The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

She later witnesses her sister’s autopsy, and the shock of this, combined with the prophecy coming true, stuns her into silence for the next nine years.įollowing Rosa’s death, Esteban leaves the mines and takes over his family’s countryside hacienda, the Tres Marías. Clara, who was born with clairvoyant abilities, predicted this accidental death. However, she passes away when she consumes some poisoned brandy that was meant for her father, Severo (presumably sent by one of his political enemies).

Rosa is engaged to a man named Esteban Trueba, who is away in the country’s north working in the mines. The story begins with the del Valle family and their oldest and youngest daughters, Rosa and Clara. This guide is based on the 2015 Atria Books Kindle edition.Ĭontent Warning: The book contains mentions and description of violence and sexual assault. Themes such as politics and ideology, the interconnectedness of life, the power of narrative, and different forms of love are explored throughout the book. The House of the Spirits features two narrators: Alba, who narrates the story in retrospect from a third-person omniscient perspective, and Esteban, who narrates parts of the story in the first person. Her work has won her numerous awards, including Chile’s National Literature Prize in 2010 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented to her by Barack Obama in 2015. Allende’s novels usually blend historical events with fiction, focusing on women’s experiences and incorporating elements of magical realism. Since her debut, Allende has penned more than 25 best-selling and critically acclaimed books, and her writings have been translated into more than 42 languages. First published in Spanish as La casa de los espíritus, her debut novel became an instant best seller and brought Allende a great deal of literary acclaim and attention the book was also adapted into a feature film in 1993. Isabel Allende is one of the world’s most widely read Spanish-language authors.

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende