Anything by Isabel Allende is sure to be beautiful and this book was no exception. This historical novel seemed to have a bit of everything: adventure, violence, romance, you name it. It's told as an autobiogrpahy from Emilia's vantagepoint and takes place at the end of the 1800's, post civil war. Emilia travels to Chile during their civil war as a war journalist to cover the war during a time when women had very few if any rights and where their natural roles were seen to be as mothers and wives.
This novel also tells the story of the Chilean civil war, making it as much a main character as Emilia herself. This was clearly a fight for power between the President of Chile, José Manuel Balmaceda and the country’s legislative congress. Wealthy European settlers generally support Balmaceda while impoverished and indigenous people side with Congress. Like the American Civil War, this was a savage conflict.
Allende's language is so beautiful. It always is. All of the passages are so vivid that it's like you are in the scene and experiencing it all - the love, the pain, the violence. SO GOOD. A must r ead.
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