Name: Cheri McElroy's review of A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
Item: A Long Petal of the Sea
Rating: 2.5
Author: Cheri McElroy

Isabel Allende

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of The House of the Spirits, this epic novel spanning decades and crossing continents follows two young people as they flee the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in search of a place to call home. "One of the most richly imagined portrayals of the Spanish Civil War to date, and one of the strongest and most affecting works in [Isabel Allende's] long career."--The New York Times Book Review NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Esquire * Good Housekeeping * Parade In the late 1930s, civil war grips Spain. When General Franco and his Fascists succeed in overthrowing the government, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee in a treacherous journey over the mountains to the French border. Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love. In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage neither of them desires. Together with two thousand other refugees, Roser and Victor embark for Chile on the SS Winnipeg, a ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda: "the long petal of sea and wine and snow." As unlikely partners, the couple embraces exile as the rest of Europe erupts in world war. Starting over on a new continent, they face trial after trial, but they will also find joy as they patiently await the day when they might go home. Through it all, their hope of returning to Spain keeps them going. Destined to witness the battle between freedom and repression as it plays out across the world, Roser and Victor will find that home might have been closer than they thought all along. A masterful work of historical fiction about hope, exile, and belonging, A Long Petal of the Sea shows Isabel Allende at the height of her powers. Praise for A Long Petal of the Sea "Both an intimate look at the relationship between one man and one woman and an epic story of love, war, family, and the search for home, this gorgeous novel, like all the best novels, transports the reader to another time and place, and also sheds light on the way we live now."--J. Courtney Sullivan, author of Saints for All Occasions "This is a novel not just for those of us who have been Allende fans for decades, but also for those who are brand-new to her work: What a joy it must be to come upon Allende for the first time. She knows that all stories are love stories, and the greatest love stories are told by time."--Colum McCann, National Book Award-winning author of Let the Great World Spin

A Novel

A Long Petal of the Sea

"In the late 1930s, civil war gripped Spain. When General Franco and his Fascists succeed in overthrowing the government, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee in a treacherous journey over the mountains to the French border. Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life irreversibly intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love. In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage neither of them wants, and together are sponsored by poet Pablo Neruda to embark on the SS Winnipeg along with 2,200 other refugees in search of a new life. As unlikely partners, they embrace exile and emigrate to Chile as the rest of Europe erupts in World War. Starting over on a new continent, their trials are just beginning. Over the course of their lives, they will face test after test. But they will also find joy as they wait patiently for a day when they are exiles no more, and will find friends in the most unlikely of places. Through it all, it is that hope of being reunited with their home that keeps them going. And in the end, they will find that home might have been closer than they thought all along"--

ame 

Poetry is what stays in your head and isn't forgotten.

Nick Gracilla

I enjoyed learning about the Spanish Civil War and the 1973 Chilean coup.  However, the writing was very dry. There was a lot of telling in long paragraphs that seemed like a history book instead of a story. It just wasn't my favorite historical fiction novel.

Cheri McElroy

Eva Ströberg

I'm not entirely in with the whole historical fiction genre, not sure why.

It started with Spanish Civil war and it somewhat "ended" with another "war" in Chile. Everything is interconnected and I felt like I was reading someone's biography (as the book was based on some people's life stories as I imagined) that didn't have the interest values in it.

Meh- This book was fine, but I wasn't pulled in.

Sarah Erle

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER'One of the strongest and most affecting works in Allende's long career' New York Times Book Review'A defiantly warm and funny novel, by somebody who has earned the right to argue that love and optimism can survive whatever history might throw at us' Daily TelegraphSeptember 3, 1939, the day of the Spanish exiles' splendid arrival in Chile, the Second World War broke out in Europe.Victor Dalmau is a young doctor when he is caught up in the Spanish Civil War, a tragedy that leaves his life - and the fate of his country - forever changed. Together with his sister-in-law, the pianist Roser, he is forced out of his beloved Barcelona and into exile. When opportunity to seek refuge arises, they board a ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda to Chile, the promised 'long petal of sea and wine and snow'. There, they find themselves enmeshed in a rich web of characters who come together in love and tragedy over the course of four generations, destined to witness the battle between freedom and repression as it plays out across the world.A masterful work of historical fiction that soars from the Spanish Civil War to the rise and fall of Pinochet, A Long Petal of the Sea is Isabel Allende at the height of her powers.'An epic that starts in 1939 and spans decades and continents . . . A masterful work of historical fiction about hope, exile and belonging, and one that sheds light on the way we live now' Independent.co.uk 'Full of ambition and humanity' Sunday Times 'Allende knows that all stories are love stories, and the greatest love stories are told by time' Colum McCann 'Allende's style is impressively Olympian and the payoff is remarkable' Guardian 'Epic in scope, yet intimate in execution' i

Dave Perkins

Really beautiful. Slow moving but captivating.
Great to into a part of history and geography that I was previously clueless about.

Eloise

A Long Petal of the Sea is a gorgeously touching love letter to Chile, and while Allende seldom disappoints, I was nevertheless carried away by how glorious this story is, especially with the bar set so high. It is aesthetically similar to narrative non-fiction in many aspects. The political turmoil in Chile from the 1940s through the 1990s is exhaustively chronicled, as is the Spanish Civil War that preceded WWII. But, as is typical of Allende, she can write political history with an almost beautiful fluidity.

Chile is a character in and of itself, with just as much presence in every scene as Victor or Roser. Culture, love, compassion, and loyalty are all present in this novel. It was a joy to read it, and I didn't want to put it down. Victor and Roser's love, especially as their marriage progressed, was such a wonderful testament to dedication and kinship, an evolution of feelings between two people who have experienced loss and understand that freedom can be, and often is, fleeting. Each chapter begins with Pablo Neruda's poetry, which provides background and a beauty of prose that perfectly complements this story.

Fraser Simons

Though I typically don’t like war/military fiction I thought the concept of this one might be different but DNF’d at 22% because it’s just every trope from the genre you can think of. It could be taking anywhere. Has the same themes as everything else. Just couldn’t get into it.

Josefina

es interesante leer novelas históricas que no sean solo sobre la 2da Guerra Mundial, especialmente cuando te llevan a conocer aspectos de tu país que ni siquiera conocías, como la presencia de campos de concentración durante la dictadura.

Morgan 📚✍️

Hard to get into but interesting enough that I finished it

Lauren Attaway

Interesting historically if not for me on the fiction side.

Karen Shimek

I found this book very interesting, particularly the historical aspects of the Spanish Civil War. However, it definitely lacked the author’s usual poetic writing style which I have enjoyed in her other novels.

Jennifer

Normally heavily romantic books aren't my thing, but this book is one of the few that stood out from the pack. The historical backdrop is rich & seamless and this is coupled with vivid stories which made me feel soft (as the characters eventually grew on me - their life and their sufferings). The stories made me sad yet compassionate all the same. In a nutshell: a very solid historical fiction based on the Spanish Civil War and Latin America in the mid 20th Century.

abby donaldson

so close to being a 5 star book (so probably more of a 4.5) - i absolutely loved the setting, the characters and the journey. it is an extremely plot-driven book - since i listened to it on audiobook - and, therefore, was occasionally difficult to follow as so much happens in a single chapter. i would have preferred more character development and more opportunities to experience the dynamics and relationships between the different characters (such as between Roser and Guillem at the beginning). but overall loved this book, particularly the way Isabel Allende juxtaposes her fictional characters with the reality of such heart-wrenching historical events.

Elad Schulman

I love Isabel Allende - I love her characters and her writing and i'm always excited to dive into a new novel of hers. This book really taught me about a part of history that I've never read about before, the Spanish Civil War. And unlike the House of Spirits, I like how this novel explored Chile in the aftermath of the military coup. One thing that Allende tends to, which can be both good and bad, is writes in a way that makes you feel disconnected from the characters. This makes it possible for her to jump through time in a way that doesn't feel weird to the reader, but makes it difficult for the reader to really vouch for any of the characters (hopefully that made sense).

Nick Gracilla &
A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende

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A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende