The House of the Spirits

by Isabel Allende

Book Overview

Here, in an astonishing debut by a gifted storyteller, is the magnificent saga of proud and passionate men and women and the turbulent times through which they suffer and triumph. They are the Truebas. And theirs is a world you will not want to leave, and one you will not forget. Esteban -- The patriarch, a volatile and proud man whose lust for land is legendary and who is haunted by his tyrannical passion for the wife he can never completely possess...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553273914
• ISBN13: 9780553273915
• Release Date: August 1986
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 0.9" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

This is the book by which I measure every other novel. A new standard.

This book is rich with symbolism and meaning. Not only does this book tell us things about ourselves and the world, but it’s thrilling, always leaving you wanting more at the end of every page. Allende writes the human experience with depth and precision and takes readers outside the visibility of our own lives to see the story being weaved by generations of courage, resilience, and fortitude. I will remember how it felt to read this book for a long long time. I wish i could experience it again for the first time. I highly highly recommend

Dark and sinister novel....

Chilean writer Isabel Allende is often compared to Marquez. 'The House of the Spirits' tells the Trueba family saga up to the period after the Chilean coup in 1973, in which Allende's own uncle was assassinated. Patriarchy here is represented by the conservative Esteban Trueba, spirit and intuition by his telepathic wife Clara. Allende's perspective is staunchly feminist and deeply romantic, qualities found with darker, more sinister tones in some novels. A wonder full book that must be read.

Great book

I think this book is great! Allende is a wonderful writer, and I think everyone should read this book if they get the chance. The story is really good, and sometimes its really hard to put down. Although the story and characters are very strange at times, I always want to see whats going to happen next. I would definitely recomend this book to anyone who is looking for a good beek to read.

This incredible novel is a definite must read!!!!!!!

Isabel Allende's La casa de los Espiritus has ended up as one of my favorite novels of all time. This novel accounts the story of the Trueba family in a South American country from the begining of the centurty up to the modern times. Allende introduces various colorful characters in incredible almost surreal at times situations. Allende's writing style is simple, and to the point, but she knows just when and how to include details that give you crisp ideas and visions of exactly what is going . The incredible story of the Truebas is one all families can relate to, the characters are so vivid in ones mind, you know exactly what Isabel was thinking as she created them. Everyone should put this book on their summer reading list!

Second best example of Latin America's Magic REalism novels

For lovers of Hispanic novels for whom Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude" was a bit too rich, Isabel Allende's "The House of the Spirits" goes further by mixing magic realism with fiction based on historical events. The reader is taken through 4 generations of women who all seem to have some exceptional powers. Blanca is the third generation and her life unfolds at the same time as some of the political events that shook a known South American country at the onset of and during a dictatorship. Though her mystical powers are not as evident as those of her ancestors, her willpower more than compensates for that. As Blanca develops a relationship with the leader of the resistance, her father is torn between his loyalty to the country's conservative political system and his love for his daughter. If you have not yet read the book, but saw the film version, do not prejudge the story by the film. The book is much, much richer and the imagery a thousand times more powerful than the movie scenes. Humberto Sanchez Cleveland Heights, Ohio