Sweeping and lyrical, Allende’s multi-generational epic traces a richly evocative path through forty years of authoritarian rule in Spain, as witnessed by a group of disparate characters. Suffused with the author’s trademark brand of magical realism and a vibrant sense of time and place, A Long Petal of the Sea is vintage Allende.
That September 2, 1939, the day of the Spanish exiles' splendid arrival in Chile, the Second World War broke out in Europe.
Victor Dalmau is a young doctor when he is caught up in the Spanish Civil War, a tragedy that leaves his life - and the fate of his country - forever changed. Together with his sister-in-law, the pianist Roser Bruguera, he is forced out of his beloved Barcelona and into exile. When opportunity to seek refuge in Chile arises, they take it, boarding a ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda to the promised 'long petal of sea and wine and snow' over the seas.
There, they find themselves enmeshed in a rich web of characters who come together in love and tragedy over the course of four generations, destined to witness the battle between freedom and repression as it plays out across the world.
A masterful work of historical fiction about hope, exile and belonging, A Long Petal of the Sea is Isabel Allende at the height of her powers.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781526615947
Number of pages: 336
Weight: 237 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
Allende has everything it takes: the ear, the eye, the mind, the heart, the all-encompassing humanity - New York Times
Isabel Allende is a grand storyteller who writes with surpassing compassion and insight. Her place as an icon of world literature was secured long ago. She will be celebrated, by readers and writers alike, for generations to come - Khaled Hosseini
A historical saga that sweeps from the Spanish Civil War to the rise and fall of General Pinochet - Highlights for 2020, Daily Telegraph
Although this is fiction, Allende’s epic is deeply rooted in fact, and often reads like a biography – of her homeland not least . . . [The characters] are brought alive by Allende’s generous imagination and brisk, vivid prose - Daily Mail
A decades-spanning tale of war, exile and belonging . . . Grounding the novel is the love story between Victor and Roser, all the more touching for being unconventional . . . The book is all-encompassing, both in its sweep through history and the sheer number of lives crammed into it . . . The writing is unadorned but affecting, shot through with sad details - Sunday Telegraph
Her latest novel, A Long Petal of the Sea, is built on a recurring theme in Allende’s work: the displacement of people . . . It is difficult not to see this novel as a reminder of the endless recurrence of history, or half a million Franco refugees fleeing Spain with many interned in harsh camps in France – of people fleeing from countries in which refuge is now sought - Irish Times
Allende marries the fictional and the historical in lush, sprawling epics. A Long Petal of the Sea takes its place in the unparalleled canon she has created, exploring the sacrifices we make for the sake of those we love, and the love we sacrifice for the sake of our families - Jodi Picoult
Allende's stories are delicate, their images akin to poetry - Barbara Kingsolver
If Allende's life depended on her narrative gifts, she'd not only survive, but reign - Los Angeles Times
In this stunning historical novel, Allende traces one couple’s escape from the Spanish Civil War to Chile . . . A powerful story about love and belonging – and how displacement doesn’t have to mean defeat - People
Allende transcends the ordinary - Tatler
A gripping novel for our times, this confirms – again – that Allende is a consummate storyteller . . . Historical fact is exquisitely interwoven with personal stories as families are displaced by war, torn apart and reunited. A stunning portrayal of love, courage and hope - Book of the Month, Woman & Home
Both an intimate look at the relationship between one man and one woman and an epic story of love, war, family and the search for home, this gorgeous novel, like all the best novels, transports the reader to another time and place, and also sheds light on the way we live now. Isabel Allende is a legend and this might be her finest book yet - J. Courtney Sullivan, author of 'Saints for All Occasions'
Like many of Allende’s books, it features strong women, displaced people and a powerful love story spanning generations . . . Allende identifies closely with the experience of upheaval that her characters endure . . . The theme of belonging runs deeper than just a sense of nationality. It is also a sense of belonging to a family, a spouse, a group of friends - Sunday Times
This is a novel not just for those of us who have been Allende fans for decades, but also for those who are brand new to her work: what a joy it must be to come upon Allende for the first time. She knows that all stories are love stories, and the greatest love stories are told by time - Colum McCann
“Long Petal of the Sea” is an ambitious and complex political novel from Isabel Allende. Her trademark magical realism doesn’t appear, what we see is the stark realism of the terrors and devastation of the Spanish... More
Isabel Allende’s novel begins with the horrors of the Spanish Civil War and ends shortly after the fall of the Pinochet regime in Chile. The events of these tumultuous years are witnessed through the eyes of two... More
This novel by Isabel Allende, based on a true story and true events, tells us about Victor, a medical student in Republican Spain of the 1930s, as he lives through - and survives - the Spanish Civil War, exile to... More
Please sign in to write a review
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?
