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Zorro: A Novel (P.S.) by Isabel Allende
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Zorro: A Novel (P.S.) (original 2005; edition 2006)

by Isabel Allende

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3,3951173,802 (3.61)150
Diego de la Vega, the son of an aristocratic Spanish landowner and a Shoshone mother, returns to California from school in Spain to reclaim the hacienda on which he was raised and to seek justice for the weak and helpless.
Member:bodhika
Title:Zorro: A Novel (P.S.)
Authors:Isabel Allende
Info:Harper Perennial (2006), Edition: Rep Tra, Paperback, 416 pages
Collections:Your library
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Zorro by Isabel Allende (2005)

  1. 40
    The Princess Bride by William Goldman (Alliebadger)
    Alliebadger: Both full of romance and adventure, and both fantastically written. Who doesn't love a daring swashbuckler?
  2. 30
    The Mark of Zorro by Johnston McCulley (jseger9000)
    jseger9000: McCulley created Zorro
  3. 20
    Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende (Alliebadger)
    Alliebadger: Both beautifully written, and Daughter of Fortune's Zorro references are hard to miss. :^)
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» See also 150 mentions

English (98)  Spanish (8)  Dutch (3)  Italian (2)  Catalan (1)  German (1)  Portuguese (Portugal) (1)  French (1)  All languages (115)
Showing 1-5 of 98 (next | show all)
Oh boy, what fun. My only previous encounter was a weekly TV show by Walt Disney. I am embarrassed to admit I enjoyed it, but looking back it was kid's stuff. But this is the real thing, a well written, adult-themed novel. Allende writes a gritty, humorous, and some times mystical story. While back-round in the story is well written and well researched, the characters are fictional. A fun, but serious and dangerous, romp from California to Spain and back again. Be prepared for action, danger, and a little romance. Most of all be prepared for Zorro, the Fox, so cunning and free.
, ( )
  thosgpetri | Oct 23, 2023 |
good version of the Zorro tale, combining lots of the parts that I remember from the stories from when I was a kid (the silent brother Bernardo, the black horse, de La Vega's foppishness against Zorro's masculinity), with a new twist and take
  nordie | Oct 14, 2023 |
This is the story of how Diego de la Vega became El Zorro, the legendary masked defender of justice. It was a fascinating and fun read and is sure to delight any fan of Zorro. Allende has fleshed out de la Vega's past, revealing just how Zorro gained his incredible skills while telling a darn good story at the same time. I think Johnston McCulley, the original creator of Zorro, would approve of Allende's story, plotted in the same dramatic manner as the old stories that appeared in the pulp magazines. ( )
  wisemetis | Jan 15, 2023 |
Historical fiction that tells the story of how Don Diego de la Vega became the legendary Zorro, defender of the disadvantaged and downtrodden. It starts in California in the late 18th century with the tale of how Diego’s parents met. It is an entertaining adventure that takes the reader on an exciting journey from California to Spain and back, with several detours through other parts of the world. It is told in third person by an (initially) unnamed narrator. It is written in Allende’s typical flowing and florid style.
It is long and densely written. It took me quite a while to read, and there are few logical stopping points, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. Do not expect an entirely realistic narrative – just suspend disbelief and go with the flow. ( )
  Castlelass | Dec 6, 2022 |
I honestly have no memory of reading this, which is highly unusual and super embarrassing... ( )
  books-n-pickles | Jan 16, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 98 (next | show all)
This hard-charging style, nicely captured by Margaret Sayers Peden's translation, is one of Allende's strengths: she dashes off long, sweeping paragraphs that dance with energy. Her prose is casually sensuous (''power was passed from hand to hand like a coin''), and her characters are large and archetypal, cut from mythic patterns. Mischievous Don Diego, the future Zorro, and his ''milk brother,'' Bernardo, move through the California landscape like Western versions of Tom and Huck.
added by SimoneA | editNew York Times, Max Byrd (May 15, 2005)
 
…Allende wants to have some fun, and in this she succeeds with a variety of spunk and good cheer.

…I am amazed at how enjoyable a picaresque novel can be, particularly one imbued with swashbuckling, swordplay, honor, hidden desire, unlikely coincidence and a good old-fashioned villain. Such elements are a reminder of the attractions of one of the main strains of world literature that starts with Don Quixote.

…the book has plenty of what Hollywood would call non-stop action, and this is told with a pleasure so keen on the author's part that it's difficult not to be swept up in it.

 
Reckless, unstable, attention-seeking, hysterical, sexually provocative, given to histrionic gestures, and with at least a split, dual or possibly even a multiple personality, Zorro is the archetypal neurotic-as-hero. He also wears a mask. Obviously, out in the real world, you'd lock him up and throw away the key. On the page, though, he's absolutely irresistible.

The story of Diego de la Vega, the son of an aristocratic Spanish landowner and a Native American Shoshone warrior, who becomes Zorro while traveling the world with his dependable sidekick Bernardo, is clearly a perfect fit for the author of The House of the Spirits and The Stories of Eva Luna.

 

» Add other authors (24 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Isabel Allendeprimary authorall editionscalculated
Švigir, ArianaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Brown, BlairNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Peden, Margaret SayersTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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This is the story of Diego de la Vega and of how he became the legendary Zorro.
Let us begin at the beginning, at an event without which Diego de la Vega would not have been born.
Quotations
„Didvyriškumas – nedėkingas amatas, dažniausiai lemiantis ankstyvą žūtį, todėl vilioja fanatikus arba, liguistai besižavinčius mirtimi.“; „Indėnai negalėjo suvokti, kodėl baltieji garbina ant kryžiaus nukankintą žmogų ir kodėl reikia atsižadėti malonumų šiame pasaulyje dėl tariamo gėrio kitame.“;
„ kaip tai gali atsitikti, kad jį, tokį menkystą, mylinti pati gražiausia pasaulio mergina, ir ji atsakė nežinanti, jog moteris sunku suprasti. Paskiau, šelmiškai mirktelėjusi, pridūrė, kad bet kuri moteris įsimylėtų vien tik su ją kalbantį vyrą.“; „Vaikystė – nelaimingas laikotarpis, pilnas nepagrįstų baimių, tokių kaip įsivaizduojamų pabaisų ir pajuokos baimės.“;
„Širdis – užgaidi, kartais staigiai persimaino, tačiau švelni seseriška meilė visada pastovi.“;

„Esu girdėjusi, kad kai kurie išradėjai svajoja sukurti rašymo aparatą, tačiau, mano įsitikinimu, toks keistas išradimas niekada nesulauks pasisekimo. Kai kurių rūšių neįmanoma mechanizuoti, nes joms reikia meilės, o rašymas yra viena jų.“;
„Meilė - tai tokia būklė, kurioje paprastai vyrams aptemsta protas, bet tai nepavojinga, apskritai pakanka to, kad ligoniui būtų atliepta, tuomet jis atsipeikėja ir ima žvalgytis kitos aukos.“; „Atmintis silpna ir aikštinga, kiekvienas žmogus prisimena ir pamišta tai, ką nori. Praeitis – tai storas sąsiuvinis, kuriame užsirašome gyvenimo įvykius rašalu, atitinkančiu dvasios būseną.“
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Diego de la Vega, the son of an aristocratic Spanish landowner and a Shoshone mother, returns to California from school in Spain to reclaim the hacienda on which he was raised and to seek justice for the weak and helpless.

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