Actual Rating: 4.5

This was my first story by Allende and I had such a fun time with it. This was a nice dip of my toes into someone that has written a number of novels that I’ve heard about in the past.

I found myself really enjoying the writing style as well as the magical atmosphere the Lovers describe both in the museum and their first meeting. Of course, because this is so incredibly short, we don’t get a ton of backstory on the museum or our characters. I would be so interested in just a little bit more about the museum and some of the magic it’s done elsewhere!

A magical short story set in the Guggenheim in Spain. We follow two star-crossed lovers who just met. A delightful 30-minute short story that packs a punch.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon for the free ARC.

"It was destiny. Everything is written in the stars."

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First they were thought to be dead. Then intoxicated and drunk. Finally they become the Bewitched Lovers whose stories will forever be unsolved after a night of mystery in a museum that legend claims contains spirits from another world.

The magical realism in this had a super unique premise, and I honestly just wish it had been a little longer so we could have seen it fleshed out further. It would have added to the magic and suspended reality a little. That or having it be that they were actually from another time or something similar could have really tied it all together.

(When I read the premise, I 100% thought they were going to be statues come to life so. I went in with a completely different idea.)

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Lovers at the Museum: A Short Story was published on April 1, 2024. Thank you to Amazon Original Stories, NetGalley and the author for the digital advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lovers at the Museum is a very short story beautifully written by Isabel Allende. Two people, a woman in a wedding gown and a naked man are found asleep on the floor of Guggenheim Museum in Balboa Spain shortly before the morning opening. Now, a no-nonsense, blustery detective must find out how they got into the locked museum or spent the night without showing up on any of the numerous security cameras.

This is a story of love, or perhaps, lust at first sight imbued with a touch of magical realism, whimsy, and humour. The detective’s brash and somewhat frustrated talk provides a fitting contrast with the lyrical prose of the lovers’ speech. The story provides a satisfactory and happy ending for everyone including the detective..

I received a copy of this story from Netgalley and Amazon Short Stories in exchange for an honest review

Personally, I really liked "Lovers at the Museum" despite it being a short story. It has the Chilean vibe that I also saw in "The Postman" by Antonio Skármeta. The personality of the characters (especially the difference between the two protagonists and the police officer) was also established, and it is easy to tell them apart.

However, I feel that the short duration can also be counterproductive. The description was "misleading" in some ways, and was not what I found in the story itself. Likewise, I am also conflicted with the magical realism. I feel like it was the most interesting aspect of the story, and it wasn't used to its full potential, especially to answer the most important questions: How did they get into the museum? Did they really become invisible?

In itself, it was an enjoyable read, but I would have loved for it to be longer, so that the more complex aspects of the plot could be explored.

This delightful novella, the shortest one I've read, is a whimsical story of lust and madness at the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain. A bride runs away from her wedding and runs into a man who becomes besotted with her. They spend the night having sex all over the museum even though they don't know how they got in and it looked like a magical palace to them. The astonished cleaning lady who discovers them and the local cops try to make sense of everything, while the lovers seem nonplussed by what happened. A beautiful little tale to bring magic to your tbr.

A precious story of love at first sight with a runaway bride and her new lover! It's a short, easy read with a touch of magic and romance. This was my first taste of Isabel Allende's writing style, and I certainly didn't hate it. The cover is gorgeous and the young lovers are charming.

Two young lovers are discovered in the early morning hours at Guggenheim art museum. They are found naked, draped in the folds of a frothy wedding dress. How could this happen? The museum was closed and locked.

After they are found the inspector does his best to figure out what is going on. The young man and woman are not much help as they tell their story. Just as he is confused so is the reader. It's hard to tell what really happened. I believe it's meant to be this way. There is a little humor along the way as well.

Lovers At The Museum is a short love story, just as the title implies. If you believe in love at first sight then you might like this.

A spellbinding short story about love at first sight. Two lovers found in a museum that has top notch security, but none of the security measures were tripped. How did they spend all night in the museum unnoticed? That is where the magic comes in. This is a super short story so don't go into it with high expectations of all questions being answered. Take this as an opportunity to read something short, quick, cute which will make you happy to think about love.

This is a story about two lovers who wake up in an indelicate position in a museum in Spain. What follows is a story of magical realism and an amusing investigation by a flummoxed detective trying to put the pieces together about how the lovers avoided detection and were able to have a romantic dalliance in the museum. This is a quick read (twenty-five pages) that was enjoyable, but for me could have used a little more content to solidify some elements of the story. Overall, this was a sweet story.

A story of love at first sight, mystery and magical realism from "the world's most widely read Spanish-language author", Lovers at the Museum was an interesting short story with a plot that trails from simple to a complete mystery by the end. I enjoy short stories as much as the next person, with Allende's story, I quite enjoyed the experience and even though it left me with more questions than answers at the end, it's a story that relies on that ambiguity to understand the complexity of magical realism and the concept of love. I can understand why Isabel Allende is revered as an author for her unique writing style and genre-bending story. I highly recommend Lovers at the Museum if you enjoy a story that has you thinking.

Thank you, NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A perfect short read to get out of a reading slump! In this Isabel Allende story the fantastical meets the realistic expectations of a cynical police investigator as a couple is found asleep in the Guggenheim museum at Bilbao. The lovers have not been seen by any of the staff or the security at any point of the night, but they must have entered the museum somehow – and it is inspector Aitor Larramendi's job to find out how.

Allende shows her masterful use of the craft by creating distinguishable characters, a beautiful mix of urban legend, love, and mystery, and making the plot fly by to a point where the twenty pages passed in a flash.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this e-arc.

To be fair I’m not a short story person, usually I need at least a certain amount of pages to get invested, but I decided to try out this book for four main reasons:
- i want to change my mind about short stories
- i have already read a couple of titles from the publisher and found some hidden gems
- i know the author is well known and loved
- the premise sounded interesting and the book cover is bewitching

That’s how I ended up reading this story about a runaway bride and her lover’s mysterious adventure in the Guggenheim museum and the detective that wants to find out the truth about it.
I think this was an enjoyable read and it clearly works as a metaphor of love at first sight while using elements of magical realism to show how sometimes love isn’t logical. However it should have been longer, because with only 25 pages it doesn’t have the time to say anything more than what you can probably expect from reading the plot summary. Art should have also played a bigger role in the story and it should have not been relegated only as a mere scenery.

So overall it’s a cute story that unfortunately leaves you wanting more.

A short and sweet little story of two young lovers found in a "cathedral of the arts" (museum) after a fantastical adventure into a new world. The mystery of how the two appeared in the museum, despite the doors all being locked and nothing on the cameras absolutely astounds the local detective, but the dreamlike state of Bibina and Indar confounds him even more.

This was short, sweet, and brought on the feeling of being freshly in love. Allende's writing is succint, visual, and decadent!!

This is a strange little story about a runaway bride and her stranger-turned-lover. How did they get in the museum? Was it really love at first sight? Are there supernatural things happening in the museum? There are a number of ways the reader can interpret this story. It's thought-provoking, thoughtful , and humorous.

first of all: the cover??? so pretty

i feel like this could've been longer.. still it was a fun and cute quick read. i especially loved Indar's humor and his way of talking to the detective while trying to explain what happened that day.

i also adored the metaphors and the way the "magical world/night" the two shared was described! it felt so natural and conveys the feeling of being in love proficiently. The pictures my mind came up with while reading this short story were beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to read this short story.

Lovers at the Museum by Isabel Allende is a short story about love at first sight with a touch of magic and mystery. Interesting story, but I would have kind to see a little more to it. I enjoyed the authors writing style and would be interested in reading more of her work.

Thank you #NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for access to read this short story in exchange for an honest review. Happy release day!

thank you netgalley for the chance to read this book! this was my first book by this author. i normally don't read short stories but thought id give it a go. i did not really understand this read, and did not really enjoy it either if i'm being honest. i feel like it should have been a longer read for the context of the book. this book makes you question what realy happened and who really knows who?

I read this holding my breath, rushing to the final page for a revelation of some sort but all I got was more mystery. Isabel Allende is one of the greatest storytellers of our time and I thoroughly enjoyed this mysterious short story that lingers on your mind. There is always something ethereal about art museums and when a couple is found in the premises of Guggenheim in the morning without a single trace of security breach, the police investigator starts to question everybody involved to uncover the truth but all he gets is even more curious account of events, surreal experiences and unworldly explanations. Magical realism at its best, Allende creates a beautiful and poetic mystery on the power of love and sensuality.

This was just gorgeous, whimsical and unexpected. The story felt so vivid and the writing was beautiful, I would love to have this have been even longer so we could have experienced the magic of the story and setting event more.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.