The House of Spirits

Rating:
Summary: The Adventure of a Lifetime
Review: I watched a young student the other day on the subway reading the House of the Spirits. He slowly rose from his seat when he reached his destination and almost walked into the subway doors as they were closing. I then followed him as he walked down the platfom bumping into people all the way. He could not take his eyes from the pages, even as he walked. I was excited for him because I knew he was in for the ride of his life but I was also jealous because he was experiencing for the first time one of the most dynamic and complex books I have ever read. The incredible Ms. Allende created some of the most remarklable relationships between people in any book; husband and wife, brother and sister, mentor and student -- but the most beautiful and complete relationships are among the phenomenal women in this breathtaking novel. As soon as I finished the novel, I gave a copy to everyone I know who cares about literature. I then read everything that Allende has put between two covers and called a book. I have never been disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Utterly breathtaking
Review: I was captivated by this book from the very first sentence to the last and cannot wait to read it again; it is not only a riveting family saga but an eye-opening account of the brutality of the military in South America in the early 70s. I cannot recommend it too highly; a breath-taking book. I have not read any of her other books and will certainly now do so, although I have heard that none of her later ones quite matches up to her first.

Rating:
Summary: Just a copycat of Garcia Marquez
Review: Was Isabel Allende intention to write another "One hundred years of solitude"? It happened to me that I read those two books back to back. Allende changed a little bit the plot, the names and some characters and voila, the other big novel of the Spanish American literature. Not a big deal, in my opinion. Still, the work is captivating and sometimes original, but not as a whole.

Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking Magical Realism
Review: The interweaving of the real and unreal in this novel make for a fantastic read. I feel the wonder of a child reading an enormous book of fairy tales as I sink deeper and deeper into a world where folk wisdom, intuition, and spirituality prevail over science and logic. The feminist in me appreciates the matriarchy at the center of the novel and the Communist overtones as well. That this book is not included in our rigid Literary canon is testament to the fact that great literature is still overlooked - especially when the author is female and non-white. This novel can be read on many levels, which makes it all the more enjoyable for me.

Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Ride
Review: I definitely recomend this book. It takes the reader through the life of a family, the struggles, the triumphs, and the reconciliations. I believe that where some feel there is too much foreshadowing, Allende uses it beautifully. It leads the reader through a magic dream.

Rating:
Summary: A load of waffle
Review: This has to be the most drawn out, boring and overrated book I have ever read. People floating around inside houses and predicting the future isn't my idea of a good time. It's still amazes how it's always the most boring books become the most famous.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good.
Review: It is a pretty good book. But after reading Marquez's Cien Años de Soledad, this looks to much of a copy. In fact a book research report I did, was on Allende's copied story elements of Cien Años de Soledad. Still, it makes a good read.

Rating:
Summary: Answer to question below
Review: In response to the question in the review below, the poet Allende refers to is Pablo Neruda. For more insight into her relationship with Neruda, you should read Allende's memoir, Paula.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully told story
Review: The House of the Spirits is haunting. Allende tells this family saga completely for lack of a better word. I was enthralled through my entire reading of the book. The book gives profound insights into human nature. I first read an excerpt from this book in my English class, and I wanted to read the whole thing (I'm still mad that textbooks only print excerpts sometimes). I was most impressed with learning about human nature. I have learned that feelings of every kind abound in every people. And to me, Esteban Trueba was just as bad as a Nazi Dictator. I truly believed in the goodness of Rosa. As you can see, the characters in the novel become real, because they are real. As I've always believed, fiction comes from life. Can I get a cosensus from anyone that the poet mentioned in the novel was the poet Lorca?

Rating:
Summary: Little word about this book
Review: This book, the house of the Spirits is by far the better book I have read in this category. I recomend it to you costumer of Amazon.com. It is just an amazing. Charles Aboulafia