Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #103912 in Books
• Published on: 1988-08-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
The story of the passionate affair between two people willing to risk everything for the sake of justic and truth, set against the backdrop of a country where arbitrary arrests, sudden disappearances and summary executions are commonplace. (Kirkus UK)

With none of the thick variety of The House of the Spirits (1985), only sharing that better book's political zeal, Allende returns with a damp-Kleenex papier-mache construction that pits a conventionally unlikely love duo against the fierce blood-thirstiness of an unnamed Latin American society (Argentina, Chile, take your pick). Irene Beltran is a journalist for a popular but nervy urban magazine, and her upbringing in the society of the rich and indolent leaves her little ready for what dawns on her apropos the political situation in her land. What's worse, she's engaged to a straight-arrow military man; but when she's paired on assignment with a leftist journalist, Francisco Leal, in investigating the disappearance and murder of a teenaged girl, the light is seen - and fiance and old habits of thinking are whisked away. She and Francisco fall in love (". . .he had lived until then only for this miraculous night when he would plunge forever into the depths of intimacy with this woman, Irene, honey and shadow, Irene, peach, seafoam, the seashell of your ears, the perfume of your throat, the doves of your hands. . ." - the nausea of this prose), and seem together to provide the fulcrum by which the whole rotted social fabric is tipped over and destroyed. Completely unbelievable, lacking any artfulness. (Kirkus Reviews)

From the Back Cover
Set in a country of arbitrary arrests, sudden disappearances and summary executions, Isabel Allende's magical new novel tells of the passionate affair between two people prepared to risk everything for the sake of justice and truth: Irene Beltran, a reporter, comes from a wealthy background; Francisco Leal, a young photographer secretly engaged in undermining the military dictatorship, is strongly attracted by her beauty. It does not matter that her fiance is an army captain: each time Francisco accompanies her on a magazine assignment, he falls more deeply in love with her.

When they go to investigate the mysterious case of Evangelina Ranquileo, a girl suffering from spectacular fits which are rumoured to have miraculous powers, the arrival of soldiers adds a sinister aspect to the mystery. And then Evangelina disappears. Irene and Francisco, in trying to trace her and indict the Junta, become engulfed in a vortex of terror and violence.

About the Author
Isabel Allende
Isabel Allende was born in Lima, Peru. She has recently lived in Caracas, Venezuela, with her husband and two children. Her first two novels, The House of the Spirits and Of Love and Shadows are published by Black Swan. The House of the Spirits was made into a film starring Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, Winona Ryder, Vanessa Redgrave, Antonio Banderas and Keanu Reeves.

Customer Reviews

Readable, but the writing's a little wooden
It's not a bad plot, and certainly it would have resonated with readers in the late 1980s, when it was first published. The main characters of Francisco and Irene are well-drawn. But there's something about Allende's style that means she will always be a lesser writer than, say, Garcia Marquez or Vargas Llosa. She does not stretch for that extra surprising word or image, the rhythm of her sentences ultimately becomes predictable, and sometimes she descends into mere cliche. The ending of this book is rather weak, as well. So read it, by all means, but do not expect a Latin American 20th century classic.

A bit hard to get into, but a rewarding read.
I chose this novel from a list to write an essay based on the political themes in the story. I found the style a bit uncomfortble at first, but I have never read a book translated from Spanish before. Once I got around 100 pages in, I loved the story and stayed up late last night finishing it off.

Allende's greatest skill is making the reader care for her characters. Obviously, the oppressive regime infiltrates every level of the text, but primarily, it is the characters that we care for. We see the effect of autocratic militarian government on the people, rather than the economy of statistics.

I'm really glad that I chose to read this novel. I would recommend it to anyone who fancies a change in their normal reading matter. It's just a shame I'm writing a Politics essay, and not commenting on her wonderful style!

A book which makes you forget you need to eat and sleep!
Fantastic book! Allende's style of writing makes you fall in love with the characters, to the extent that you can visualise everything that goes on. Really easy to follow, and so enthralling that I couldn't put it down! Many of the events and situations are based on fact, and that makes this book all the more heart wrenching. It was just a shame that the book had to come to an end. I would have cried real tears at the ending if I hadn't have been on the bus at the time! I would really recommend this book.