The House of the Spirits
2005 • 433 pages
Ratings58
Average rating4.2
15
Ratings58
Average rating4.2
Here, in an astonishing debut by a gifted storyteller, is the magnificent saga of proud and passionate men and women and the turbulent times through which they suffer and triumph. They are the Truebas. And theirs is a world you will not want to leave, and one you will not forget. Esteban -- The patriarch, a volatile and proud man whose lust for land is legendary and who is haunted by his tyrannical passion for the wife he can never completely possess. Clara -- The matriarch, elusive and mysterious, who foretells family tragedy and shapes the fortunes of the house of the Truebas. Blanca -- Their daughter, soft-spoken yet rebellious, whose shocking love for the son of her father's foreman fuels Esteban's everlasting contempt... even as it produces the grandchild he adores. Alba -- The fruit of Blanca's forbidden love, a luminous bearty, a fiery and willful woman... the family's break with the past and link to the future. "From the Paperback edition.
Featured Series
3 primary booksInvoluntary trilogy is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 1982 with contributions by Isabel Allende and Margaret Sayers Peden.
Reviews with the most likes.
Very, very, very good book. I'm a sucker for magical realist inter generational family dramas, and this didn't disappoint.
The section on the end of the Chilean coup was so heartbreaking.
Be warned of a lot of sexual violence. I ended up skipping the last chapter because it describes the torture and rape of one of the main characters. Important and realistic as it was, I couldn't stomach it.
I in no way understand why my mother recommended this. I also do not get why the rating of this book is so high by so many people. In the first chapter, there was already much unnecessary grossness and violence towards women. But in the second it was even worse, and it did not get better as the book went on. Call me crazy but I would rather not read a whole chapter about some racist, misogynistic, child-raping paedophile having a tirade about how much better he is than everyone else and trying to justify his slave-owning ass.
I do not want to read about exploitation or rape. I do not give a shit about torture and the most dark psychological hellscape you can come up with. But just 500 pages of a garbage human ruining the lives of this magical family made me feel sick to my stomach. It's a fucking miracle I even finished this book although I am quite sure I was dissociated for the last 2 chapters at least.
Given that Allende's style is magical realism, I'll be cheesy and chalk my five stars I can't completely explain to the whimsical (magical, if you will, haha) style of her prose. Of course I love a book with strong female characters, and Allende provides that in spades, but it's also a pretty interesting reminder of Chile's troubled 20th century history (los deseparecidos of the CIA-backed junta, anyone?). Allende makes you feel deeply for all the family members we meet of this multi-generational saga, and is also someone who seems always capable of capturing a sense of wonder about even the more mundane aspects of life. Tore through this LONG book in two days on a Mexican vacation, and if you're looking to be transported, I highly recommend it.
