Linda S. (Ladyslott) reviewed on 6/18/2008 + 113 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 4

Although this book is set in Latin America, in an unnamed country, it is clearly supposed to be Chile, home of the author Isabel Allende. One of the main portions of the book deals with the military overthrow of the government, Ms. Allende's uncle was Salvadore Allende, who was murdered in such a coup. The story focuses on the family of Esteban Trueba, who is engaged to the beautiful Rosa, who dies before their marriage. Esteban then courts and marries Rosa's sister Clara, a clairvoyant and telekinetic, who talks to the sprits that roam through their home. Esteban is the patron of Tres Marias, the family plantation, that he rebuilds into a wealthy estate. We follow the lives of this family through about seventy years of hard times and prosperity, viewing the lives of the children and grandchildren of Esteban, that become intertwined with the politics of the country. Although the writing in this book was beautiful, at times the story was very uninvolving. Part of that stems from the fact that Esteban Tureba is a bullying autocrat, a character so unsympathetic that at times it was difficult to read many of the scenes he was involved in. The women alternated between spineless and strong, and although their paranormal abilities are taken for granted, there doesn't seem to be any purpose to them throughout the book, except for foretelling future events, a practice that becomes a bit tiresome over the course of the book. For me the story finally comes alive in the last third, when Esteban's granddaughter is born, and the political upheavals begin to take center stage. At this point in the book I was very involved in the tale and in knowing the outcome. For that reason, and the writing this book garners a bit higher grade than I originally planned on.

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