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A Long Petal of the Sea

Isabel Allende,

Nick Caistor (Translator)

Start date: July 1, 2020

Finish date: July 31, 2020

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September-October 2025: The River Knows Your Name
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Feb 01, 2020 Brina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: hispanic-culture, historical-fiction, isabel-allende, chile, spain

It is January and that means the winter doldrums. I am afflicted with seasonal affective disorder each winter and combat it with a jolt of vitamin d and an annual trip to Florida. A week in the sun under the palm trees usually does the trick until I return to the winter gloom. There have been years where I haven’t picked up a book for five weeks and been miserable until this year when I realized the best way to combat winter blues- magic, or more specifically books by my favorite authors. I firs It is January and that means the winter doldrums. I am afflicted with seasonal affective disorder each winter and combat it with a jolt of vitamin d and an annual trip to Florida. A week in the sun under the palm trees usually does the trick until I return to the winter gloom. There have been years where I haven’t picked up a book for five weeks and been miserable until this year when I realized the best way to combat winter blues- magic, or more specifically books by my favorite authors. I first found out about Isabel Allende’s new book last summer and was giddy with anticipation. Allende has been my favorite author since she first introduced me to Hispanic magical realism and the Latina amiga authors way back when I was in middle school. I have journeyed through her books over most of my life, rereading my favorites multiple times. Her last book In the Midst of Winter left a bad taste in my mouth because it was devoid of both the magical realism and historical fiction that has made her a leading author of her generation. With reviews heralding A Long Petal of the Sea as a book that places Allende at the peak of her powers, I knew that this would be a must read for me and a highlight of my reading year. Suffice it to say, this time around Allende did not let me down.

Upon reading the first lines of A Long Petal of the Sea, I knew that Allende had returned to her bread and butter. The premise reminded me of Daughter of Fortune, a quality historical fiction novel that she wrote from the heart but has little magical realism. In both cases, the fast moving story that still takes the time to develop complex characters is magic in itself. It is 1936 in Barcelona, Catalonia. The Spanish Civil War has threatened to destroy the country as Franco and his forces have attacked both communist and resister forces to their breaking point. Told on the eve of a war that threatened to destroy the European continent, Allende introduces her readers to the Dalmau family: Marcel Lluis, a music professor, and his wife Carme, a teacher, along with their two sons Victor, a doctor serving along the front lines of the war, and Guillém, one who has yet to find himself but is serving in the army as an able bodied person. The Dalmaus are also the surrogate parents to Roser Bruguera, a promising pianist, the heart and soul of this novel and the love of Guillem’s life. Although Franco threatens to ruin the Spain that citizens like the Dalmaus call home, the love between Guillem and Roser give hope for a new generation until Guillem is killed at the battle of the Ebro, and Victor promises to get his mother and sister in law to safety in France.

Europe is on the verge of exploding so 1939 France is no safer than Spain. Forward thinking citizens are fleeing to any North or South American country that will take them in, leading to a mass migration of humanity. Pablo Neruda, a communist who is also the leading poet of his generation and future Nobel laureate, sponsors a ship named that Winnipeg that will allow Spanish refugees to find a new home in Chile, that long petal of the sea at the end of the world. Carme is separated from Roser but Victor pleads his case to Neruda after he hastily marries Roser so that she and her son Marcel can have a better future. Neruda admires Victor’s quick thinking skills and tells him that there will always be a place in Chile for people like him, also setting a course for the two to enjoy a life long friendship. The doctor who at the time is married in name only earns a place on the Winnipeg, ensuring that his family will take root in a foreign country. Mirroring Daughter of Fortune twenty years earlier when Eliza Sommers seeks to immigrate to California from Chile, the Dalmaus set sail from Spain to Chile, setting the stage for a saga that spans another fifty years against the backdrop of a country that undergoes immense political and internal upheaval. Victor Dalmau will become a symbol for many of these changes as Allende tells a more intricate tale of her country than the one that first made her famous more than thirty years ago.

Quality historical fiction tells the story of a time and place while also weaving the tale of a complex characters over the span of time. At her best, Allende does this as well as anyone. A Long Petal of the Sea is the story of both her country and her family. In the course of parts two and three of this novel, she includes anecdotes of Pablo Neruda, her uncle Salvador Allende, the Pinochet regime, and the refugees who were forced to seek asylum in Venezuela. This is her personal story so one can sense that it was told from the heart. Victor Dalmau through his relationship with Felipe del Solar and his wealthy family becomes a respected surgeon in Santiago. He had put down roots for himself by establishing the Winnipeg tavern as a Catalonian watering hole so that new immigrants would feel comfortable in their new country, while paying homage to the ship that brought them to freedom. While running the tavern, Roser went to work at the university making a name for herself as a gifted pianist and teacher. Marcel grows up behind the bar in an environment permeated by adults and is gifted beyond belief, earning a PhD in mineral engineering. Over time, Victor and Roser’s marriage becomes one of tender love rather than just convenience, and members of Allende’s family begin to show themselves in the peripheral characters in the novel, resulting in a story that is powerful at the close.

Isabel Allende notes that this story tells itself. She got the inspiration for parts of the prose while her family was exiled in Venezuela and she met fellow refugee Victor Pey, who had a lifetime of stories to tell her about their homeland. At the time, Allende did not think that she was going to be a writer, yet, the magical part of her family’s story was already on her mind as she began to write House of the Spirits. When it came time to write A Long Petal of the Sea, the story began to tell itself. There are so many themes here that are prevalent in Allende’s novels that make this a special novel: an homage to Chile, strong female characters in Roser Bruguera and Ofelia del Solar, forbidden romance between lovers of different stations of society and the ensuing consequences. I have revisited these in Allende’s opus and complementary trilogy, which makes her reinventing herself toward the end of her career all the more special. Her uncle President Salvador Allende and Pablo Neruda play prominent roles to advance the plot, ensuring that Victor Dalmau is not only forever grateful to the Chilean people for furthering his family’s existence but that he also has a front row seat to the history unfolding before him.

With a sparkling cover to symbolize the hope the Spanish war refugees must have felt upon arriving in Chile, A Long Petal of the Sea is sure to reel in a reader from its first pages. It may not be permeated in magical realism, but it is a moving historical saga that has all the key elements of a quality Allende novel. Historical figures, love triangles, the story of her own family, and appearances by recurring characters all play a role in the development of this novel. Isabel Allende has told the story of the Spanish Civil War while also weaving the history of Chile during the course of the 20th century. If this is the novel that she has written as a swan song to her illustrious career, then the story of the Dalmaus and Del Solar families is sure to merit a place next to her award winning novels. This time, Isabel Allende did not disappoint. Her homage to Chile has helped to rescue me from the winter doldrums and while it is not rich in magical realism, the story is pure magic.

*5 stars* ...more

182 likes · Like · see review

Jul 22, 2020 Maureen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: rcsummer-challenge

This is an epic tale of Victor and Roser’s plight as the leave the home they love.
It is the story of the Spanish Civil War based on the true story of Victor Pey.

Victor Dalmau is a Army doctor, Roser Bruguera is pregnant with Victor’s deceased brothers child. After Franco over throws the government. Victor decides to leave Spain immediately. They partake a dangerous journey over the mountains to the French border. Victor discovers that they can take a ship to Chili charted by Pablo Neruda, the po ...more

46 likes · Like · see review

Dec 24, 2020 Book Concierge rated it really liked it

Shelves: family, historical-fiction, marriage, library, chile, concierge, strong-women

Book on CD performed by Edoardo Ballerini

A family epic covering six decades of history from 1930s Spanish Civil War to 1990s in Chile.

This is the kind of historical fiction at which Allende excels. She seamlessly weaves the real historical events into the story line, while giving the reader characters that come alive on the page and about which we come to care.

She begins with Part 1: War and Exodus, set in the late 1930s in Spain, which is gripped by Civil War. The Dalmau family’s two sons, Gui ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Jun 01, 2020 Celia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ten-year-challenge, stellar-recs, 2020-read, historical-fiction-read, kindle-list, vero-book-club, 2020-top-10

I have been in love with Isabel Allende ever since I finished the book The House of the Spirits. That love was cemented when I heard her speak at the 2017 Simon and Schuster Book Club Matinee. She is a funny woman as well as being a terrific writer.

I have read at least three more of her books and liked them too. Now I have finished A Long Petal of the Sea and my memories of The House of the Spirits have been reinforced.

This book is EXCELLENT historic fiction and a heart-tugging love story. Alle ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Nov 18, 2020 Joanne rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction-read

After the exhausting (but absolutely FUN!) 10 month marathon of a group challenge, I needed to unwind with an old friend. Isabel Allende did not let me down. It was the type of book you can curl up with and just embrace. Exactly what I needed.

The story of Victor and Roser begins at the peak of the Spanish civil war and carries on through 1994. You travel with this unlikely pair as they escape Franco's taking of Spain and land upon the long petal of the sea, Chile. It is about friendship and love ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Jul 14, 2020 Tasha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own, historical-fiction, favorites-2020

So beautifully written with well-developed characters that I cared about greatly. I love that the story spanned a full generation so we got to see where the characters came from to where it all resolved in later years, very touching. I learned so much about Chile and it's politics from the late 30s to more present times. I plan on making a real effort to read more from this author after reading this one. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 29, 2020 Lory Sakay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club-reads

I really enjoyed Allende's writing and how she expertly wove history of the Spanish Civil War and Chilean politics into her story. The piece I loved the most, however, was the love story between Victor and Roser (and I generally hate love stories btw). It was so poignant, so raw and genuine - but not mushy. Their initial marriage of convenience and necessity, fueled with years of respect and loyalty, grows into the deepest and authentic type of love. It was beautiful. The ending was a bit too co ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Sep 17, 2020 Nancy rated it liked it

Shelves: 80-countries, 2020-books

3.5 stars. Review to follow.

2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 15, 2025 ˜”*°•.˜”*°• Sheri •°*”˜.•°*”˜ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, history, non-fiction, military, group-read-rcc

The story is told primarily by Victor Dalmau., who through tumultuous events of the Spanish Civil War, becomes married to Roser Bruguera Dalmau. They are exiled, persecuted, separated and the list goes on, but through sheer cut they live their story. Theirs is not the only story and the many other characters are written well, and their stories are beautifully told.

There is poetry, love, kindness, caring, friendship, loyalty, beautiful music making, appreciation of culture. This story is all at ...more

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