The basis for The House of the Spirits was a year long letter that Allende wrote to her grandfather back in Santiago as he lay dying.

Once her family fled Chile for Venezuela during the 1973 coup d'etat which overthrew her uncle's presidency, she started to write novels. This was in the 1970s and Allende was the token woman her experiences lead her to the feminist leanings that she has had for her entire life. Readers discover that her first job was as a columnist in a new woman's magazine and as a television report on a comedy news show. This makes me appreciate her all the more as an author.Īs I read through Allende's memoirs, I find out more and more about her personal life. The history and Chilean culture make appearances in her novels so these were not new to me however, it was interesting to find out about the background research that goes into every novel that Allende writes. In between, Allende calls Santiago the London of South America all the while giving instances of the idiosyncrasies that Chileans are famous for. We are regaled in the nation's history from its civil war with Peru and Bolivia in the 1880s up until the Pinochet years. Whereas in Paula as Allende tells a detailed story of family history to her daughter lying in a coma, My Invented Country briefly touches on the family while embellishing the country of Chile for all that it is famous for. In telling the story of her life, there is going to be overlap.

From her life as a diplomat's daughter living overseas to relishing the moments spent at her grandfather's side in the large house on the corner in Santiago, Allende's childhood was a chock full of stories, not without its share of controversy. Having previously read Allende's other memoirs, Paula and A Sum of Our Days, I was familiar with many of the stories of her youth.

A journey that takes readers from Chile to California and back, Allende paints a picture of a proud country that revels in traditions, one that she is honored to be a part of. Craving a book with magical realism but not knowing which author to turn to, I decided upon her only memoir which I had not yet read, My Invented Country. Her most recent book, In the Midst of Winter, left a bad taste in my mouth because it was largely devoid of her magical realism that I love. For those who have read my reviews, then they know that I have mentioned that Isabel Allende is my favorite writer.

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