A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
A Long Petal of the Sea (Ballantine Books) is author Isabel Allende’s latest family saga, which spans the decades from 1938 to 1994 and continents from Europe to South America.
The novel begins with a startling scene involving Victor Dalmau squeezing a soldier’s heart back to life on a cement floor in the midst of the Spanish civil war. His experience as a medical assistant in the Republican Army, and this experience in particular, will provide the catalyst for his future career as a world-renowned cardiologist.
Victor’s younger brother, Guillem, is a macho soldier fighting fascism against Franco’s forces. While home recovering from typhus, he falls in love with his professor father’s musical protégée Roser. Tragically, after impregnating her, Guillem dies in battle. The pregnant Roser’s mettle is tested as she escapes to France on foot through snowy mountain passes only to arrive in a miserable refugee camp.
When the war ends, Roser and Victor are reunited and choose to marry in order to flee together to Chile. Once in Chile, they begin new lives and quickly integrate into the fabric of Chilean culture. Their non-traditional love story isn’t without affairs and complications. Ultimately, though, they share a happy life together until history repeats itself. When a military dictator takes control of Chile, they are forced to flee again, this time to Venezuela.
The novel comes full circle as the couple retraces their many journeys to determine what makes a home and what makes a life.
A STORY WITH LAYERS AND DEPTH
The omniscient storyteller voice of the novel is reminiscent of 19th-century writing. This style takes longer to sink into than the quick, intimate style found in many modern novels. Readers lacking background knowledge about the Spanish civil war may find the first few chapters a bit confusing. However, even in these first chapters, Allende’s graphic descriptions of wartime and her well-developed character descriptions should encourage readers to stick with it.
The plot is masterfully constructed with events early in the novel adding layers and depth to later events. The characters are interesting, likeable and beautifully imperfect. One especially satisifying facet of the novel is how beloved secondary characters from early chapters continue to play surprising, pivotal roles even when seemingly out of the picture.
The highlight of the novel is Allende’s portrayal of Chile. The reader is invited to know and love Chile alongside the Dalmaus as they settle into the country that will become their homeland. And while Allende’s descriptions of the country are painted with exquisite prose, it is the character of its people and culture that really comes alive in this novel.
A Long Petal of the Sea is a must-read for armchair traveling fans!
A Long Petal of the Sea is now available for purchase.
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