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  1. $17.49 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

The House of the Spirits

by Isabel Allende

The House of the Spirits Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Here, in an astonishing debut by a gifted storyteller, is the magnificent saga of proud and passionate men and women and the turbulent times through which they suffer and triumph. They are the Truebas. And theirs is a world you will not want to leave, and one you will not forget. <BR>Esteban — The patriarch, a volatile and proud man whose lust for land is legendary and who is haunted by his tyrannical passion for the wife he can never completely possess. <BR>Clara — The matriarch, elusive and mysterious, who foretells family tragedy and shapes the fortunes of the house of the Truebas. <BR>Blanca — Their daughter, soft-spoken yet rebellious, whose shocking love for the son of her father's foreman fuels Esteban's everlasting contempt... even as it produces the grandchild he adores. <BR>Alba — The fruit of Blanca's forbidden love, a luminous bearty, a fiery and willful woman... the family's break with the past and link to the future.

Review:

"Extraordinary... Powerful... Sharply observant, witty and eloquent." — Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times

Review:

"Mesmerizing... A novel of force and charm." — The Washington Post

Review:

"That rarest of successes — a book about one family and one country that is a book about the world and becomes the world in a book." — Cosmopolitan

Review:

"Extraordinary... Powerful... Sharply observant, witty and eloquent." — Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times

"Mesmerizing... A novel of force and charm." — The Washington Post

"That rarest of successes — a book about one family and one country that is a book about the world and becomes the world in a book." — Cosmopolitan

"Nothing short of astonishing... In The House Of The Spirits Isabelle Allende has indeed shown us the relationships between past and present, family and nation, city and country, spiritual and political values. She has done so with enormous imagination, sensitivity, and compassion." — Jane Futcher, San Francisco Chronicle

Synopsis:

Here, in an astonishing debut by a gifted storyteller, is the magnificent saga of proud and passionate men and women and the turbulent times through which they suffer and triumph. They are the Truebas. And theirs is a world you will not want to leave, and one you will not forget.

Esteban — The patriarch, a volatile and proud man whose lust for land is legendary and who is haunted by his tyrannical passion for the wife he can never completely possess.

Clara — The matriarch, elusive and mysterious, who foretells family tragedy and shapes the fortunes of the house of the Truebas.

Blanca — Their daughter, soft-spoken yet rebellious, whose shocking love for the son of her father's foreman fuels Esteban's everlasting contempt... even as it produces the grandchild he adores.

Alba — The fruit of Blanca's forbidden love, a luminous bearty, a fiery and willful woman... the family's break with the past and link to the future.

About the Author

Born in Peru, Isabel Allende is Chilean. She was a journalist for many years and began to write fiction in 1981. The result was the worldwide bestseller The House of the Spirits, which was followed by the equally successful Of Love and Shadows, Eva Luna The Stories of Eva Luna and Daughter of Fortune. Long a resident of Caracas, she now makes her home in San Rafael, California.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
shitakehappens, March 7, 2007 (view all comments by shitakehappens)
This book was absolutely breath-taking! What I loved most was how the book spanned three generantions, and yet kept a steady focus on all the characters. The reader can really become attached to people they read about when they follow their lives from childhood to death. The story was scandalous, magical, sad, exciting, and completely unforgettable. This is something everyone should read atleast once in his or her life, you'll identify with the characters in no time!
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(14 of 22 readers found this comment helpful)
caitlinsmom, December 11, 2006 (view all comments by caitlinsmom)
This story has some of the most compelling and fascinating characters that I have come across in a novel. The epic story of the Treuba family is breathtaking, touching, and heartbreaking. The dynamics of this complex family is also fascinating. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is because I thought the last half of the story focused too much on the political situation and struggle of the country, and I wanted to learn more about this incredible family's dynamic and how they developed. That is just a personal preference, but overall this story is beautifully written, and is a must read for all lovers of good-fiction.
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(12 of 28 readers found this comment helpful)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780553273915
Translator:
Bogin, Magda
Author:
Bogin, Magda
Author:
Allende, Isabelle
Author:
Allende, Isabel
Publisher:
Bantam Books
Location:
New York :
Subject:
General
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Spanish american literature
Subject:
Translations into english
Subject:
Literature, Modern
Subject:
Authors, Chilean
Subject:
Domestic fiction
Subject:
Chilean literature.
Subject:
Women authors, Chilean
Copyright:
Edition Number:
Bantam ed.
Series Volume:
1015
Publication Date:
July 1986
Binding:
Mass Market Paperbound
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
448
Dimensions:
6.91x4.21x.98 in. .49 lbs.

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