Title: A Long Petal of the Sea – a Novel.
Author: Isabel Allende
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Year: 2019 ed.
Genres: Fiction/ Historical Fiction
Format: Ebook (Kindle).
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3w4uEBu
My Rating: 4/5 stars.
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Summary:
In the late 1930s, during the Spanish Civil War, a pregnant young widow by the name of Roser and her deceased lover’s mother, Carme Dalmau, embark on a journey out of Spain to safe, neighboring France. They are fleeing the Fascists that have overtaken their country. From there, Roser and Carme’s surviving son, Victor, board the Pablo Neruda-chartered Winnipeg, for Chile to seek refuge there. In order to survive, Roser and Victor unite in an unwanted marriage..
And yet, their struggles and pains don’t diminish, even in Chile which is the “long petal of the sea.” As they try to get past these obstacles, their desire to return to Spain drives them forward. Will they ever find the peace and harmony they seek so much? Or will they surrender to the harsh realities of war and injustice?
Recommendation:
The author did a great job of researching the actual events that this story of hers is based on. At the end of the book, she notes that it is based on her early knowledge of the Spanish Civil War and her homeland, Chile’s involvement in it. I found this fictional story inspired by true events to be quite a thrill from the moment of Roser’s introduction into the wealthy Dalmau family in Spain, to her grueling journey with Carme Dalmau across cold and bitter Europe, to prevailing challenges in Chile. I greatly recommend it to all who are curious or interested in Spanish history/literature out there. Peace.