Allende covers a huge span of time for this book but she keeps it moving. There's no dull moments in this book and she manages to fit character study-type sections for most of the major characters in the book. A lot of the characters are definitely products of their time, but it's fascinating how a lot of these issues are still relatable in present day. This is a solid piece of work that will have you itching to look up how it lines up with historical events.

This was my first Isabel Allende. I learned about her from Jane's obsession with her on Jane the Virgin. After reading "A Long Petal of the Sea", I now completely understand! I will be digging into much more Allende in the coming months.

I am usually a big fan of Isabel Allende, but I had a hard time getting into this book. The characters were a bit hard to follow and the time switch lost me.

Historically interesting, fascinating events and trials. I liked the characters but didn't feel as engaged as I usually do with this author. It didn't flow smoothly.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

This tells a story that I was only vaguely familiar with, and populates it with characters that felt real to me. I never really knew about the problems in Spain which precipitated the retreat to Chile. The dictatorship in Chile, yes, I guess I was aware of it, but this novel brings it to life- not in a high drama, these refugees are fleeing for the lives kind of way- but in a way that I could relate to.

Worth the read.

What a treat to see that Isabel Allende is back in stride! Her last few books were a little, I don't know, listless? But "A Long Petal of the Sea" is rich and packed with bold characters and little known history.

Victor Dalmau is a medical student scooped from the classroom as a medic during the Spanish Civil War. He survives, but the repressive brutality of the triumphant Franco forces sends the remnants of his family across the border to France and from there to Chile, where the poet Pablo Neruda has arranged for a ship to take as many Republican Spaniards as possible.

There Victor and his brother's widow, the astonishing Roser, work to create new lives in a country so different from Spain. That's all I'm going to say because I refuse to give too much away.

This novel has the power of "House of the Spirits" and "Paula"--a cause for celebration.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for anointing me to read and review.

Unlike how I feel about most of Allende's books, this one read a bit like how Allende mentioned in her Acknowledgments: "This book wrote itself, as if it had been dictated to me" That's exactly how the book read-as a detailed narrative outline the events that took place over the life times of our main characters. There were so few scenes created that it didn't feel like a novel. Whenever I'd notice dialogue was coming up, I felt a sense of relief because those were my favorite parts of this interesting novel: hearing the characters exchange words and actions.

#book review
This is a love story, a war story, a story of home and a story of exile. There are so many facets to this book that the mind is in a constant state of delight while reading. The characters are well-written, important but none overshadowing the other. Even Victor, our main character seems to know when to take a back seat. He is a friend, a lover, and a rescuer.

It is only after fleeing Spain as Franco and the Fascists take over and living a life in exile, always planning to go ‘home” that he recognizes where home actually resides. I think Roser, his wife, was good for him. She gave him so much that he didn't realize at the time. I liked her.

I consider myself an avid reader, but until now had never read Isabel Allende. She will now be on my list of must read authors. She gives us clear descriptions and vivid pictures. She gives us subtlety of ideas, letting us discover and form our own conclusions.

Thank you New Galley and Ballentine Books, Random House for sending this treasure to me in exchange to an honest review. #netgalley, #isabelallenda

Lovely, lyrical and lush historical fiction. I think the genre cross over to romance is appropriate but it raises the barre on the standard. The interplay of the Spanish Civil war with WWII is examined through the lives of poets, healers and immigrants. Allende does a fantastic job making this all come alive. Normally I’d be concerned about bias with an author who has close family ties to the events but Allende writes with a fair, sure hand. Highly recommended.

A wonderful family saga, laced through difficult historical events, Isabel Allende did not disappoint! From the horrific Spanish Civil War, to Chile, and other locations in South America, Victor Dalmau and Roser face endless hardships which they overcome with impressive grace and resolution. I learned a lot from this book- the politics that affected people in Spain and Chile, many strong idealistic characters and much pain, passion and humanity. Thank you NetGalley for the Early Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.

An epic family saga moving from the bloody battlefields of the Spanish Civil War to and through the turbulent times of the struggling country of Chile as seen through the eyes of war refugees and families who claim the countries as their own. Told in that unique, indelible style that is Isabel Allende's own, you will immerse yourself in this thought-provoking epic and read the final sentence with a smile on your face.

Highly recommended!

This book is not for the light hearted. It is a long epic of war and love, marriage and friendship...family...at times, the reader is intrigued while at others, confused when the setting changes abruptly. The author uses amazing descriptions, but it is difficult to keep the characters straight.
However, one comes to wonder what will happen to the main characters in the story and eventually, it works...questions are answered. In the background, is the story of a poet...a frame story perhaps...a story within a story. This book will intrigue historical readers and be difficult
to put down. For someone wanting a quick read, they might pass. This author has the gift of writing.

How can anyone go wrong with the fabulous Isabel Allende? The manner in which she creates a beautiful, historical narrative is beyond imagining. Her storytelling is impeccable.

For fans of Isabel Allende, quality fiction in general, and historical fiction in particular, The Long Petal of the Sea (to be published in early 2020) is another stunning work by an amazing author.

Allende’s books do what my favorites do: they teach while they entertain. The Long Petal of the Sea follows a young pregnant widow named Roser, who flees Spain following the overthrow of the government by Franco and the Fascists. In order to survive, she marries her deceased lover’s brother, an. Army doctor named Victor Dalmau, whose lack of desire for this sham marriage is equal to Roser’s. They endure a harrowing trip over the mountains toward France and, along with a couole of thousand other refugees, they get on a boat bound for Chile, the country that was described by poet Pablo Neruda as “a long petal of sea, wine and snow.”

They start their lives over as exiles, and spend years enduring one thing after another as they wait and hope for a return to Spain – a longing that sustains them over the years. It’s a family saga, a political commentary, a love story, and a history all rolled into one big ball of entertainment. Thanks to Random House/Ballantine Books and NetGalley, I received a copy in exchange for my honest review. Five stars (and I can’t wait to hear the author when she comes to speak at Bookshop Santa Cruz, as she generally does when a new book is released).

The book open in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Victor, an army medic, marries his deceased brothers love Roser, to protect her and her unborn baby. With thousands of other refugees they set sail on the SS Winnipeg destined for Chile. The two settle in Chile and make a life together with Roser's son. When the approach of the Chilean civil war, they both feel as if they are back in Spain.

This book was an odd one. It covers the span of Victor and Roser's adult life with some time periods well covered and others glossed over. The time transitions were jerky and off putting. The details about their day-to-day life was just missing, which made me feel like I didn't know any of the characters. Along with this, the book had a very nostalgic feel to it. I'm not really sure how to rate this one, so I'll give it 3 out of 5 stars.

I usually refer to Isabel Allende’s books as “instructional fiction"... this is certainly the case with A Long Petal of the Sea. From the origins of the Spanish Civil War, we can easily understand the continued desire for independence that Catalotonians still want today. From the harrowing Retreat to escape Franco's army over the Pyrenees into what was hoped the safety of France., we can relate to our current immigration crisis. The inhospitality and cruelty of the French towards the refugees closely mirror our own practices today.
An eye-opening story with believable and resilient characters who manage to survive and actually prosper in spite of it all. Thank you, Isabel Allende, for reminding us that things may change while they still stay the same.

I have loved so many of Isabelle Allende’s novels, but this one was a struggle for me, as I did not like the style of the writing. It read like a list of events, sprinkled here and there with bits of character development and plot. I could not connect to the characters because it felt like they took a backseat to the unfolding of historical events. There was too little emotion, too little real interaction between the characters. I am disappointed, and frustrated, because when Allende remembers to pay attention to the story she is telling, and to the characters she’s introduced, the writing can be luminous and poetic, but there is too little of that to satisfy the reader looking to dive into the events through the eyes and lives of these characters.

This novel is extremely relevant to today. It tells of a married couple and a child who emigrate from Spain to Chile. This is a wonderful historical fiction. One of Allende's best. Highly recommend.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

This is the first book that I have read from Isabel Allende. I understand why she has won so many awards. This book was amazing. The story pulls you in from the beginning, and you are on a roller coaster ride throughout. There is a beauty, a pain, a sadness, and unexpected joy in this book. While this is a work of historical fiction, the history here is spot on. Allende has certainly put a lot of research into this work, and it shows. This book is especially relevant as we think in our current moment about immigration, refuges, and what it means to have a home or a homeland. Allende brings these very poignant themes out in this book, and yet humanizes her characters so that you can imagine the ICE facilities and detained people on the U.S. border. The heaviness of this book is made light by the writing and language. There is so much beauty in this book. If you want to read a book that spans continents and decades of history and yet is very relevant to our contemporary moment, I highly recommend this book.

Isabel Allende returns to her roots with this amazing and extremely relevant novel. It was challenging to read this novel of the uprising of fascism in Spain and later the military take-over in Chile because it felt so immediate and connects to much of what is happening in our world today.

This novel follows Victor and Roser through the years as they leave Spain and find a new life in Chile. They marry for practical reasons, so that they can emigrate together to Chile with Roser's baby. Through the years, their family faces many tragedies as well as much love and joy.

Allende weaves a compelling story that is timeless and yet captures the eras and locales in vivid detail. Family, loyalty, governments, culture and people from various class levels come together in this masterful novel.