It is always nice to read stories that remind us the magic of pure love! Thanks to Net Galley for the book! I felt pretty captivated by the story cause it’s very touching, it’s about the power of spontaneous love, of dreams and fantasy and how some memories are completely mixed in our minds, to the point of not having a “logic” answer to some complicated questions. I really enjoy the Isabel Allende’s writing style, because she writes with honesty and a characteristic humor and some latin characters with strong emotions and clear minds.

In general, I think it’s a cute story that makes me think about the existence of love out there, it is actually everywhere, it is also here.

This short story is lyrical, whimsical, slightly magical and such a wonderful example of Isabel Allende's writing. I started reading her books in the 90's (Eva Luna and The House of the Spirits are two favorites) and this had the same other-worldly feel. Lovers are found in the Guggenheim and an inspector is trying to detemrine how they got in and why they weren't caught. It's a quick, lovely read.

Thanks to the publisher for sharing a copy with me. All opinions are my own.

A pretty fun and interesting short story, but nothing really more than that! I liked the ideas that were being played with, and the annoyed detective. Beyond that, it did feel like it needed a little bit more for it to come out with any real meaning to be derived.

This is a short story that was beautifully written. The story is told from the perspective of a detective who is stuck trying to figure out how two people managed to make love all through a museum without being caught by the guards or setting off a single alarm. I think my favorite part was when the detective determined this would never be solved to his boss's satisfaction and placed the file next to four others and I would love to know what other mysterious and mystical cases he has investigated. The story itself did feel finished, but I would love to know about that detective.

"but in this case it was the vice of love, easy enough to forgive"

short, simple, but sweet. This was the perfect length to convey the characters, setting, and overall tone while being just generally nice to read like a sweet, little daydream.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.

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Allende's prose is lovely and very readable, but the story itself felt like it had no point. The characters were drawn in extremely broad strokes and I found every single one of them idiotic and incapable of basic human communication. Possibly this means I lack whimsy. I also wish the rumors about supernatural goings-on at the museum had been introduced sooner in the story and thus better integrated into it.

having never read anything by Isabel Allende, I went into this completely blind. this reminded me of david lynch's short What Did Jack Do? (2017) where a monkey is being interrogated. my film teacher had mentioned it and i had watched it because it was short and available on netflix. however, i was confused the whole time. Lovers at the Museum was a similar experience. it contrasts the logic of our real world with the fantastical, as a pair of lovers are found in the museum by a cleaner - a woman in a wedding dress and a naked man in an embrace on the floor. what follows is an officer trying to find a logical explanation, but the stories of the two young lovers, as well as the confusing lack of evidence, makes this a fruitless endevour.

i liked some of the imagery and the setting of the case, as i'm quite a fan of art and art galleries. even the building this is set in (guggenheim bilbao) with its modern architecture seems to contrast with the whimsical nature of the story.

i was just a tad bit confused at some points so i wouldn't call this the most enjoyable read for me, but it was short. the heavy use of dialogue also fell a bit flat for me, but i would be interested in reading a full novel by Isabel Allende to see her ideas fleshed out more.

thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the free review copy. Lovers at the Museum is now available to read on Kindle Unlimited.

Quick yet insightful short story about what it means to be in love and revel in the magical and dreamlike feeling. While the lovers’ one-night excursion wasn’t wholly explained nor concluded, I think the lesson I gleaned from it is that there’s no easy or logical way to rationalize the actions of a person deep in love.

This is my first foray into Isabel Allende’s writing and I like it! I’ll definitely check out her other works that I’ve been seeing around for years.

Love, even spontaneous just-left-my-fiancé-at-the-altar stranger love, can transcend reality.

Sharp, vivid writing that blends fun mystery with contemporary fiction and magical realism. My mother described this as “totally a story Eva Luna [also by Isabel Allende] would tell”.

A great short story, and one that gives me the same feeling as Haruki Murakami's “Barn Burning”—is wanting just a little bit more a me problem? Both stories, written by brilliant authors, are crafted in ways that leave you with the weight of interpretation.

Already looking forward to my next Isabel Allende read.

This was a wonderful short story about two young adults intoxicated by love, and what may or may not be a haunted museum. After being found naked in the middle of the museum by a cleaning lady, the story tells the interrogation of the two adults and their seemingly mystical adventure of last. It was funny with a hint of mysticality. You can't really ask for more.

This was a fun short story about a man and a woman who spent the night together in a museum. The detective is shocked because of the museum’s security so it remains a mystery as to how they got inside in first place. The way the man and the woman describe love and the museum is colorful, descriptive, and magical.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this access!

This story didn't take long to read at all but I was engrossed the whole time. I've enjoyed Allende's use of magical realism since I read her in high school and this was no different. I wanted more time with these characters and highly recommend this to anyone who just needs a few minutes to feel a bit of love and wonder. What a treat!

Lovers at the Museum by Isabel Allende is a sweet short story with magical realism, mystery and love.

Absolutely loved it. The storytelling is mesmerising, Allende is a very talented author. I kept finding myself wishing it wouldn't end.

Magical event in a magical building….this short story makes me think author Allende keeps a dream journal.

A quick read, with delightful details.

oh my god. this feels like a fever dream, but in a happy way. it revolves around this strange case investigated by a detective, involving a woman in a dress and a naked man found inside a museum late at night. we don’t know how they got in without passing the guards, and these two strangers don’t know each other’s names. questions remain unanswered in this very short story, but it’s fun? and magical? and unhinged? truly, the vices of love is inexplicable. i would love to read more from this story, it shouldn’t be this short!

Lovers at the Museum is a short, 25-page journey through the dichotomous relationship between logic and love. Allende expertly explores passion, mythology, religion, scandal, and art. When two strangers spend a night at the Guggenheim Museum, a detective has to piece together how exactly they arrived at the high-security location.

Allende's writing style is fluent and embraces the underlying concerns of whimsy and realism. While I believe this book could have benefitted by being a little longer, the mysterious and unresolved nature of the novella fits the thematic concerns excellently. Lovers at the Museum is, at its core, a representation of love and lust's complexities and mysteries. This is achieved successfully through Allende's parallels to the Grecian Bacchanalia.

Overall, Lovers at the Museum is a quick, thoughtful text exploring the mysterious blend of the irrational and the rational.

A great fan, but unfortunately the writing lacked the author’s usual mesmerizing style.

With thanks to NetGalley & Amazon Original Stories for this e-ARC.

This was a nice quick read and something totally out of my comfort zone.

It was rather bizzare and I'm unsure what I think of it.

Only Isabel Allende could write a story about two strangers fornicating in a public building and turn it into something so poetic and magical. (Okay, maybe Gabriel García Márquez could have also done it, but it would almost certainly have had a much higher “ick” factor because the man would have been sixty and the girl would have been fourteen.) It's a surreal little tale that leaves you guessing as to what really happened in the museum that night – is it possible that the building is truly bewitched, or were the two lovers simply overwhelmed by their passion for each other?

Allende's prose, as always, is simply exquisite. There's some humor – the “brain of a chicken” comment made me chuckle – and also just a hint of the erotic. (For those looking for the graphic details, it's a no-go – most of the “action” occurs just before this story begins.) There's also magic and romance (of the insta-love variety, anyway) and even a light bit of detective work.

It's not exactly The House of the Spirits (it'd need another 400+ pages for that), but Lovers at the Museum is definitely a must-read for devoted Allende fans. That's not to say that her new readers couldn't enjoy this story, as well … it's a lower-commitment entry point to her work than her more famous (and much more lengthy) novels, yet still manages to showcase her elegant prose and tremendous talent.

My overall rating: 4.4 stars, rounded down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing me with a copy of this story to review.