Comments (28)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 28 items
Aug 09, 2023
Is this book available in large print? Please offer in LP as I would like to read Allende’s first novel.
May 28, 2023
CBS Sun
Apr 17, 2023belinisa rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I couldn't finish the book bc of the style of writing .... it had paragraphs that would be an entire page long, sometimes two, and for whatever reason I couldn't get through it bc of it
Sep 19, 2022
"The House of the Spirits brings to life the triumphs and trage(d)ies of three generations of the Trueba family. The patriarch Esteban is a volatile, proud man whose voracious pursuit of political power is tempered only by his love for his…
Jul 21, 2022PDBurt rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Like her other books, this one is a long tale over many years; not my favorite writing style, kind of like trailer park trash from South America. If you like rank humor, Chilean history or weird drama this is for you.
Jul 16, 2021haushallmartinez rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Through the early parts of this book, I laughed frequently, because it shared a number of features with Little Women, which I hated. It was a family drama without a clear plot beyond the advancement of time. And why, then, did I love this…
May 11, 2021
i read this book for the popsugar reading challenge prompt read a book with a family tree. (it was listed as one of the suggestions for this prompt on the internet. i did not see a family tree pictured in it) it is about three generations…
Feb 07, 2021laphampeak rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
One of Allende's finest! Her captivating odyssey-like tale spanning a Chilean era of politics and mysticism told through members of, and those associated with, the Truebas family. Characters are well developed and advance and retreat into…
Jul 29, 2020ctrachse rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Beautiful book that sweeps you up into the story from the very first line. I really enjoyed following the family through so many generations, the magical realism, the social and political commentary, and the insight I received into the…
Nov 17, 2019BrendaK_0 rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
I agree with rebelbelle13. I struggled through it. I was very disappointed with the ending. I wanted to know how Alba’s life ended.
Sep 14, 2018OPL_EllyR rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The House of the Spirits has been my favorite book for 10 years now. The expansive text traces 3 generations of a family through the decades before and immediately after Salvador Allende's election as the first openly elected Marxist…
Dec 18, 2017RebelBelle13 rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
I don't normally finish books that I consider to be one star reads- and I usually determine that about 100 pages in. I finished this book because a friend recommended it to me, saying it was one of her favorites. I wanted to make sure I…
Mar 25, 2017TechLibrarian rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I have such great memories of reading this book! I simply could not put it down, though I was supposed to be reading something else for class. I often recommend it--it's like a really great soap opera with supernatural elements (magical…
Jan 20, 2017mayog rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Allende's first novel, written in 1981 during the dictatorship of Pinochet while she lived in exile in Venezuela, traces the rise of that dictatorship from the feudal beginnings of colonial life to the rise of her uncle Salvador Allende…
Nov 26, 2016peacebenow rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
great book, well written, compelling read. Follow a family through a tumultuous Chilean upheaval. I enjoyed the narrator changing as the chapters progressed. Some parts unpleasant but hard to put down even when tired. Good thing as I beat…
Nov 04, 2016fugeninkan rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This is a really great novel. I like the way that Allende combines very personal stories with historical events like the military coup with all the tragedies that ensued. I also like the magical elements.
Jan 14, 2016Aquanblue rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
My favorite author. She has a unique ability to write about place. I find myself thinking about her spaces long after I've read the book.
Jun 20, 2015Gigi_22 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I was surprised by how much I liked this book.
Jan 22, 2014lukasevansherman rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I've been reading Julia Alvarez's "In the Time of the Butterflies," set in the Dominican Republic, with my high school students and it's piqued my interest in other Latin American authors. "The House of the Spirits" is one of the most…
Jul 25, 2013
Fast paced book that spans several generations of personal and political aspirations.
patienceandfortitude
Nov 23, 2012patienceandfortitude rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I think I would like Isabel Allende more if she narrowed her focus, instead of writing grand sagas over generations. This book had some very moving parts, but didn't really wow me.
snowbird922
Apr 18, 2012
Being a Hispanic woman who had never read anything by a Hispanic author I was very disappointed in reading One Hundred Years of Solitude. This is the book I should have read first. Allende from the moment the story started had me…
Biblioteqa12
Feb 14, 2012Biblioteqa12 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
For her first novel, Isabel Allende nailed it! The character development is amazing. Her ability to encompass history within her story is admirable. She is me favorite storyteller.
Oct 02, 2011srstevenson rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is a delightfully meaty read...it will leave you breathless, race your heart, break your heart, wish for revenge, hope for redemption and want it to never end.
Mar 02, 2011judelyon rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Allende is a brilliant author who uses delicious, rich language and curious perceptions of time. Behind her story there lies a historical framework of this fictional South American country that educates the reader about the complexity of…