The House of the Spirits

"She did not believe that the world was a vale of tears but rather a joke that God played and that it was idiotic to take it seriously."

Set in an unnamed country (but almost certainly Chile)'The House of the Spirits' follows three generations of the Trueba family. The book opens with the story of the del Valles and their young daughters, Rosa and Clara. Rosa is extremely beautiful whereas Clara is unusual in that she has a talent for clairvoyance and the ability to play the piano without lifting its lid. One day Clara predicts the death of Rosa who at the time is the fiancée of Esteban Trueba, the central male character.

At the time Esteban was away mining for gold in a remote part of the country in the hope of making a quick fortune so show more that he can marry Rosa. But after Rosa's sudden demise he decides to give up this get rich quick scheme and return to his long neglected ancestral estate, Tres Marias. There Estaban establishes himself as patron and his capacity for brutality and cruelty are brought into sharp focus but through sheer determination and hard work he turns Tres Marias's fortunes around making himself wealthy in the process.

After a number of years away Estaban asks her family for Clara's hand in marriage (as she had foreseen). It is here that the story really begins to kick into gear as a number of parallel story lines are introduced, most notably after the birth of Esteban and Clara’s three children, a daughter Blanca, twin sons Jaime and Nicolas and our third Trueba generation – Blanca’s daughter, Alba.

In what is essentially the second part of the novel, the family relocate back to the city where Esteban decides to become involved in politics becoming a Senator and an outspoken enemy of Socialist and Communist ideals whilst Alba embarks simultaneously on a love affair with a revolutionary.

The climax of the novel sees the country undergoing a military coup compelling Esteban to question the principles of class superiority and self-interest that have motivated his actions thus far in the process realising that it is impossible to escape the demons that we create.

This is an epic family saga that details not only the lives of the three generations of one family, but also the history of a nation providing a social narrative from a personal perspective exploring the themes of class-conflict and the cycle of violence.

I am a real fan of historical based novels but the fact that Allende leaves key places and figures anonymous means that anyone can appreciate the book without having to know its historical background. But to give it some context, Isabel Allende is the granddaughter of Salvador Allende, the socialist president of Chile deposed by a military coup. Therefore ‘The House of the Spirits’ is fundamentally a political novel. But it is not political in the sense that it supports one particular side over another but instead looks at what social conflict can do to a country – where a break-down of understanding between people can lead a state where common humanity is forgotten.

I must admit to approaching this book with some trepidation beforehand but thankfully,despite its title, this novel keeps its magical realism element of it down to a manageable level. Instead we get to invest in the Trueba family, to feel their despair and grief but also get to laugh along with them. This is a complex story that the reader has to invest in to but it is also a beautiful piece of writing and one that I will certainly remember. show less

I have a thing for family sagas - even when they end up being incredibly depressing and go on a wee bit too long. I vastly preferred the first half or so (much less depressing) to the final third (devastating and stop-okay-we-get-the idea). I loved the women characters, the men not so much (Esteban not at all after the first hundred pages or so). And the writing sang (though the translator has to get credit for some of that!)

This is a 2016 review that refers to the fact that I took Spanish in high school and traveled abroad for two weeks. I forgot all my Spanish after graduating in 2005.

I read the English one over a period of a few months in high school. I would wake up earlier than my close friend when I stayed over at her house, and, not wanting to disturb her, pluck this book off her shelf. She laughed when I told her, and said she'd hated having to analyze the book. Even now, I barely remember any of the English version. I remember it talked a lot about friendship and relationships. I love Allende's writing style.

I read the Spanish version later in one sitting. Re: the well-written, engaging plot that had me turning pages nonstop: At moments, I was show more disconcerted. At others, I was sickened. At the -torture scenes which were censored from the English version I read-, I was horrified. Re: the settings, the descriptions of characters, the everything else: I wish I could write like that. I still remember character descriptions so clearly, and I wanted to be in the mere presence of these women.

The stark difference between the two versions I read was likely due to the fact that wow, America censors a whooole lot. If it's not outright censorship, writing is frequently watered-down, especially with a book so political as this one. Both carried very different messages and connotations that were fit for both countries at the time (I read the Spanish version in Peru, the English version in America). It was really a lot for me to think about once I had set both versions aside and had time to reflect on what the differences were, and why. The English version is okay for high schoolers to read and analyze; that's fine. It's also a watered-down, heavily censored version and they're not getting what the real message was. If they were? This book would be aimed at adults only. I think because of the -kinds- of sex and violence described, as well as certain relationships and themes, that teenagers might not fully grasp what was going on, and it might not be the right time for them to read the book. Early twenties, yeah. It's about life experience, I guess. An adult is going to have a radically different understanding of this book and will probably have fewer nightmares.

This is a book that does need to be widely read. The themes do need to be discussed, especially every part of the plot ever. This is an important book! show less

‘The House of Spirits’ was lent to me by houseguests (flatguests?). I do appreciate it when visitors bring book recommendations. I’d heard of Isabel Allende but never read any of her work. I enjoyed this sprawling, dramatic saga of four generations. Although the magical realism of the first half was charming, I found the more political second half more moving. The account of the military coup via family involvement is extremely compelling and intense. The density and feeling of family relationships are beautifully conveyed, although I found the frequent foreshadowing somewhat disconcerting. Allende’s writing is eloquent and unflinching. The development of Esteban Trueba from impatient youth to a monstrously violent manhood to a show more frail and regretful old age is really well done, although the consistent focus on his horrible ways was also distinctly depressing. The novel as a whole had a lovely rhythm, which also meant that no single moment or phrase stood out. I simply noticed the slow shift from supernatural to brutally prosaic. show less

She was the only person in the house who had the key to her uncle's tunnel of books, along with his permission to take them out and read them. Blanca argued that her reading should be monitored because there were certain things that were inappropriate for her age, but her Uncle Jaime felt that people never read what did not interest them and if it interested them that meant they were sufficiently mature to read it.

This is a glorious, heart-breaking, confounding novel about three generations of a Chilean family. It focuses on Clara, a clairvoyant, dreamy woman who can move salt cellars with her mind and who becomes the great love of both Férula and her brother Esteban, a violent, reactionary man; her daughter Blanca, whose great love show more for the son of a peasant farmer on her father's estate will both tear her family apart and save them; and Alba, Blanca's daughter, who will be the family member who sees them all through the military takeover with her courage and love.

I approached this book as one that would be an effort to read, and found instead a drama-filled and well paced novel in which three very different women live in an odd world, where magical things happen as a matter of course, where women are expected to behave in certain ways but where they are often, but not always, able to circumvent the expectations placed on them. It's an extraordinary novel and I enjoyed reading it. I ended up carrying around with me to grab a few sentences or pages throughout the day. show less

Me emocionei enormemente com A Casa dos Espíritos porque não é apenas um livro antifascista, mas sobretudo por ser profundamente feminista.
Parcialmente sob o ponto de vista de um personagem que é o arquétipo do reacionário patriarcal adentramos a família Trueba, cuja força das mulheres são descomunais tal como os homens criados por elas. A força motriz do livro é Clara, cujos filhos se rebelaram contra o reacionarismo patriarcal do pai como deve ser nas melhores famílias (nunca vou entender filhos que não se rebelam contra os pais), mas toda a violência praticada pelo pai já nos prepara para as últimas 100 páginas que se destinam ao processo de patriarcalização reacionária no governo militar pós Allende, vejo muito show more do que aconteceu com o senador Trueba algo como aconteceu ao PSDB no Brasil, Trueba era um escroto golpista de marca maior, mas não estava preparado para que a extrema direita destruísse o país da forma que fez e no final da jornada ficou profundamente arrependido da sua contribuição pra isso e acabou inclusive fazendo as pazes consigo mesmo de toda vilania que exercera no passado.
Acho que a prima em segundo grau do Salvador Allende não poderia ter feito um livro mais bonito sobre o Chile do século XX, com toques herdados do realismo mágico, cada pedaço de história do país se confunde com as venturas e desventuras da família Trueba, um toque especial de que gostei é que os personagens históricos presentes nunca são nomeados, mas sempre fica evidente de quem se trata. Acho que essa mistura de realismo mágico com ficção histórica foi extraordinária e não vejo forma melhor da autora honrar o Allende de seu nome. show less

Destinies that cross each other, chase up after each other, fight each other, at times, mercilessly... Here's a house 'of spirits' (in fact, a hacienda lost in the Chilean countryside) that acts like an octopus, and those tentacles deploy the story of a family over four generations.

It's a story which sometimes sink into the surreal, that of a supernatural imagination, from strange creatures to spiritism, and of a dreamy fantasy inviting itself, blowing a soft magical breeze giving to this family saga the touch of a fairy tale.

Characters are deep, striking, tragic, funny, despicable at times, 'a collection of lunatics and eccentrics even ghosts are mocking', but who tell, also, the history of a country, from the 'peones' exploited in show more the haciendas until the brutal dictatorship of Pinochet.

Here's a book, ending crucified in a weird Trinity (the Poet, the President, the Dictator that is, even if their names are never explicitly mentioned, none other than Pablo Neruda, Salvador Allende -the author is the daughter of one of his cousins- and Pinochet) and which, clearly, is the kind of novel one close knowing full-well that, one day, it will be read again.

A masterpiece. show less