The House of Spirits

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Summary: a review in "the house of the spirits"
Review: this story is very interesting regardless of the sequence of the story and the uniqueness that the author was done. it was really wholehearted story that really could touch one's life.

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Summary: great
Review: This is definetely one of the best books I have ever read. I, myself, am from Chile, and was around in the 1970s when everything mentioned n the book happened. What Allende portrays in this book is completely true. While I was reading this book I felt as if I was being transported back to the place I grew up in. I loved the supernatural aspects of this book, as well as her extremely descriptive writing style.

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Summary: Not Worth It
Review: A friend suggested I read this book before leaving for Chile, where the story takes place. While the story is okay, despite the supernatural aspects, the accuracy is off. Allende's very socialist views are prominent throughout the story, leaving some misinformation for the reader. To really find out what went on during this important time during Chilean period, read an unbiased book of this history. All in all, not a horrible story, but a bad perception.

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Summary: * I would like to give this 4.5 stars
Review: Allende has created a marvelouse book with a style quite different from most other authors. The story takes the reader through three generations of a single family. The wonderful and beautiful way Allende has composed this culturally enhancing and "unable to put down" book is really marvelouse. The one downfall is "Clara the Clairvoyant" sometimes turns dissapointingly unrealistic as well as her mothers ability to contact the spirtual world (which is only one aspect of the book and should not be viewed as a turn-off). If you're simply looking for a good book and if you're not too skeptical of a person - I suggest reading "House of Spirits". ~15 yrs.

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Summary: Was I glad when I was finished!
Review: I read this book because it was on a list of the 150 best books of the century picked in a poll run by Library Journal. and I have now read 115 of the 150. This one was a real struggle to get thru. I simply could not get interested in the grotesque and weird characters in this book. I kept hoping the book would get better but I cared as little about the chracters on the last page as when I started. This book was a complete waste for me.

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Summary: Rarely has a book touched me the way this one has
Review: I am an avid reader on my own, and I can count on one hand the number of books that have touched me as deeply as this book did. The novel stands alone without the reader's having any political or historical background to pin it in place. However, I was enthralled by the way in which Allende used her characters not only describe their reactions to the political upheaval in CHile, but also the way in which she encapsulated the reactions of all the classes. I could weep at the injustices suffered by the lower classes, and yet feel the upper classes fear and indignation. Allende's gift is that she could convey seemingly diametrically opposing views without resorting to age old stereotypes.

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Summary: A review for You
Review: Isabel Allende tells the story ( and really she is a storyteller) about the lives and loves and troubles of a family in a country in South America. Although the story is beautifully written (although the images sometimes are a little bit forced, but maybe that is just my dutch translation), I didn't feel it was a superb book. Here's why. The caracters are two-dimensional. Reading the book I could guess where the story was going and the main reason is that the caracters are to logical. In given her caracters limited space to move beyond the expected Isabel Allende isn't doing her story a favour and that's a real pity because otherwise I really enjoyed escaping in the book for a couple of hours. A good book that could have been great.

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Summary: "House of Spirits" captures heart and mind
Review: "House of the Spirits" is a poignant, enterprising story that challenges the reader's concept of love, power and struggle. With the presence of the clairovayant nature of the book's most influential female characters, the issue of feminism and the differences in power sources are explored. However, many of the situations can be applied to anyone's life and compared to the surprising, sometimes difficult to swallow reactions of the characters, such as the magnitude of forgiveness. Even rather crude situations that are described reveal basic qualities of the human soul. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wishes to divulge themselves into a quality literary work that transports the reader into a world of tribulations that leads to an ultimate triumph.

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Summary: Allende spins colorful web
Review: I found Isabel Allende's House of the Spirits to be a colorful depiction of a not-so-typical family in a place that strongly resembles but is not referred to as Chile. Allende's entertaining inclusion of magical realism weaves a colorful web that both capture's the reader's attetion and proves thematically significant. I especially applaud Allende in her usage of feminism and Marxism as side-plots. They tickle the reader's fancy without becoming to overbearing. Overall I found this book to be a racing car through the fantasy of the mind.

Rating:
Summary: An Entertaining Novel
Review: I thought that the story was quite entertaining. Allende provided a great vivid description of South America. I thought that at points the mystical part of the book went overboard, however I do believe that over all it was a great story. I highly recommend it.