- Date Published:
1982 - Length:
448 pages - Listening Time: 18 hrs, 51 minutes - Genre:
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Latin America - Setting:
Chile, 1910s-1970s - Awards:
Best Novel of the Year in Chile, 1982 - Language:
Spanish, but translated into over 20 languages - Sensitive Aspects:
Rape, abuse of women, class disparity - Movie:
The House of the Spirits, 1992, Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Wynona Ryder, Antonio Banderas - Recommend for Book Club:
YES, most all book clubs will enjoy this book
Immigrant. Refugee. Escapee. Fugitive. Alien. Imagine that your home becomes so dangerous that you are forced to leave. And then, imagine that you can never return because your country will not let you back in. Your safety net has been jerked out from under you. Your home, as you’ve always known it, is gone. The sense of loss is profound and overwhelming. You are terrified, helpless, and hopeless.
Too many people are dealing with this kind of suffering right now. They are being thrown into prisons and herded into paltry encampments just because they have lost their home and have no place to go. How do you survive something like this?
It happened to Isabel Allende fifty years ago, and her novel, The House of the Spirits, is based on her horrors.
We don't even know how strong we are until we are forced to bring that hidden strength forward. In times of tragedy, of war, of necessity, people do amazing things. The human capacity for survival and renewal is awesome. ~Isabel Allende
About the Book
The House of the Spirits is a political tale, a statement about social injustice, a tribute to families, whether toxic or healthy, a romance, and a profound statement about humanity and man’s incredible will to survive. All of this is woven into the lives of four female characters and how their lives are involved with one man, Esteban Trueba. The story begins with the del Valles and their daughters Rosa and Clara, then follows three generations of the Trueba family. Clara's clairvoyance and prediction of Rosa's death immediately set her apart as the main female protagonist.
As the story begins, Esteban is engaged to Rosa. After Rosa dies, Esteban marries Clara, and the novel‘s action ramps up. Esteban is lowly born and achieves success through hard work and tenacity. He believes he has earned a place in society and later the political scene of the country. But he’s brash and crude with misogynistic qualities, a representation of the darkness that women must endure for no other reason than their gender.
We accompany the couple to Esteban's isolated rural property, Tres Marias. As the hacienda patrón, Esteban's aggression and cruelty are depicted with his treatment of the people who work for him, the Latin American version of slavery. With the birth of Esteban and Clara's three children, Blanca, Jaime, and Nicolas, and then their granddaughter, Alba, the novel weaves several parallel narratives. set in a country of political unrest and class disparity.
Why Read This Book?
I guess, for me, this book grabbed me emotionally because of what is happening currently in my home country, the United States. It’s a gripping story that has all the elements of great fiction. It is an epic novel about identity, place, resistance, and family. The book definitely has mature themes and multifaceted characters.
This book began as a series of letters that Allende wrote to her grandfather. Because of her emotional attachment, the book’s message of forgiveness in its purest form resounded for me. At the end of the story, Alba, Esteban’s granddaughter, a parallel of Allende, contemplates revenge for the atrocities committed against her but realizes that vengeance will not end the cycle of violence and lets go of the evils of her past.
A hard thing to do, right?
My local book club loved this book. It’s a good one!
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The House of the Spirits printable BOOK CLUB KIT
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