1 review for The House of the Spirits

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   ec08 (verified owner) – 04/30/2025

   Isabelle Allende’s, The House of the Spirits, is a beautifully written piece of literature that follows the lives of four generations of the Del Valle and Trueba families. Half of the novel is written from the perspective of the narrator which allows the reader to enjoy all aspects of every character’s life instead of just focusing on one. The other half of the story is written solely from the perspective of Esteban Trueba which is unique in the sense that the reader gets to truly understand where he is coming from and the thought process behind his actions. Esteban is a character who is very hard to fully understand and getting to hear and experience his point of view can allow us to see into the mind of someone who is very complex and thinks differently from most ordinary people. I think the fact that Esteban is the only character who gets his own narrative contributes to the book’s underlying theme of the patriarchy and how women were often silenced in post-colonial societies such as the one in Chile. Not allowing a strong female character her own account of the story is consequently diminishing important parts of the story but is essential in understanding the beliefs and ideals that were valued during this time. Allende uses magical realism in the novel to convey the strength of women and to critique the social standards of the time. Clara’s powers are symbolic of her strength and knowledge which she passes down to her granddaughter, Alba. While Esteban is the embodiment of everything Clara opposes their children and grandchildren still follow in Clara’s footsteps by standing for what they believe in and while they may not possess her literal powers, they still inherit her strength and ability to stay calm and express their feelings through words rather than violence. The author also uses the idea of “The Big House on the Corner” to symbolize the clashing ideologies between the two families and how it appears normal on the outside but has many hidden secrets inside. The house itself is the epitome of class and wealth by its sheer size and luxurious furniture but deep inside the closed doors and secret staircases is all of the magic and spirits that Clara welcomed into their lives.. The writing is wonderful and deliberate and unlike anything I have read before. Although the books strengths through unique and effective literary devices far outweigh its weaknesses, I would argue that the novel did end up dragging on for a bit longer than necessary and by moving so slowly, I think some of the main ideas faded as new ones were constantly introduced. Since the book accounted for so many years and generations of family, many character became forgotten and hard to track. I believe that the author could have been more conscious of following along with characters lives and if those lives werent important enough to be included in the narrative then the characters simply should have remained unmentioned. Overall, no detail of this book is unintentional and you must appreciate even the little things because they contribute to the theme as a whole, the writing is wonderful and deliberate and unlike anything I have read before. And in spite of the fact that I found my self bored occasionally, I would recommend to book to people I know and hope they can enjoy it as much as I did.