A Long Petal of the Sea: A Novel Hardcover – January 21, 2020

A Long Petal of the Sea, Isabel Allende, 2020I really like good historical fiction. It gives one the personal experience of participating in historical events through the perspective of fictional characters. And this is good historical fiction as it addresses the subjects of refugees and exile brought about by political instability and turmoil. Allende is not someone without personal experience in this regard as her uncle was Salvador Allende and she had to flee Chile in 1973 when Pinochet staged a rightwing coup. Her first book “House of the Spirits” dealt with this same subject using a fictional country and fictional political leaders. This book is about real countries, real events, real political figures.The book starts in the year 1939 in the city of Barcelona. Franco’s forces have just defeated the Republican forces in the battle of Madrid and are closing in on the last Catalonian stronghold of Barcelona. There the middleclass family of a music teacher, Marcel Dalmau, is contemplating the impending disaster. Marcel’s two sons are socialists, members of the Republican forces. Victor is a medic and his brother, Guillem, a soldier, just killed in the forces defeated in Madrid. Also, part of the household is a girl, Roser, a musical prodigy, adopted by Marcel and pregnant with Guillem’s child. The story follows the flight, in the depths of winter, of Victor and Roser, along with the catastrophic exodus of hundreds of thousands from Barcelona to the French border. There, in the French concentration camps on the beaches at Argeles-sur-Mer, they endure brutal mistreatment and witness the deaths of thousands of refugees.The Nobel Prize winning Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda plays a crucial role in the story as he organizes an exodus of over 2000 of the refuges on a chartered freighter to be resettled in Chile. The story follows the lives of Victor and Roser as they are rescued by Neruda and end up in Santiago, Chile. They are adopted by the scion of a wealthy family who is a sympathizer with left-wing causes. The tensions, inequalities and instability of Chilean society of that time are revealed through the characters’ lives and portend another repeat of the horror they escaped in 1939. Allendes’ complex interweaving of compelling characters and situations propel this story forward and will keep you turning pages. Victor does not relinquish his political affiliations, and this will prove disastrous 34 years after he arrived in Chile when the right-wing dictatorship of Pinochet takes over. Along with Rosa he again becomes a refugee and again they both are forced into exile in Venezuela.Allendes’ portrayal rings true because she has lived this story herself. Political instability fueled by inequality and strident ideology are dangers to all Democratic societies and can give rise to catastrophic conflict. Allendes’ book is a plea for understanding and compassion for the plight of refugees from political, societal and racial violence. The world is again confronting refugee crisis’s in the middle east and on our own southern border. How we treat or mistreat these refugees reflects on our human values not theirs. Apparently throughout history it has been all too easy for people to succumb to the politics of unscrupulous leaders who appeal to the worst aspects of human nature.If you’re looking for an epic and masterful work of historical fiction, of hope, exile and belonging then look no further. Within this epic sweep of history is embedded a great story with many unexpected plot twists. This will be made into a movie. Pablo Neruda’s poetry is featured at the beginning of each chapter. JACK“Foreigners, here it is,This is my homeland,Here I was born and here live my dreams,Chile, long petal of sea and wine and snow”

It was a great story of triumph. The concentration camps were tough.

(My opinion on this book kind of went up and down rather drastically as I read it, so at the end, it was 4, but at other times it was a 3.)This was an epic historical tale that (mostly) follows Victor Dalmau over the span of his eighty years of life and encompasses everything from his early days as a soldier for the Republic of Spain to his exile to Chile (and further tragedies that might be spoilers, but if you don't know about the history of Chile.) The one guiding theme throughout all of these life events is love.Dalmau is a heart doctor. He has many loves throughout his long life (and not just people, but I'd argue the countries that he takes refuge in too). The most important love of these is for his wife, who he falls in love with multiple times in their later years. (When he was evacuating, he was forced to marry his brother's girlfriend, Roster. It was supposed to be that they would divorce after arriving, but they ended up staying together.) Theirs is a free love and a mature one that evolves many times over the years, and even after she dies, it persists as she tells him to love the neighbor as well in order to not be alone. So he does. Love, in this book, seems to be equated with the continuation of life and keeps showing up in every aspect of the book, even when the world outside is bleak and keeps falling apart.(I can't help thinking about the symbolism of Dalmau restarting the heart of that soldier as some sort of representation of the respective countries that Dalmau must repeatedly flee from due to violence and the slow rebirth of those countries. I greatly admired this and enjoyed reading and learning about the happenings in those countries. And love, it seems in this book, to be present both in the violent times and after; it is always there and that was an interesting aspect - that love can be violent and also peaceful.)However, there are somethings about the way this book is written that made it a bit tough for me to get through. First off, this is written like a history textbook. There are many instances of just facts (of political parties etc.) being presented while the story takes a backseat. Then, because of the timeline involved, a lot of the story ends up reading like a summary of a story, and nothing is ever really in present time. And due to this, I would totally get it if someone DNF'ed this. At times, it's not that enjoyable to read, but due to the interesting topics (and some of the beautiful lines), I rated this up.I would recommend this book for people who like history (and maybe not so much fiction).

I went to cover this, but I won't.

Many lives interwoven, and a story that spans continents. Full of history, and a compelling journey to follow the characters on that was impossible to put down .

This book was chosen for a book club I am apart of. It was a little difficult to get into, I did not know a lot about the Spanish Civil War. Keeping tract of which political side each character was on was not easy, but did pick up towards the middle of the book. I did find myself tearing up a bit at the death of a certain character.This is a long book book that took me longer then normal to get through. If you like a romantic that takes a long time to develop, then this is the book for you.

I read this book for book club and although most everyone else liked it, I thought it was a bit contrived. It is hard to believe that one person would end up in two different concentration camps in different countries. I knew the sex of the baby immediately and recognized it as a plot device. I was glad to have someone in a novel end up old and fat like in real life.

Just a little too much political slant to the novel, otherwise, a good story

If you are interested in the Spanish Civil War and the history of modern Chile, this book is for you. However, if you are looking for a novel which draws out stories and characters in front of the historical backdrop then you will, like me, be disappointed.The history is well-explained and the author clearly has quite a bit of first-hand knowledge of the events described – especially in Chile, her native country. However, the fiction aspect was little more than a synopsis running parallel to the historic events. This lengthy book did, I am afraid, become rather boring, with characters that never engaged the reader – at least, not this one.

I have always loved Isabel Allende's books, especially of course 'The House of Spirits'. Her new and long awaited ' A long petal of the sea' is an epic novel, which I couldn't put down. Profound knowledge of history - from the Spanish Civil War to the end of Pinochet's regime in Chile - is skillfully combined with the life stories of the main characters. for some, this novel might be a bit too much on the side of 'historical facts' and too little on the side of 'story telling'. For me, the read was ideal: it provided a 'refresher course' about times and events I was always interested in, widened my knowledge through including Pablo Neruda's role in bringing Spanish refugees to Chile, and entertained me with the partly fictional story. Brilliant.

This is one of the most moving and profound novels I have read. The life journeys explored, buffeted by the tides of history in the Spanish Civil war and the Pinochet junta in Chile, offer deep insight into the diverse nature of relationships and the value of grounding in a sense of purpose that seeks to transcend the unthinkable. Whilst by no means of the same order as the events so graphically explored here, reading this in the midst of the Covid 19 crisis is a reminder that we live in a world where the battle between the desire for self determination and the reality of uncontrollable events is writ large. The delusions of self in the context of the forces of history provides much scope for reflection on our own lives at this time.

This was my second Isabele Allende book and it certainly won’t be my last but I won’t be counting A Long Petal of the Sea as one of my favourites. Allende is undoubtedly a wonderful writer but this felt more like a history lesson than a fiction book. If you are interested in the Spanish Civil War and Chile, then I'm sure you will enjoy it. But if, like me, you enjoy novels that are driven by the story and the characters with the historical background serving as a secondary character, you might be disappointed.The historical aspects are well written and fascinating. Indeed, I finished the book with a much better knowledge of the Spanish Civil War and its effects but as another reviewer has said, the fiction aspect was little more than a synopsis running parallel to the historic events. The main characters weren’t particularly engaging so I wasn’t invested in their lives. It doesn't happen often but I have to confess, I was relieved to get to the end!

This is my favourite book of the year so far. Isabel Allende has evoked Spanish and South American history that I have had put aside after 20 years living in UK. The story sounds as real and humane as some tales in my own family, although different wars and different part of the world. It is well written and all characters stay focused throughout the years. Love it!