I'd best describe this as a short sweet palate cleanser to read between larger novels. The writing and the imagery and story is lovely. It's very short so it's basically just the description of an event but I enjoyed it

Thank you NetGalley for this short story

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun and whimsical short story. I really loved the magic in the museum and the lyrical way the lovers described their salacious trip to the museum because it brought the magic to life. This was a great and fun read and I just adored it.

I really enjoyed this story. I usually dislike stories that I find confusing but with this story I found myself being drawn in. I haven’t read any magical realism. This story makes me want to branch out to more by Isabel Allende. 4 stars.

Magical museum? Sign me up. Sadly this didn’t do it for me though. The writing was beautiful but it was lacking… something.

This book was too far fetched for me. I couldn't get into the story and I guess just wasn't a fan. I'm interested to hear what others think.

This is my first Isabel Allende story , it's part of Amazon original stories. I have read many Amazon original stories and each story packs a punch even after being a short story. And this is no exception.


I love how in just 25 pages, this story feels like a novel. Bibiña Aranda, a runaway bride, wakes up in the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain with a man stark naked Indar Zubieta. She is still wearing her wedding dress draped in the loving arms of a naked man whose name she doesn’t know and it stirs the city and the police.

It's love at first sight.

Definitely going to pick more books by Isabel Allende.

Thank you Netgalley and Amazon original stories for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Not my usual kind of read but for something so short, it packed a fairly big punch. I loved the mystery and the magic of the museum, and I felt myself getting swept up in the story very quickly. Is the museum magical? If not, how did they get in? Does it open to those who are in the throws of passion? It was fun!
It did seem like perhaps the bride was taken advantage of in her emotional state which I found detracted from the whimsy and magic but overall, I did quite enjoy the story.

I'm very keen to read some other works by Isabel Allende now!

3.5 ⭐️s

Masterful words from a literary voice of renown. This story acts as an introduction or short space for close study of this author’s craft. Well worth the read.

Short, sweet and contemplative! The story could do with more punch and emotion, but I love how so much of it was up to perspective and interpretation, which felt like a parallel commentary about real life. I can see myself rereading this.

And the ending! Pure perfection!!!

Loved the ethereal dreaminess of this short story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

“Lovers At The Museum” by Isabel Allende is a captivating and enchanting tale that defies rational explanation, weaving together elements of love, magic, and the unexplained.

Set against the backdrop of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the story follows runaway bride Bibiña Aranda and the mysterious naked man, Indar Zubieta, who she finds herself entwined with. As they attempt to piece together the events of their magical night, they recount a journey that transcends the boundaries of reality, filled with love at first sight and experiences beyond comprehension.

Allende’s prose is dreamy and evocative, drawing readers into a world where the lines between reality and fantasy blur. Through her storytelling, she explores the mysteries of love and connection, leaving readers to ponder the inexplicable nature of human relationships long after the story has ended.

What makes “Lovers At The Museum” truly enchanting is its ability to transport readers to a place where anything is possible, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and where love knows no bounds. It’s a testament to Allende’s skill as a storyteller that she can create such a magical and immersive experience in just a short story.

In the end, “Lovers At The Museum” is a celebration of the power of love to defy logic and transcend the ordinary. It’s a story that lingers in the mind, leaving readers enchanted and eager for more from this masterful author.

A lovely short story on how museums are of these kind of places that live in between space and time. I found the whole narration of the story very interesting, with a sort of passive dual point of view that allow a glimpse into these characters' lives without intruding. It is also quite interesting how the end stays open for interpretation: did something truly whimsical happen, or did these two love struck people truly evaded all cameras of the museum?

In such a short amount of pages, Isabel Allende manages to paint a truly honest and beautiful scene, on which art and love mingle to show us that, together, it can create something to beat all expectation.

I really enjoyed reading this story. I liked the atmosphere, the characters and the plot.
I was also in love with the writing of the author and how she described everything.

This was an interesting short story surrounding the mystery of two lovers that got into the Guggenheim after hours. I liked the aspects of magical realism and the comparison of love with a magical experience.

Quite the "Night at the Museum". I guess if you're going to be spirited away in any museum, it might as well be the Guggenheim. I loved the idea of the cleaning lady assuming the couple was some weird installation. I want to read in the original Spanish to see how the language compares. I feel like Spanish lends itself more to descriptive prose.

*short story
*ARC

An lovely short story, full of the magical realism Allende is known for. Ethereal elements. Lovers and art. Lyrical writing. What more could one ask for?

I did not realize this was a short story but I loved the fantastical magical elements mentioned and the characters were interesting. The writing was as always lyrical. I wish it were a bit longer so some of these details could make a bit more sense!

Knowing it’s a short story by Isabel Allende was enough to convince me to read it. If you need more than this, let me tell you it was enchanting and sweet as only new love can be.

I really enjoyed this. It’s the first thing I’ve read by this writer. But I would like to read more.

Another short Amazon Original.

A young couple are discovered one morning in the Bilbao Guggenheim; he naked, she in a bedraggled wedding dress. A detective tries to make sense of what happened and how they got in but gets frustrated with their dreamy recollections. Was there some magic at play? Or just the magic of love?

A nice, quick read that was magical and romantic and the Spanish setting was a bonus. Not much to it but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

Thank you, NetGalley.