The Rhythm of Memory

by Alyson Richman

Octavio Ribeiro loves truth, beauty, literature, and above all else, his wife Salomé. As a student in Chile, he courted her with the words of great poets, and she fell in love with his fierce intelligence and uncompromising passion. Then a sudden coup brings a brutal military dictatorship into power, and puts anyone who resists in grave danger.

Salomé begs Octavio to put his family’s safety first, rather than speak against the new regime. When he refuses, it’s Salomé who pays the price.

Belatedly awake to the reality of their danger, Octavio finds political asylum for the family in Sweden. But for Salomé, the path back to love is fraught with painful secrets, and the knowledge that they can never go home again.

Previously published as Swedish Tango

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Sweden, Audiobook, Historical, France, Adult

416 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2004

About the author

Alyson Richman is the USA Today bestselling and #1 international bestselling author of several historical novels including The Velvet Hours, The Garden of Letters, and The Lost Wife, which is currently in development for a major motion picture. Alyson graduated from Wellesley College with a degree in art history and Japanese studies. She herself is an accomplished painter and her novels combine her deep love of art, historical research, and travel. Alyson's novels have been published in more than twenty-five languages and have reached the bestseller lists both in the United States and abroad. She lives on Long Island with her husband and two children, where she is currently at work on her next novel.

Reviews

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

BEFORE READING: I am drawn to read this because the characters come from different cultures: Chilean, French and Finnish . They live in Sweden as foreign exiles, so Swedish customs will also be part of the picture. The status of foreign exiles in Sweden is sure to be an interesting subject. Furthermore it concerns the overthrow of Allende in Chile, and Pinochet's subsequent rule. Finally, I simply very much liked that style of writing found in the sample.


NO SPOILERS!!!!!!!

Who might be interested in reading this book? What is its central theme? What side issues does it cover? The prime theme is how people relate to each other in a family. How do we achieve happiness? Is it through chasing our own individual dreams or is it through the consideration of others in the family? How do you balance these sometimes conflicting goals? Of course there is no rule that fits all situations, but these are the topics central to this book. I believe each reader will have different responses to these central questions and will agree and disagree with the different choices made by the various characters. I believe the purpose of the book is not to show you, the reader, the right answer but to consider these questions. The ending clearly shows the author's point of view. The reader need not agree. The enjoyment is in the observation of how people react differently and in realizing that there is not set answer that is right for all. And that we all make mistakes……

The above central theme is delivered through a story focusing upon four characters with completely different backgrounds and countries of origin. That is what originally drew me to the book. I like books that show how individuals are changed by the historical events of turbulent times. It is my belief that people are influenced by both their "genes" and the events of their lives. People respond to a given "event" so differently. It is this mix of these two forces that I find fascinating to observe. Why does one child growing up with the same parents turn out so very different from his or her sibling? How can one person live through a war and come out whole and able to appreciate life while another can never smile again? Why does one person laugh at another's divergent opinion while another individual is saddened?

How do you love a person? I am referring to both the physical, sexual and psychological aspects. How does our love toward our spouse change with time? I absolutely adored the beginning scenes described in this book of how Octavio courted Salomé. She lived in a convent. It was her "job" to collect the oranges from the orchard. Well, Octavio he caught sight of her, and it was love at first sight. So what does he do? He collects oranges and in the navel of each one he inserts a poem. And eventually they meet……. When you read of this fairy tale courting it is beautiful. However, do not expect a fairy tale story. Love is not all sweet words.

But, should a man make love differently to a woman after she had been abused? Should he hold her differently – more gently – to keep her from breaking? (page 273)

Every reader will immediately respond: "Well, it depends on this or that or…." But you do not read these lines unmoved!

Other themes upon which this book focuses are the appropriate guidelines for psychological therapy including the relationship between psychologist and patient, the status of political refugees and the difficulties of assimilation into a foreign culture, survivors' guilt, physical abuse inflicted by corrupt regimes and the resultant psychological problems that arise, Finnish War Children and the psychological problems that arise for those orphans who never regained contact with their biological parents, the need to come to peace with our past, how parents respond differently to each of their children, what is kept secret and what is revealed in a relationship and the courage needed to relive horrible events of our past to ensure that the cruel events of history are brought to light. All of these various themes are beautifully interwoven and each one draws you in.

When Kaja at two years of age travels alone from Finland to Sweden, alone with numerous other scared and frightened Finnish children, the writing puts you there on that boat with her and the others. When no one claims her, when one person is kind and another indifferent to her feelings, you empathize. The book grabs your emotions and it makes you think. It has beautiful episodes and horrific episodes. I like the mix.

My intention is that this review will help you decide if YOU want to read this book. Do these themes interest you? If the answer is yes, the writing skills of the author will certainly draw you in.
I will read more by the author. This alone shows the degree to which I enjoyed the book! There are so many different authors to test, so I rarely read more than one book by the same author no matter how good the book proved to be. Her other books do not cover the same themes. That is a plus too! :0)

P.S. I know this is trivial, but it annoyed me immensely. A large part of the story takes place in Västerås, Sweden. This city is on the western tip of Lake Mälaren. Stockholm is located on the eastern tip of this same lake. The book spells this city Vesterås. It must be possible to put the two dots over the a; thy managed to put the circle over the a! They managed to spell Göteborg correctly; why not Västerås?

[Soy Fabi Una booklover más · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maravilloso. Todos los libros de Richman me han parecido sublimes sin embargo este me ha parecido el mejor. Una historia espectacular con episodios muy difíciles contada de una manera maravillosa. Aplausos para Alyson Richman.

[Антоанета · Rating 4 out of 5]

За първи път се сблъсквам с история на Чили и диктатурата на Пиночет. Ужасена съм от терористичните му методи и от разправата му с неудобните. И все пак, за който и диктатор да четем - те всички са еднакви, прилаганите изтезания също. Потресена съм, че 20-ти век е донесъл мъка и страдания на толкова много (милиони) хора по света и че подобни издевателства продължават и до днес. Та, който си мисли, че геноцидът срещу евреите и Аушвиц е връхната точка на мъчения и гавра спрямо хора, може да посегне към историята на толкова много други държави във времето и пространството и да преосмисли убежденията си.
Тук жертвата е Саломе - жена, майка, съпруга. Единствената й вина е, че мъжът й - известен киноактьор - не желае да се примири с новата власт и хули генерала. Той не се спира пред това, че остава без работа или, че веднъж жена му вече е отвеждана от тайната полиция и бита за назидание. Това го ожестокочава още повече и не спира и пред нейните разумни доводи да помисли за семейството си и да се откаже от гордостта. Докато не става най-страшното - тя отново е отведена и никой не знае къде. И все пак Саломе съумява да не се пречупи и да не се възприема като жертва. Това, което е понесла в затвора, не би могъл да го понесе всеки. Почти всички свършват мъртви. Тя оцелява! Но ще минат години преди отново да се почувства човек и още повече години преди да се възприеме отново като жена.
Отново много силна книга, отново води много размисли след себе си, отново читателят е поразен от тежката съдба на героите, които са събирателен образ на много реални съдби.
Някои допълнителни сюжетни линии не ми бяха много интересни и затова оценката ми е по-ниска от Изгубената съпруга, но и тази книга ми хареса изключително много.

[Dani Alonzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solo podía pensar leyendo este libro en que move over queen Isabel Allende porque llegó Alyson a escribir sobre la dictadura en Chile con una pluma mágica y con unos personajes que se quedan en tu memoria para siempre.

[Indira Matute · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una novela histórica impecable donde se destaca la importancia del poder de el perdón y la reconciliación.

Un relato que aborda temas como la migración, la solidaridad que mostraron las familias suecas al cuidar a miles de niños finlandeses que fueron recibidos durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, las huellas que dejaron las torturas durante el regimen del general Pinochet en Chile y la importancia de sanar las heridas para poder abrirnos a experimentar de nuevo el amor a plenitud.

Alyson Richman es fiel a su estilo y lo pude disfrutar una vez más en la lectura de La Melodía de la memoria.

[Lucila Soto · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 🌟

Batallé para terminar este libro.

El libro nos sumerge en la historia de Salomé y Octavio, una pareja joven que vive su amor en el Chile de 1969, antes de los acontecimientos que dan inicio a la dictadura militar.

Octavio un actor de cine con mucha popularidad es reclutado para darle clases a Salvador Allende. De ese periodo, Octavio cultiva una profunda admiración por el personaje que finalmente se convierte en presidente de Chile.

Dada su relación con Allende posterior al golpe militar, Octavio y su familia se encuentran en peligro, por lo que se ven forzados a escapar a Suecia.

Uuffff el libro se vuelve completamente repetitivo y con impresión histórica impresionante. Siendo chilena sentí mucha frustración leer por ejemplo que en agosto hay vacaciones de verano ???? Amiga, en agosto estamos en invierno y hace un frío te cagas, considerando el año en el que se escribió perfectamente se podría haber googleado más. Lo mismo ocurre con la descripción de las calles y ubicación de los sitios o que repetitivamente se menciona que se desayuna churros con café ??? Que es eso ??? Es Chile no España.

El contexto del secuestro de Salomé es injustificado básicamente ella no hizo nada y es secuestrada y torturada por los dichos de Octavio, su marido. Cuál es la razón para no secuestrar a Octavio ?? Ser famoso ??? El ser famoso nunca fue chapa para que no te hicieran nada en dictadura, esta el claro ejemplo de Victor Jara.

Queda clarisimo que es unos primeros libros de la autora y sinceramente espero que haya mejorado su manera de investigar para sus otras novelas.

[Nina Draganova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Не успя да ми въздейства , така както го направи "Изгубената съпруга".
Историята е много тъжна, но не ме завладя.

[bookishlubyhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alyson tiene una habilidad especial para entrelazar personajes diferentes y lugares distantes.

[Araceli Rotaeche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy interesante el contexto y muy devastador.
La sesión con Alyson, me encantó. Enriqueció mucho mi lectura.

[Hannah Rosenthal · Rating 3 out of 5]

הסיפור טוב, הכתיבה לא משהו.

[Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

In “Swedish Tango,” Alyson Richman covers, through tales of personal devastation and resurrection, the tragic political upheaval of Allende’s Chile, the sad, and to most of us I’m sure sadly obscure story of Finnish War children, and the complexities of survivor’s guilt through the eyes and heart of a man only part of whose family escaped prewar France. With these enormous events as backdrop, she manages to at the same time delicately navigate two larger-than-life relationships; relationships whose paths are heartbreaking in their small details and particulars.

Because of the ambitious cutting back and forth from story to story, from decade to decade, it would be easy for the author to lose the reader. Yet Ms. Richman never loses her firm grasp on each character On the contrary, that seeming device keeps the reader focused on the people involved--flawed, admirable, impetuous, passionate, and all too human. With an true artist’s hand, she allows you to eavesdrop on them--their conversations, which sound like actual people talking, the way people who know each other, deeply talk to each other, even when they are speaking of events so much larger than themselves. They stay, in today’s vernacular, real.

With each choice the characters make, with each turn of the plot, you find yourself leaning forward with them, urging them on, hoping that the choices they make do not destroy them, and fearing for them, as they encounter circumstances beyond imagining. But we don’t have to imagine. Alyson Richman has wonderfully captured the richness of these people in “Swedish Tango,” and their stories echo and reverberate long after the last page.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes, the things we need to do to heal from our past make no sense to others and even less to ourselves. "...even broken things need a home." Such a beautiful, tender story of peace reclaiming shattered lives. Raw in its depiction of prisoners of brutal political regimes, it brings the real life struggles and pain of political refugees to light in a stark, unnerving way. The secrets people carry alone, holding them even from those they most love, can cause such suffering and appear to do so much damage, but the strength and tenacity of the human spirit is almost beyond belief. Never judge another's journey. There are always pieces you will never hold. A book I will hold close to me for a long time.

[ZumoDeLibros (Mafalda) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novela con una prosa muy sencilla y bastante fácil de leer. Me ha entretenido y la he leído a buen ritmo.
Dos grandes historias de amor con unas historias terribles por culpa de la dictadura y de la guerra.
Mi segunda novela de esta escritora y parece que leeré más. La recomendaría!
Mi opinión en YouTube sin spoilers:
https://youtu.be/F66bOAl1pPk?si=A9-oc...

[Marjorie Geiser · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unlike "The Lost Wife," this one left a lot left unanswered. I really liked the other one. This was was a disappointment.

[Karen zi · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 stars

[Dimana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Прекрасен калейдоскоп от събития, съдби, спомени и чувства. Историята прелита между годините, през които се изнизва живота на Саломе и Октавио. Живот, белязан от върхове и спадове, но най- вече от режима на Пиночет в Чили. Силата на духа на Саломе надделява над физическите рани, за да продължи да живее, въпреки белезите.
Успоредно се запознаваме с историята на Кая, чийто живот е белязан от войната. Тя от своя страна се среща със Самуел, носещ тежки тайни психотерапевт, който в друг момент започва да лекува Саломе.
Няколкото истории са майсторски сплетени, всяка една от тях докосва и вълнува читателя.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick-moving good summer book. The chapters were short and the story moved right along. I like the characters and enjoyed learning a bit about Allende and Pinochet in Chile and also about Finland and Sweeden during the war. The beginning kept jumping around a lot and I had to keep going back to previous chapters to remind myself of who was who, etc. It was a good book, but not well-written enough to be great, in my opinion.

[Efrat · Rating 5 out of 5]

בספר יש שלושה סיפורים הנקשרים בשל נסיבות ומקום.
זוג מצ'ילה הנקלע לזוועות ההפיכה של פינושה והאישה אף עוברת עינויים קשים ובלתי נתפסים.
גבר יהודי שבילדותו ברח עם משפחתו מפריז בזמן מלחמת העולם השנייה.
וילדה מפינלנד שהוריה מבריחים אותה מזוועות המלחמה עם הרוסים במלהע ה-2 לשבדיה.
שלושת הסיפורים נפגשים ומשפיעים על הדמויות השונות.
ספר מרתק, כשאר הספרים של הסופרת המוכשרת. מצד אחד היה לי קשה לקרוא על העינויים שעברה אחת הדמויות ומצד שני לא יכולתי להסיר את הספר מהיד.
מומלץ!

[Armonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

En realidad 3.5 no me ha gustado como otros de la autora que he leído anteriormente. En algunos tramos se me hizo pesado, repetitivo incluso. Los personajes no me fueron cercanos, algunas inexactitudes. Un tema doloroso y que se extiende a lo largo del libro. Y un comportamiento de los personajes que no me resultó comprensible del todo.

[Maryanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a number of books by Alyson Richman and particularly like the way she writes. Using the reflective process, with vivid descriptions of sights, sounds and smells and bringing some historical elements into the story narrative. In this novel, she merged different cultures, the Finnish and Chilean characters are war survivors that have immigrated to Sweden. They are undergoing the process of healing and reconciling their memories of the past to their present circumstances.

[Cynthia Portillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me gustó mucho este libro, la forma en que poco a poco fue enlazando las diferentes historias, muy interesante ver la migración por diferentes problemas políticos y como esto afecta la vida de generaciones, un libro con mucha sensibilidad.

[Irein · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://fireinf.blogspot.com/2014/05/a...
Алисън Ричман-"Изгубената съпруга" беше едно страхотно откритие,което ме остави емоционално разтърсена и затова нямаше как да подмина новият й роман "Ритъмът на спомените".
Това е още една силна история за начините,по които хората се възстановят дори и от най-мрачните преживявания. Прекрасна книга за емоционалното опустошение и възкръсването от силната болка,за взаимоотношенията между хората,за вината и прошката и за силата на чувствата.Харесвам начина по който тя събира героите си и създава любовта между тях.Има някаква магия в първите им трепети и лични моменти.
Харесвам книги,които показват как хората са се променили от историческите събития,състояли се през бурни времена и силата на характера,която ги подтиква да продължат въпреки всичко напред.Всеки реагира на дадено събитие по различен начин,а понякога дори най-силната любов не би могла да преодолее бездната,която създават различните гледни точки.В „Ритъмът на спомените“ имаме разказани две отделни истории.
Октавио и Саломе живеят в Чили заедно с трите си деца по времето на правителството на Салвадор Алиенде .Скандалния преврат на Пиночет довежда до смъртта на Алиенде и преобръща живота на младото семейство.Новото военно правителство е основано на страх и по това време много хора,въпреки тяхната невинност биват арестувани,разпитвани и брутално измъчвани в предполагаеми престъпления срещу правителството.Саломе е една от тези невинни жертви.Поради невъздържани изказвания от страна на съпруга й тя е нарочена и преживява две отвличания,които ще й оставят неизлечими физически и психически белези.След освобождението й се налага тя и семейството й да напуснат страната като политически бежанци в Швеция.От младата седемнадесет годишна невинна девойка,прекарваща дните си берейки портокали в манастира не е останал и помен.Иронията е че точно Пабло Неруда повежда съпруга й към политиката.Същият човек,чийто стихове помагат на Октавио да спечели сърцето й.След драматичните събития между двамата влюбени се отваря пропаст,която вместо да се запълни с времето,само се увеличава безвъзвратно.
"Очевидно страданията,които Саломе бе понесла във вила "Грималди",й бяха повлияли и я бяха преобразили.Тя вече не беше младата идеалистка,в която се беше влюбил.Но Октавио също беше преживял нещо,което го бе променило из основи,макар че на повърхността тази трансформация беше доста по-малко видима,отколкото при Саломе.Едва не бе загубил най-ценното в живота си,своята единствена,всепоглъщаща любов."
Ще успее ли Саломе някога да излекува душата си и да прости на Октавио,че я е поставил на второ място,излагайки нея и семейството им на смъртна опасност ?
Втората история разказва за Самуел и Кая.
Самуел ,заедно с еврейското си семейство бяга в Перу от нацистите,които нахлуват във Франция.Измъчван от гледката на майка си,изпадна в депресия след загубата на цялото семейство,решава да стане психолог в Швеция,помагайки на хора,които страдат също като него от изоставянето на родните си места заради войната.
Кая още като дете е изпратен далеч от родителите си от Финландия заради войната и е приета от шведско семейство.
Историите на тези хора ще се пресекат,когато Самуел става терапевт на Саломе,помагайки й да преодолее болката,която винаги е държала заключена в себе си.

[Ilaria_ws · Rating 4 out of 5]

La musica segreta dei ricordi è un romanzo che narra una storia molto intensa ed emozionante, in cui le storie dei vari personaggi si intersecano nel corso degli anni, creando un romanzo che potrebbe quasi definirsi corale, in cui ognuno di loro ha una parte importante...
Octavio e Salomè vivono in Cile insieme ai tre figli nella bellissima Casa Rosa, ai tempi del governo di Salvador Allende, in quegli anni in cui la situazione politica in Cile si faceva sempre più difficile, tanto che alla fine si arrivò nel 1973 al famigerato golpe di Pinochet e alla morte di Allende...
Pinochet instaurò un governo militare, fondato sulla paura e il timore, in quel periodo moltissime persone, pur non avendo colpe, vennero arrestate, interrogate e brutalmente torturate per aver commesso presunti crimini contro il governo.
Ed è proprio questo che accade a Salomè: a causa della posizione del marito che si rifiuta di appoggiare il governo di Pinochet, per ben due volte Salomè viene arrestata e torturata per settimane.
La donna non si riprenderà mai dalle torture subite, neanche quando insieme alla famiglia si trasferirà in Svezia come rifugiata politica...
Samuel, insieme alla famiglia ebrea, fugge dalla Francia invasa dai nazisti per rifugiarsi in Perù; tormentato dalla vista della madre, caduta in depressione dopo aver perso tutta la famiglia, decide di diventare uno psicologo e riuscirà nel suo obiettivo, quando si trasferirà in Svezia e nel suo studio aiuterà tutte quelle persone che come lui hanno subito il trauma di abbandonare la propria patria per colpa di guerre, dittature e così via...
Qui conoscerà Kaija, che da bambina è stata mandata via dai genitori dalla Finlandia, a causa della guerra e adottata da una famiglia svedese.
Le storie di queste persone si incroceranno quando Samuel diventerà il terapista di Salomè, e la aiuterà a superare tutto il dolore che si è sempre tenuta dentro...
Ho trovato questo romanzo ben scritto e molto particolareggiato: uno dei suoi punti di forza è proprio la cura per i particolari, l'accuratezza storica e le descrizioni dei paesaggi che fanno entrare il lettore nella storia!
La storia di Salomè è probabilmente quella che ha maggiore spessore, e il suo personaggio è quello che subisce i maggiori cambiamenti, da ingenua ragazza piena di ideali e innamorata follemente del marito, diventa un guscio vuoto e privo di emozioni, piegata dalle indicibili torture subite, fino alla consapevolezza di dover andare avanti, venendo a patti con quello che le è stato fatto e provando a superarlo guardando al futuro.
Il romanzo si legge velocemente, con l'alternarsi dei capitoli tra passato e presente, le parti in cui viene descritta la prigionia di Salomè sono le più difficili da digerire,leggendo di quelle torture mi son venuti i brividi e c'ho messo un po' a decidere di andare avanti con la lettura...
Questo libro mi ha piacevolmente sorpresa, e ho apprezzato molto il modo in cui l'autrice è riuscita ad evidenziare l'importanza di valori quali l'amore e la famiglia, senza i quali ci sarebbe impossibile andare avanti!

[Kelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was disappointing for me. I loved the lost wife and I think this book had big potential but it just didn’t work for me. And I probably wouldn’t have read it at all if I had known about the affair but I was already 3/4 of the way through before it happened. The characters seemed too extreme, they were either too idealistic and flighty or they were bitter and unforgiving, which made them seem a little too unrealistic. I did love the transition of the Chilean woman going from a naive girl who adored her husband completely to someone who had gone through the worst possible thing and had to work through this eye-opening experience while also trying to find a way to forgive her husband. I didn’t really understand the point of the other two storylines and wish it had focused more on the coup in Chile and the family there.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do we make peace with the memories we carry? In "The Rhythm of Memory" author Alyson Richman provides a multi-narrative story that takes readers from revolutionary Chile to snow covered Sweden, to Nazi-occupied France to Peru and finally to the forests of Finland. If this sounds like a lot of ground for an author to cover, be assured, our story really centers on two couples.

The bulk of the story centers on Octavio and Salome. My goodness I loved their story and was swept along with the passion they shared on a moonlight night scented with oranges and Neruda poems. The couple marry and have three beautiful children. Octavio becomes the Cary Grant of Chile's silver screen. All seems well with the world until a coup takes place in Chile and Salome is abducted by the military police. What follows are years of pain and suffering for both as they try to come to term with a new life in Sweden.

In Sweden, Salome begins visiting a psychiatrist, Dr. Samuel Rudin, to deal with her flashbacks from the torture she received in Chile. Rudin, a French Jew whose family flee war torn France and settle in Peru. Samuel watches as his mother succumbs to depression caused by her guilt for leaving the rest of their family in Nazi occupied France. This drives Samuel to find himself helping refugees from South America and Eastern Europe.

Then there is Samuel's wife Kaija, a Finnish war orphan that was sent to Sweden during World War II. I felt that her story was so darn heart-breaking but so darn engaging. While I have read much regarding the British children being sent to Canada and the Kindertransport that was sent to England. It was equally fascinating(and heartbreaking) to learn that this also happened in Finland.

Absolutely beautiful book! I also felt that Richman was not afraid to be realistic and that there were twists in the story that she didn't try and create happy little endings in all the subplots. An author that definitely respects her readers.

If I have ONE complaint, it is that I didn't really feel that the adultery was necessary. I felt it was poorly executed and Richman must have felt this because it ended as quickly as it began.

All in all, a book worth the high ratings.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was all new to me. I really knew nothing about Augusto Pinochet’s brutal regime…I knew the name, but I could not have even told you what country he ruled. I hoped that what I was reading about him was more fiction than history, but it was not. It was not all that long ago either! I also was not aware of Finland sending war children to Sweden. I knew that Britain sent children out of London, some to other countries, but I had no idea other countries also tried to protect children by sending them away from the war. This is a story of sadness and while I enjoyed learning from it, I really did not like the characters or the basic storyline. If you want to read something fantastic by Alyson Richman, I highly recommend The Lost Wife. This one is just okay, not fantastic.

[Maco Zaldivar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me encanta la manera de escribir de Alyson Richman.
Este libro fue escrito y publicado en inglés en 2012, pero recién ahora fue traducido al español.
En noviembre de 1988, en Suecia, Salomé recibe una carta desde Londres; y decide reunir en una cena a su exmarido y a sus hijos para contarles sobre la carta y preguntarles qué opinan de que les cuente su pasado en Chile y de cómo la dictadura cambió sus vidas.
La novela cuenta el pasado reciente de Chile, su desarraigo y las marcas que dejó la dictadura de Pinochet.
Me gustó; tiene el sello de la autora, pero reconozco que escribió mejores; se nota que este es uno de sus primeros libros. Lo recomiendo, es un libro que nos muestra una historia reciente.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story. It is the story of Octavio Ribeiro and his wife,Salome, taking place in Chile and Sweden in 1974 and ending in 1998. It quickly follows their courtship and marriage which is followed by a brutal military dictatorship in 1984 . The brutality of war with Salome paying the price when Octavio refuses to put his family's safety first was so overwhelming at times, I had to put the book down. There were other times when I had to simply close it and hold it close because it touched me in so many different ways. Alyson Richman has become one of my favorite authors. The Lost Wife is the first of her books that I have read and I highly recommend that one also.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author has a strong ability to verbally describe subtleties and depict a realistic scene. Unfortunately it's also her downfall. She turns the narrative into an overgrown rose garden and loses some truth in her unpruned verbosity. There was an element of historical interest popping up here and there in the tangoesque (sic) writing, but that was drawn out to its thinnest veneer. The book started out with promise but by the end, turned into a silly Harlequin novel. Disappointing.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I kept going back to keep track of the dates (years) because I thought it might be like Time traveller's wife but anyway, I got through it easily. Also, I was puzzled as how three stories connect with one another eventually it did but I found myself slightly dissatisfied. I don't get how significant their connection was, to be honest.
It was nice read all in all. Just not the way I wouldn have hoped.