Welcome to Litsy!

Isabel Allende says that she was inspired to write this after seeing a play about the Kinder Transport. I find it astonishing that our society can treat children in the ways that are depicted in the book. In that way it reminded me of the Handmaid‘s Tale. Poor Samuel evacuated from Nazi occupied Austria to suffer more trauma in Britain and poor Anita, smuggled out of El Salvador to face an uncertain future in the US.

A friend of mine loves Isabel Allende and has read every book of hers, but in Spanish. This is my first book and it‘s a pick. The theme of refugees and the different histories she included were powerful and heart-wrenching. I loved how all the stories came together in the end. I wasn‘t sure if she‘d be able to do it at the beginning. There seemed to be too many storylines but she did it beautifully by the end. The end was sad but also satisfying.

Read this one for book club, otherwise I wouldn't have finished it. Allende is passionate about immigration and tells the story of multiple characters who emigrated for difficult reasons, from Samuel on Kindertransport during WW2 to Anita arriving from El Salvador in 2019. The overly didactic and expositional writing style were frustrating, and I think she tried to do too much in less than 260 pages.

⭐️there has to be better books out there about the immigration experience. This was one choppy mess! Felt not a thing about these cardboard characters

As a narrative, this left some things to be desired. Instead, this is more a spiderweb of connecting characters, touched by trauma and empathy, an overall optimistic look at human condition through the lens of pain experienced during immigration (especially at a young age). Timely for this moment for sure.

This was a heartbreaking and heartwarming story of love, grief, and family told from several points of view and focusing on topics related to immigration. Not my favorite Allende but one that stands up there with others of hers I‘ve read.

First Oct book. This month I plan to read something between 31 chapters and 31 books. 😎

In a few days I‘m heading to New Jersey where I‘ll be house sitting for some friends. I‘m taking books with me!

#31by31

This is such a good read. I loved the intertwined stories and the characters were really likable. The story was centered around a boy whose parents had him fostered in England during the Holocaust and a migrant who was separated from her daughter at the border. 5/5

I really love Isabel Allende, but this one is a bit of a dog. Woof. It feels unpolished or rushed - more like a handful of character sketches?

A most excellent read!! I haven't been so totally engrossed in a story in a long time, and God, I didn't want to put this book down. It was compelling, heart breaking, joyous; and I'm really going to miss all these characters 💜

And now it's going to be so hard to find another book to read 😖

"A sense of misfortune hung in the air."

Starting this today.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

Four POV stories that are interwoven in Allende fashion. I liked the theme and the final chapter delivers. Oddly, some parts of this one was a little forced, while other parts were so engaging. An uneven read, but overall pick.

Stopped in to a new indie bookstore in Keller Texas called A house with books, and met owner Hayley. It‘s a great store with a comfy vibe. So happy to have this store nearby. Bought a few titles, including this new Allende.

A story of war and immigration. A story of parents‘ love and the lengths they go to in order to save their children. A story of strangers helping those in need. Beautifully written with so many characters I cared about! It was bit hard to follow until I got the characters and time frames sorted out, but it was well worth the effort. I have two other books by this author languishing on my shelves—they‘re now much closer to the top of my TBR list.

Isabel Allende did it again. She brought me to tears and had me contemplating life and love. Although these characters are technically fictional, they told very real stories about the horrors inflicted upon women and children throughout history and all over the world. Some parts were difficult to read, but I pushed through because it felt important. Stories like these need to be told, and they need to be heard. Continued in the comments…

“In his old age, the sin of indifference had become a fierce demon that stalked his nightmares and haunted him in moments of loneliness. He dreamed of being able to start again, imagining another life… experiencing deep pleasure and deep pain, taking risks, facing challenges and defeats, a bold life.”

I love when I find the title of the book in the story.

My Saturday night spent with a virtual fireplace 😅, a snack, some tea, and my book 🥰

“…he held his pain in the sealed box of memory, believing that only silence would keep the hurt intact. Words dilute and deform memories, and he didn‘t want to forget anything.”

From 1938 to the present, from Europe to the Americas, Allende tells a story that connects two moments in time to illustrate the persecution of specific groups of people by uncaring or even malevolent governments/states. I wasn‘t sure where this was going at first, but by the end I saw how deft it was. I really need to read more of her.

#ReadingAmericas2023 #Chile (author from), also works for El Salvador and Guatemala

Very good with a great ending!

Happy mail arrived! I preordered this the minute Isabel Allende‘s IG page announced it, and it was released today! I‘ve posted about this before, but Isabel Allende is my all time favorite author. I automatically click that pre-order button when her books are announced. I don‘t even need to read the blurb or reviews lol. So excited to dive in 😁

I don't know how I feel about this one. Each part was well written and the characters and descriptions were wonderful.... But the first part felt like it was written by someone else. I know it wasn't, and that Allende used that voice and turns of phrase for the character and the times... But it made it feel separate from the rest of the book somehow. Still a good book... Just neither my favorite by the author or genre.