in Lima, Peru, she has lived through Latin American unrest. In A Long Petal of the Sea, Allende will focus on the horrendous impact upon the people because of the Spanish Civil War beginning in 1936. There are parallels with Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls that was inspired by his years as a war correspondent in Spain. You feel it, you see it, you live it.
A Long Petal of the Sea opens the door to 1938 in Spain and focuses on several families who have been caught up in the midst of the country's civil war. General Francisco Franco and his forces wish Spain to return to its imperial glories of the past. With his high and mighty mindset, he rules with an iron fist and spreads terror. Thousands of his own countrymen are slaughtered for speaking out and rising up against him. His atrocities are felt by the Lincoln Brigade of Americans who came to assist. Over 9,000 Americans are buried on Spanish soil.
The aforementioned families include two brothers, Victor and Guillen Dalmau, whose lives we will track through Allende's outstanding writing. Survival will mean escaping Spain for France and then to South America, in particular Chile, through the appeal of the poet Pablo Neruda. Without Neruda's help thousands more Spaniards would have died at the hands of Franco.
Allende's characters are so complex as their lives unfold. It's here that many readers will feel the intricacies of Allende's story and it may bog down at times with the weight of it. But this is Allende's gift for detail at which she excels so well. You will readily feel the frustrations and hope's deadends through her storytelling.
A Long Petal of the Sea takes you to a place in history where you may have little or no experience. Compassion brews upward from allowing yourself to feel and experience another's pain. War and civil unrest create the sorrowful situations of people on the move seeking a far better existence and forcing themselves to rebuild their lives under dire circumstances. Resilience comes with guarding your heart while taking on the mantle of a new identity.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Ballantine Books (Random House) and to the highly talented Isabel Allende.
