A breathtaking work of art!

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	• The House of the Spirits Isabel Allende Bantam, 1986 - 448 pages average customer review:based on 271 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A breathtaking work of art!

This is the type of novel most writers can naught but aspire to craft! I was first introduced to this novel in my sophomore year in high school. (Far from what the misguided reviewer below posted, I did not protest, but devoured every bit of this breathtaking work of art!) I was instantly captured by the unique writing style as well as the remarkable story, and, needless to say, this book remains one of my favorite - if not my very favorite - novels I was assigned to read in high school.

The novel is written in three different narratives, told primarily in a documentary fashion, giving it the feel of an epic. The story follows three generations of women in the Trueba family, whose patriarch is the selfish, dictatorial, but ultimately understandable Esteban Trueba. By naming the female characters of the story specifically to symbolize purity ("Blanca" means "white" in Spanish, while "Clara," "Nivea," and "Alba" embody clarity, snow, and dawn respectively), Allende deliberately explores feminism, setting her story in a society which thrives on conservative, chauvinistic ideals. Which brings me to the violence. Yes, there are rape scenes; let me explain: Allende, at this point in the story, is trying to convey the absolute horror of Esteban Trueba's relations with peasant girls (a metaphor for the mistreatment of the working class by the upper class, and also the mistreatment of women by men, expanding on Allende's notions of feminism). The scenes are explicit because they are meant to be shocking and infuriating to a great degree. Far from making this novel "abhorrent," these scenes add emotional impact to the story.

Who will like this book:
-Readers who appreciate a well-worded, well-crafted classic
-Feminists
-Readers who don't mind being shocked or disturbed by certain scenes that are meant to be shocking and disturbing
-Readers who can empathize with profound, colorful, developed characters
-Readers who love broad, eventful plotlines and hidden meanings, metaphors, and symbolism
-Readers who don't mind a bit of magic realism!
-Readers who can appreciate a story which plays out like music

Who will not like this book:
-Readers who cannot stand feminism or are open chauvinists
-Readers who cannot tolerate shocking or explicit scenes
-Readers who are easily offended by the glorification of radical or liberal ideas (for the record, homosexuality is not glorified but stated as a simple, existing part of the world, much like the existence of concepts such as feminism, prejudice, and true love)

With exception to the above mentioned audience, I can guarantee that this book will keep its reader turning pages! A masterpiece!

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An Enthralling Read

Once in a while, I come across something that makes me think about life in its entirety. Rarely have I come across a novel that truly portrays humanity, and The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende is one of these novels. Although I have read this work in translation and may not have had the benefit of getting to know the Chilean culture beforehand (it is set in Chile, albeit an unnamed country in the novel itself), it is nevertheless an enthralling work. The novel depicts Chile and its rough and turbulent political atmosphere in the background while drawing the reader in irrevocably into the lives of the Trueba family in the foreground. The reader is intimated with every fiber of their lives. We follow the family, both matriarch and patriarch, from their childhood to their old age and eventual death. The reader sees Esteban Trueba, the violent, sharp-tongued patriarch - really a caring yet reserved man - and Clara, a detached, spiritual woman who seems fragile and yet keeps the house together in a way. The reader witnesses the tragedies, the successes, and basically accomplishments and flaws of many generations. Tragedy, love, hubris, and sacrifice are all major forces at work in this masterpiece. What really captured my heart was the way this novel is not just about the Trueba but also, in a way, about us and the world today. The reader becomes part of their family and feels what the Truebas feel. Towards the end of the novel, Alba, the beloved granddaughter of Esteban Trueba, reminisces about her life and the lives of her family. It was a truly heart-wrenching piece of writing when Alba told the reader how she no longer cared about her rivalries and how everything is how it is meant to be. At this point, anyone with half a heart would be forced to think about life, what the world is, and what we make of our own lives. The House of the Spirits is not a novel I will soon forget, and the reader who picks it up will never want to put it down, such is the enchanting and beguiling yet perfectly human and touching epic of the Trueba family.

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A Classic.

Had this book not been given over far too often to elements of fantasy, it would have easily rated five stars. As it is, I do have to say the asides into the impossible detracted from a very fine novel.

This tale of several generations in a Chilean family, from the early twentieth-century thru roughly modern times, tells a wonderful story of quarrels, struggles, love and failings, as its primary characters endure the harshness of life in "this forgotten corner of the world."

The main characters here are truly brillantly realized in Ms. Allende's prose, and the events that transpire as these people march across history make for the sort of reading experience that rarely comes along. As an American with little background in the richness of South American literature, I was pleased by my discovery of The House of the Spirits, and was glad to learn that many of the situations in this novel--political upheavals, societal scandals, economic catastrophes--did actually transpire in real life.

This is a multi-layered book that achieves that loftiest of literary aspirations: it is both well-imagined and a delight to read.

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the house of spirits

this book is eye opening and amazing. it bridges the gap between past and preset, fantasy and reality.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, page 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

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