Allende is a beautiful writer, in my humble opinion. Her prose is rich with vivid descriptions and historical allusions and her use of words reminds me, a bit, of Dickens. Still, I didn't really like this book. Inés Suarez, a real woman who lived and loved more than 400 years ago, was the lover, then wife, of Spanish adventurer, Juan de Málaga, a man with little to recommend him but his stunning good looks and astounding sexual prowess. After he disappears into the South American wilderness, Inés travels from Spain to the new world, meeting along the way Pedro de Valdivia, the married soldier who will eventually found Chile with her help. After ascertaining that Juan is dead and spending nine years as Pedro's mistress, Inés marries Rodrigo de Quiroga, who becomes the "gubernador" of Chile. He is the love of Inés' life (finally!) and they enjoy 30 years of wedded bliss before dying within months of each other.
This novel, while rich in historical details, lacks soul (despite the title). Inés is too focused, to fearless, and too emotionless to appeal to the reader's emotions. She is almost annoying in her ability to manage any and every situation, including marrying herself off to Quiroga after Pedro de Valdivia dumps her for political reasons. I haven't read any of Allende's other books, but I understand that this one is very different in tone and character from her usual works. Historically, it is full of blood and gore details of Pizarro's conquest of Peru and surrounding areas, and for this reason I would recommend it to anyone interested in this period of history. It was certainly an eye-opener for me. If you are looking for an engaging novel, though, I would look elsewhere.
No comments:
Post a Comment