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Loading... My Invented Country (2003)by Isabel Allende
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. This is a quick, interesting read that I wish I had read back when it came out and we had a large number of Chilean friends among our associates. Allende's book sheds light on some cultural things that were always a little confusing to me and also makes me feel better about having trouble understanding the Chilean accent. It also puts into perspective some quirks on the Spanish side of my family and the current cultural situation in the US. ( ) Audiobook narrated by Blair Brown 3.5*** In this memoir, Allende looks at her own family history as well as the history of her native country, Chile. She explores the social conventions, politics, natural terrain, geographical difficulties and advantages of this unique land. It’s a story full of mythology – from national legends, to her own family’s stories. Here are the roots of her ability to seamlessly weave elements of magical realism into her novels. Her own family history is rife with examples: a grandmother who could move furniture with her thoughts, ghosts and hauntings, and larger-than-life ancestors. Blair Brown does a fine job of narrating this memoir. I’ve listened to her narrate a couple of Allende’s books and this is a good partnership. Nostalgic, conversational and irreverent, renowned international, bestselling author Isabel Allende's memoir about her home country of Chile takes the reader on a journey of history and memories. There are a fair amount of hyperbole and sweeping generalizations, and some of her commentary, such as the way she spoke so casually disparagingly of both her family and of Mapuche Indians, was startling, but I appreciated her story, as well as insights into a national psyche you usually don't get to read about in guidebooks. I have previously read many of her books and now feel like I have a better sense of how she came to be who she is. no reviews | add a review
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Isabel Allende evokes the magnificent landscapes of her country; a charming, idiosyncratic Chilean people with a violent history and an indomitable spirit; and the politics, religion, myth, and magic of her homeland that she carries with her even today.The book circles around two life-changing moments. The assassination of her uncle Salvador Allende Gossens on September 11, 1973, sent her into exile and transformed her into a literary writer. And the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on her adopted homeland, the United States, brought forth an overdue acknowledgment that Allende had indeed left home. My Invented Country, mimicking the workings of memory itself, ranges back and forth across that distance between past and present lives. It speaks compellingly to immigrants and to all of us who try to retain a coherent inner life in a world full of contradictions. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)863.64Literature Spanish and Portuguese Spanish fiction 20th Century 1945-2000LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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