This then, is the luminescence of Allende's writing: She takes us on an intimate journey in the midst of crashing worlds, but even so, the journey is a reckoning -Roser and Victor must conduct a recognizance of their surroundings, of people they meet, even of themselves, in order to survive. We fall slowly in love with Roser and Victor as they fall slowly in love with each other.

I don't see many of my old friends anymore so that we won't fight.'īut don't be fooled into thinking this story is a history text cloaked as a novel. Friends are fighting, families are split down the middle it's impossible to talk to anyone who doesn't think as you do. Chile is divided into irreconcilable groups, son. 'That comrade of yours is too naive by half. The government and people will prevent it,' said Victor, trying to reassure her. 'Allende says there'll never be fratricidal conflict here. 'What we saw in Spain can happen here,' Carme kept repeating like a refrain. The chances for her survival become complicated when her dead husband's brother Victor offers her an 'opportunity:' Get married – though neither of them wants to – because it will improve their chances at survival. One refugee is Roser, a young pianist, widowed and pregnant with her first child. When Franco's fascists defeat the Republican army, an exodus of thousands escapes into France. This story begins during the Spanish Civil War, and spans oceans and continents' worth of political upheaval. Now, it's the solace of wisdom when we need it most, wrapped in a love story which reminds us, as abiding love always does, that grace takes many forms - yet its core is not faith, but truth. Only this time, that gift isn't just a beautiful story well told.

Her new book, A Long Petal of the Sea - translated by Nick Caistor and Amanda Hopkinson - is another gift of epic storytelling. Specifically, Chile.Īnd if there's a writer whose gifted stories are the mortar of tenacity linking our two continents, she is Isabel Allende. If there is a region which understands the current anxiety in the United States over populist authoritarian regimes, manufactured coup d'états, the hope of resilience and the resilience of love, it's Latin America. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title A Long Petal of the Sea Author Isabel Allende

A long petal of the sea a novel