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Suzanne
Rating:
 
Review
The House of the Spirits is an imaginative work of art. This was my first exposure to magical realism, and I totally bought into the blend of fantastical and real events. The story is engrossing and full of exceptionally well-developed characters. Beginning with Clara, whose clairvoyance is dealt with in a matter-of-fact manner, this is the rich account of several generations of the del Valle and Trueba families in South America, and how their lives are all mixed up with each other’s. The main protagonists are women: Clara, her daughter Blanca, and her granddaughter Alba. Esteban, the family patriarch, is a strong and surprisingly complex character, too, despite being the epitome of Latin American machismo and pride. Each character’s past is continually reverberating throughout the story and coming full circle into the present. It’s impressive how the stories of each individual person never become secondary to the class struggles and political upheavals, which are loosely based on 20th century events in Chile. This is Allende’s first, best, and most powerful novel.
Best Line:
“It was a world in which time was not marked by calendars or watches and objects had a life of their own, in which apparitions sat at the table and conversed with human beings, the past and the future formed part of a single unit…” (page 82).
Kim
Rating:
Review
Beginning in what I assumed to be near the turn of the 20th century, and set in Chile (which I also had to guess at initially, and which usually drives me nuts), the del Valle and Trueba families are introduced quickly, and are quite interesting indeed. Each character in this book is richly drawn with all the blanks filled in, especially main players Estaban, Clara, Blanca and Alba. Even the minor characters are full of life, making this novel engrossing. I liked how Estaban’s story alternated with a yet-to-be-revealed narrator’s detailed account of their families, their joys and sorrows, and times of terrific pain, injustice and transformation. I was often torn between liking and hating Estaban, though I loved Clara completely, and all the quirky things about her. Blanca and Alba had their moments too. I was surprised at how this book drew me in each time I picked it up, since sometimes when stories have numerous characters it’s easy to forget who’s who. Not so with this book. What a fabulous story.
Best Line:
“This woman who was so down to earth and practical in all other aspects of life sublimated her childhood passion and lived it tragically.”
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