Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I loved the House of Spirits, and count it among my top favorites, but Eva Luna was disappointing. The book begins fairly well, then teeters off into a dreamy poorly written romance novel where Allende lives vicariously through the heroine. Allende's character development and plot was unoriginal and unrealistic, and towards the end her writing style left a lot to be desired.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth the price as a companion piece to Eva Luna Stories
Review: I read this book after I read The Stories of Eva Luna and I'm grateful that I did. I was able to read teh stories first, to see the creation and not the creator first. Sort of like not standing backstage at a magic show. Eva is not quite remarkable as surprising in her life's, notice I don't say her because that takes a while to mature, innate ability to continue. She bounces around so much in this novel and into so many situations that are both hilarious and heartbreaking. The whole Riad the Turk story is close to beign the best section. Unfortunately the whole Eva Luna Storyteller image allows you to see the book as a construction of short stories but also appreciate the natural way that they flow from one to the other.
I liked that Allende has a writer within her own stories and then has that writer write, it's a nice play on sub-realism. I would say that Eva does come off better as a heroine that Eliza in Daughter of Fortune and I'm not even touching the ninny in Love & Shadows as a comparison.
Dare I say that there is another Eva Luna book cloating around out there, a collection of short stories again, a further novel step or perhaps an interaction with another character from another book. That's what I always get the feeling that Allende is doing, creating all of these threads but not attaching them. It's like watching a corner from across the street and seeing two really interesting people about to turn the corner and meet but instead somebody turns around and walks away or drops dead or vanishes.
I like Allende for the strength of her writing but I find them all a little Pre-Awesome, if you know what I mean.
Rating: 
Summary: I've read it six times and still love it!
Review: I read this book for the first time when I was eleven, and since then I've read it over and over. Each time I notice something more that I didn't see before. Everyone should read this!
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous
Review: I think this book illustrates the situation in revolutionairy Chile very well. But it also gives the reader a very fine view on the South-American life. I must say that a reader has to be interested in these two subjects. But that is a rule for any Allende book. If you read one and you enjoyed it, you might read them all (and there are a lot of books written by her). She writes in a very typical style. Very much her own style, but I think it has so many Southern influences, the siësta-style perhaps. The sentences are sometimes a bit difficult, but the story is so wonderfully built from the first brick to the last one. I would really advise anyone to read the book. It is a bit sad, but also a big victory on life. Absolutely great how abstract it is written, from one thing to the opposite...
Rating:
Summary: stories of Eva
Review: I thought these stories were both enlightening and exciting. Isabelle Allende is a wonderful author with so much creativity.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating, but...
Review: I was initally attracted to this novel by the its comparison to the marvellous writings of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, having previously read only the bestseller 'Daughter of Fortune.'Clearly, Magic Realism is an important element in this work, and it does bare resemblance to the works of the forementioned, but there is something about this work that left me mildly disappointed. I adored the characters, particularly the gorgeous Mimi, and of course Eva herself, yet I would have liked to learn more about Rolf, who was presented as initially somewhat egotistical, however it was implied that he changed when visiting the mountains...How?
Additionally, Eva's best friend turned gureilla fighter captivated me - what happened to him and how did he respond to the union between Rolf and Eva? I adored the complexity and subtle plot, and its commentary on love, yet also found myself mildly disappointed with the second marriage of Eva's Turk friend and the manner in which Eva's life was so marvellously drawn out and explored, yet her love between Rolf was somewhat hurried. It seemed to reduce the sprawling luxury of the work. However, this was a hugely interesting and entertaining read, and certainly one I enjoyed more than 'Daughter of Fortune'.
It had the same epic grand narrative voice and a somewhat intricate path, but was both easy to read and likeable. I plan to delve into more of Isobel Allende's outstanding works; revel in their complexity and language, and would recommend this book for reading, though perhaps not for purchasing.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Good Book
Review: I'm an editor, have a degree in English literature, and lived in Mexico and in the Southwest for 20 years. Latin American literature is often whimsical. Not necessarily magical, but definately more than factual. Allende does a really wonderful job of introducing readers to both the entertaining quirks and the political nightmares of life in South America, which has about as much in common with Spain as it has with South Phoenix. Not much. Isabelle Allende is a great writer. She conveys the terror and joys of life in a unique way that makes you see how one might learn to abide with them, yet without minimizing their horrible or wonderful impact. I can definately understand how one might not enjoy her work, as it's very different from mainstream fiction, but to say that she's not a good writer is less than intelligent.
Rating:
Summary: A Woman's Picaresque Journey
Review: In the tradition of great novelists, Allende creates a life for her female hero that's full of adventure and interesting characters, each having grand adventures of their own. As picaresques, they're both peculiar and lovable. And because they love the endearing Eva Luna, she survives her difficult orphan's life and lives happily ever after (like her fictional siblings Jones, Flanders and Twist). Magical Realism is Allende's specialty. So is telling a woman's tale. Like House of the Spirits, this one is very educational as to the politics that inspire rebellion, the romance of revolutionaries that makes for a great story, and the ways in which women get caught up in the fever. Speaking of getting caught up in the fever, so does the reader. In Eva Luna, we're introduced to many worlds and cultures, each more exciting than the next.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! Just pure energy.
Review: Isabel Allende is an extraordinary story teller. Her narrative is enchanting and exhiliarating. Risky and brazen, Allende tackles erotica, sensuality, sexuality, gender issues, politics with honesty and great taste. Eva Luna stirs the senses and stimulates the imagination!
Rating:
Summary: Eva Luna
Review: Isabel Allende wrote Eva Luna in a way that would keep the readers wondering what happens next. I got trapped reading the story because I wanted to know what happened to the characters. Allende talked about a different character of the story until the last few chapters of the book and then she put them together. Every character that Allende wrote about in the book was somehow connected to the life of Eva Luna. By the time I got to the second chapter, I had already figured out the ending of the book, I thought. Eva Luna's mother, Consuelo, brought up a good question when she talked to the nuns at the church where she had been sent: "Yes, but who had the say in heaven, God or his Mama?" For some reason that question just stuck in my mind. I think Allende wrote this in her story to show that Consuelo had a questioning mind, although people thought that she was silly. Eva Luna was six years old when her mother died, and she instantly became an orphan. A man said that he was going to leave Eva Luna everything, "Write in my will Pastor. I want this little girl to be my sole heir. Everything is to go to her when I die." Allende creates sympathy for Eva because the Pastor did not write in the will what the man had wanted for her. All of the people who worked in the man's house had ot go find more work for themselves. The government did not know of Eva Luna's existence until she got Riad Halabi to pay someone to get her some type of papers. Eva worked very hard when she was a little child. People said that they would teach her how to read, but they never seemed to have the time. When Eva finally learned how to write and read she said "Writing was the best thing that had happened to me in all my life; I was euphoric." Through out Eva's life she told stories to people who would listen to her. As she learned how to write, she started to write down her stories. She ended up being a writer as she became an adult. Allende has written a story that expresses a child's life and lets the readers watch her grow up. I got confused by some of the Spanish words that Allende used. There were a couple of other words that she used that confused me, but it did not take away from the book. I think that if I reread the book, I would pick up on things that I missed the first time. There was one time during the book that I was confused about the idenity of a couple of her characters. I had to go back and find whick name she used for a certain character when she would bring them back into the story. Isabel Allende held my attention through out the book. I felt that I could relate to the characters of the story because I know how hard it is when you move from place to place. Allende gave me an excellent picture of what she was writting about. I liked the fact that she used a large cast of characters in her story. I think that it added to the book. I enjoyed reading about how hard it was for Eva Luna to receive an education, and what she did with it afterward.
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