Isabel Allende Llona is a Chilean-American novelist. Allende, who writes in the "magic realism" tradition, is considered one of the first successful women novelists in Latin America. She has written novels based in part on her own experiences, often focusing on the experiences of women, weaving myth and realism together. She has lectured and done extensive book tours and has taught literature at several US colleges. She currently resides in California with her husband. Allende adopted U.S. citizenship in 2003.
In茅s del Alma M铆a = Ines of My Soul, Isabel Allende
In茅s of My Soul (2006) is a historical novel by Chilean author Isabel Allende. The novel consists of an elderly In茅s Su谩rez writing a memoir of her life.
She narrates about her relationship with Pedro de Valdivia and the obstacles they had to overcome to conquer Chile and found the City of Santiago.
The novel relates the main facts of the life of In茅s, as written to be read by her adoptive daughter Isabel.
In the first chapter, "Europe, 1500-1537", she describes her life in Plasencia, mainly her married life and affair with Juan of M谩laga, in addition to her hard trip to America, motivated not only to find her husband, but also to find freedom. And ...
This is an epic historical novel about the founding of Chile in the Sixteenth Century. We follow events through the eyes of Ines, based on the historical figure of Ines de Suarez, writing a memoir for her daughter.
Ines lived a full life into her seventies, surviving two husbands and a long-term lover. One husband and the lover were pioneers and governors of the foundling settlement of Santiago at the core of Chile. Chile was settled from Peru to the north.
Ines suffered hardships in leaving Spain for the New World, arriving in Peru, and in traveling across the deserts and mountains from Peru to get to Chile. Much of the book focuses on the displacement of the native Indian population. We read of the ferocious battles between the Spanish and the Indians and the cruelties inflicted by one group upon the other, some of which is hard to stomach.
As 鈥淕overness鈥� of the settlement, Ines was centuries ahead of her time, establishing schools, hospitals and even soup kitchens for the poor.
And it鈥檚 a love story(ies) because Ines genuinely loved all three of the men in her life.
Translated from the Spanish, it鈥檚 a fast-paced book and fairly sexually explicit, as are most of Allende鈥檚 novels. Born in Peru in 1942, Allende grew up in Chile and now lives in the US as an American citizen. By far, her best-known and most highly-rated book is House of Spirits.
Top image of Ines de Suarez from Wikipedia The author from aldianews.com
"In the Americas every man was his own master; he never had to bow to anyone, he could begin anew, be a different person, live a different life. There no one bore his dishonor for years, and even the humblest could rise in the world."
Many years ago, I read several of Isabel Allende鈥檚 books and fell in love with them. Novels like The House of Spirits, Daughter of Fortune and Of Love and Shadows put Allende on my list of favorite authors at the time. Whenever I saw any of her books at a library book sale, I would eagerly snatch them up. Then a couple of years ago I read one of her more recent pieces, The Japanese Lover, and was somewhat lukewarm about it. As a result, those books I had been so keen to buy just sat on my bookshelf for some time. Until now. The result? Well, let鈥檚 just say I found it interesting, but I feel less than enthused to tell you all about it. Bottom line, this means that there was an emotional connection lacking here for me.
"With Pedro de Valdivia I lived a life of legend, and with him I conquered a kingdom."
Written in the first person, In茅s of my Soul recounts the settling of the country of Chile by the Spanish conquistadors during the sixteenth century. In茅s Suarez was instrumental in the founding of the city of Santiago and Chile alongside Pedro de Valdivia. In fact, I imagine she was quite a remarkable woman and ages ahead of her time. She exhibited great courage and was incredibly resourceful. I daresay she could have been a leader herself, and often demonstrated those skills when Valdivia was away on various missions and battles. She provided guidance to her lover, and he took her advice quite seriously much of the time. "A man does what he can; a woman does what a man cannot." In茅s is now a woman in her seventies and she has set out to write a memoir of her life. Occasionally, her story is interrupted by brief remarks directed to Isabel, her adopted daughter. This became a tad irritating and disrupted the flow of the narrative. Perhaps it was just me.
"Faults committed in the name of Spain and the church were not sins."
How often have we heard similar excuses when one group of individuals attempts to conquer another? In this case, it was the native Chileans, the Mapuche, that the Spanish aimed to subdue. Naturally, there followed much bloodshed on both sides with some very violent and grisly battle scenes depicted throughout. Punishments were harsh and sometimes quite vicious; beheadings were not uncommon. The Yanaconas, those Native Americans who had served the Inca Empire, were now enslaved to the Spaniards. Without their assistance, I have to wonder if Spain would have succeeded in claiming these lands for themselves. The Yanacona were a tireless and able-bodied people that also suffered from grave injustices. "We want to found cities and prosper, live with decency and comfort, while they aspire only to be free."
Overall, I would have to admit that this book was quite fascinating from a historical standpoint. I鈥檝e never read about the conquest of Chile prior to reading this, so I now feel more educated in that sense. I have no doubt that Allende did thorough research in writing this novel, as she herself was born in Peru, raised in Chile, and had ties to political leaders. In her author鈥檚 note, she indicated that she spent four years conducting her research. I typically adore a book with an intelligent and strong heroine, and In茅s Suarez certainly fit that to a T. But there was something in the writing that was a bit lacking for me. Perhaps it was missing the beautiful lines I so crave. And, as I stated before, I was not particularly connected to In茅s, despite my admiration of her tenacity and adventurous spirit. Still, this is a worthwhile read, and you can certainly judge for yourself if it would suit you or not. I鈥檒l still give it a go with those other unread Allende鈥檚 on my shelf.
"In a hot, swampy, voracious world infested with reptiles and poisonous insects, things decay very quickly, especially the soul. The jungle transforms men into rogues and murderers."
This book has stayed with me for years! An interesting story about a Spanish woman in Chile during the time of the conquistadors. Made me want to try some of the foods she makes - minus the grasshoppers!
Ines of My Soul brings two historical figures whose paths cross in Peru. She is a poor seamstress with no prospects for a better life in Spain and he is a Spanish war hero who seeks honor and glory. They share the same illusions, him of founding a kingdom and her being part of something grander.
The story begins in 1500鈥檚 Spain; it is the beginning of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. And Ines Suarez, under a pretext of wanting to seek her husband in the New World whose been gone for a few years, leaves the stifling, poor life in Spain to seek adventure in Americas.
Pedro de Valdivia, a war hero, finds the biggest pleasure in books. After reading of the voyages of Columbus, Magellan, Vespucci, Cortes, and many others, he starts craving grandeur adventures of the New World, and to leave behind a corrupt and war-ravaged Europe.
In Peru, he gets embroiled in a civil war under Francisco Pizarro who names him his field marshal. But he doesn鈥檛 want to live in the shadow of Pizarro. After hearing about Diego del Almagro鈥檚 expedition to Chile, a dream is set in motion of conquering the still innocent territory of Chile.
When the paths of Ines and Pedro cross, they both make a decision to follow their hearts.
The story vividly portrays many layers of the lands being conquered by Spaniards, the search for El Dorado and the rush to get rich, the clashing encounters with the natives, the lush nature of steaming jungles and unknown insects and creepy animals leading to many outbreaks and deaths, the harsh reality and isolation for those who try to found new settlements. The continuous invasions and mistreatment of the natives lead to further buildup of their resentment.
The characters are richly developed with their ambitions, faults, and passion. Ines a poor seamstress turns to found the first hospital in Chile. She goes on building more hospitals, churches, convents, chapels, sanctuaries, and entire towns. Valdivia, a war hero, despite gaining and losing money, he continues to dream big. He conquers new lands and establishes new settlements.
Written with passion, woven with great skill, and with vivid historical background, the story results in an epic adventure of great conquerors.
I got about halfway through this book before I decided Ines of My Soul was an assault against my spirit. The book is well written and, I would assume, well researched. My first source of disillusionment came when the reader (I listened to the audio book) Blair Brown for some reason decided to read the entire book in a faux Spanish accent, mutilating most of the pronunciations. Why?? Distracting and annoying to say the least.
But that was a minor quibble compared to actual content. Written from the POV of Ines Suarez, a conquistadora, I guess I should have expected the story to be filtered through a colonial mindset. However, the novel got increasingly more difficult to listen to as Inez passed judgment on "savages", excused the brutalities she witnessed and even committed a few of her own. Throughout, Ines judges some murders, rapes and massacres as necessary or to be expected, while others were regretful.
Yes, Ines would have regarded her compatriots as heroic but they were really nothing more than barbarians raping, pillaging, murdering, enslaving and torturing their way through the continent. Yes, this is plain in the book. I just got tired of reading about how Ines strove to justify, rationalize and admire a great deal of it. The scale of the slaughter is so beyond imagination I found it hard to care whether Ines ever found her missing hubby or took up with Valdivia or made it to Chile. I had no sympathy or identification with Ines. To me she was just a White woman who took the not so rare as you'd think opportunity to pillage someone else's lands and enrich herself in the process. I would rather have gotten to know the Indigenous peoples that were dying by the millions around her.
Ines' supposed "best friend" is her indigenous servant girl, loyal, devoted and lacking agency - a common trope among White historical fic authors who like to portray us folks of colour as content with (even enjoying) our roles as servants, whores and house slaves in their self-involved sagas.
What rankles me most is that too many people today all over the americas believe that colonialism is a thing of the past. But land and resource thefts continue across our lands. Racism and white superiority are as entrenched today as they were in the years the conquistadors. I'm not interested in exploring their lives or humanizing them or searching for some semblance of nobility and honour in their actions. I'd rather know about the price we've all paid for their greed.
Colonization is such an innocuous sounding word, but the reality is just the opposite. It is the audacity of a powerful country to invade another land and annihilate the indigenous population. Often with the pretense of living together harmoniously, the native population is killed in battle, enslaved, or dies from diseases for which they have no immunity. Is there another way?
The colonization of Chile was no different. In the name of Christianity, the Spaniards 'conquered' this land of great beauty. Allende tells this historically based, epic story through the words of Ines S. Suarez, a courageous and ingenious woman of the 16th century. Ines recalls her life to her daughter as she is nearing death: her difficult early years in Spain, her search for her first husband in Peru and Chile, and her years of toil, battle, friendships and loves in the early days of Santiago.
Allende's writing evokes such a strong sense of time and place. It was often hard to remember that Ines' voice was actually that of the author. I felt Ines' perils to my core. It has been a long time since I have felt such empathy for a character, such an involvement in the story. And yet - the brutality, the vividly graphic battle scenes were sickening. Should the horrors of war be gentrified for the comfort of the reader? Can we judge the actions of those seeking new lands and those trying to defend their land? Would that judgment be a form of 'Monday morning quarterback' syndrome? As difficult to read as some scenes were, I believe the truth can't be watered down. I don't know if there is a more humane way for expansion, but I have thought intensely about it and will continue to ponder this.
I finished this intensely moving book at least a week ago. I am still immersed in the narrative, and my description of its impact on me feels inadequate. It did to me what great literature should do; it grabbed me, challenged me and changed me. I highly recommend this beautifully told story. Isabelle Allende is a remarkable writer.
A quote spoken by Ines
"I fear that these pages already contain more cruelty than a soul can tolerate. In the New World, no one has scruples when the moment calls for violence. Violence exists everywhere, and has throughout the ages. Nothing changes; we humans repeat the same sins over and over, eternally."
4/5 estrellas. Isabel Allende nunca nos defrauda con sus historias. Aunque esta es una Historia con may煤sculas. Es la Historia de la conquista de Chile, que emprendi贸 Pedro de Valdivia en 1540, abandonando el Per煤, inestable y peligroso, permanentemente envuelto en intrigas y contiendas civiles entre los Pizarro y los partidarios de Diego de Almagro, que hab铆a intentado la conquista de Chile y hab铆a fracasado. Es la Historia de la mujer que acompa帽o a Valdivia en esta conquista, In茅s de Su谩rez, extreme帽a, mujer de car谩cter fuerte y decidido, pilar clave en la conquista y fundaci贸n de Santiago de Chile, soporte y sustento en la retaguardia de los pocos espa帽oles que se lanzaron a la locura de conquistar un reino, siendo poco m谩s de 100 y unos pocos miles de indios quechuas, renuentes y mal dispuestos. La historia nos la narra la propia In茅s, una de las primeras mujeres espa帽olas que viaj贸 a Am茅rica con un permiso oficial y que era la pareja de Valdivia, que no su mujer. Nos la cuenta en los a帽os finales de su vida, cuando ya son pocos los que quedan de los dur铆simos a帽os de la fundaci贸n, de la eterna guerra sin fin que los espa帽oles entablaron contra una de las tribus de indios mas orgullosa, indomable, valiente y organizada que se encontraron en el Nuevo Mundo: los Mapuche y sus jefes Lautaro y Caupolic谩n. Guerra que s贸lo pod铆a concluir con la muerte de uno de los dos contendientes, porque los mapuche nunca iban a renunciar a su libertad. Guerra que se llev贸 por delante al propio Valdivia en 1553 cuando se adentr贸 demasiado al sur del B铆o B铆o y fue exterminado. Es la historia de aventuras incre铆bles en la que un pu帽ado de soldados espa帽oles se enfrentaban a miles de indios, mal armados, desorganizados, pero eran miles!!. 驴C贸mo pod铆an, de donde sacaban el valor, de donde sacaban el orgullo, de donde sacaban los hu.....s? La Historia de la conquista de am茅rica est谩 llena de estos episodios que parecen incre铆bles, pero que fueron reales. Tambi茅n es la historia, y la autora no escatima en detalle, de uno de los instrumentos que los conquistadores, supuestos civilizadores, utilizaron para conseguir sus fines: el miedo, la crueldad sin l铆mites, la exterminaci贸n, la violencia indiscriminada. Aventura, haza帽as inimaginables, penuria, sufrimiento, hambre, con un 煤nico fin: no civilizar, ni cristianizar, sino conquistar y enriquecerse. 驴Fue esto leg铆timo?, esa es la disyuntiva en la que nos ponemos cuando leemos los episodios hist贸ricos que sucedieron durante la conquista de Am茅rica: Hero铆smo o violencia injustificada? Y pensaremos: todas las conquistas son iguales, el contexto era distinto, eran otros tiempos, el fin justifica los medios, la guerra es la guerra, el Imperio y el poder era lo primero: ya, pero fuimos nosotros................. La visi贸n femenina de la Historia enriquece el conjunto, ya que aprendemos sobre las costumbres de la 茅poca, la vida en las nuevas colonias, la situaci贸n de las mujeres que quedaban en Castilla, cuando los hombres emigraban a Am茅rica...y nunca volv铆an. La situaci贸n de los indios, amigos, sometidos o enemigos. En definitiva, un gran libro. Totalmente recomendable......
I have been a reader for the last eleven years and am now the loyal fan of Isabel Allende , writing this review of In茅s of My Soul in the year of Our Lord 2012.I am not sure whether this review will convince anyone to read this book but I am sure this is one of the best historical novels ever written and Isabel Allende is, undoubtedly, the only writer who hovers between a historian, a storyteller and a feminist.
As a result this book isn't limited to a single genre. It is a historically accurate account of a powerful sixteenth century conquistadora, a feminist novel and a work of fiction. In other words, a perfect amalgamation of fact, fiction and feminism. When you read it, you're a part of it. The imagery is so strong, you can almost feel things happening. You can see the destruction, feel the heat, smell the blood and gag at the dust. And the language is so convincing, you can never separate fact from fiction. You even tend to forget who is writing the story: Allende or In茅s herself? The book is so intense, so passionate and so strong that the effect it creates is incredible! In fact, I am not even sure whether In茅s of My Soul is a book because it has an identity of its own. It is almost like a living, breathing woman.
How exactly Isabel Allende managed to create such a powerful, beautiful book is impossible to say. For me, it is indubitably the best book I've read this year! It encapsulates three of my most favourite topics in the world: History, Literature and Feminism and it is so well written, I hate to let it go!
Historical fiction about the life of In茅s Su谩rez. Born in Spain in the early 1500s, she sails to South America with her niece to find her husband, Juan de M谩laga, who has gone in search of gold. The story is told by In茅s, near the end of her life, in the form of a diary she plans to give to her stepdaughter, Isabel. The narrative covers her three romantic relationships, and her participation in the expedition to conquer Chile. They establish the city of Santiago and battle the native people.
Allende is known for her female protagonists, and In茅s is the prototype of a strong woman. She becomes self-sufficient as a seamstress, cook, and nurse. Allende employs magical realism here, but less so than some of her previous works. This novel is a sweeping saga covering approximately eighty years. In茅s experiences many adventures, hardships, battles, and love affairs. The author does not spare the gruesome details of combat, punishments, and executions.
I enjoyed this book and looked forward to picking it up. It occasionally wanders from the primary storyline. I was not previously aware of In茅s Su谩rez and her role in Chilean history. It inspired me to do further research.
In茅s de Su谩rez es de las pocas mujeres que lograron dejar su marca en la historia de Chile, aunque detr谩s de la sombra de muchos hombres c茅lebres, como Pedro de Valdivia. Por eso, encuentro muy interesante este libro, que cuenta la historia y la vida de In茅s, mujer espa帽ola que se convirti贸 en conquistadora y gobernadora de Chile. Por supuesto, tambi茅n abarca una buena parte de la vida de Pedro de Valdivia, quien aparentemente fue el amante de In茅s durante varios a帽os, y de otros personajes de la historia de Chile, principalmente espa帽oles (aunque tambi茅n menciona a algunos yanaconas y mapuches). Debo decir que la historia del descubrimiento y posterior conquista de Chile nunca me ha producido demasiado inter茅s. Se trata de un per铆odo que, nos guste o no, fue muy sangriento, tanto para espa帽oles como mapuche. A mis 24 a帽os, me doy cuenta de la grandiosa tarea que realizaron los conquistadores, no s贸lo al atravesar el desierto m谩s 谩rido del mundo, sino tambi茅n al enfrentar a miles de mapuche, que los superaban en n煤mero de una manera inquietante. Es impresionante el temple que ten铆a Pedro de Valdivia, In茅s de Su谩rez y el resto de los espa帽oles que los acompa帽aban (me recuerda un poco a la triste historia del Puerto del Hambre, en Magallanes). Los mapuche tambi茅n son descritos con esa determinaci贸n, en que es mejor la muerte que aceptar la presencia de los espa帽oles. Tambi茅n ellos cuentan con genios militares, especialmente Lautaro, cuyas haza帽as se describen brevemente en este libro.
Hace varios a帽os que no le铆a a Isabel Allende (a quien considero una de las mejores escritoras chilenas), porque me llev茅 un gran desencanto cuando le铆 . Por eso, aunque compr茅 este libro hace bastante tiempo, s贸lo me decid铆 a leerlo hace un par de d铆as. La escritura de Isabel Allende se luce realmente en In茅s del alma m铆a, especialmente en esas descripciones de los paisajes de Chile, que hace que te sientas en ese preciso lugar, hace quinientos a帽os, cuando Santiago no era m谩s que un caser铆o, en lugar de la enorme ciudad que es hoy. Sin embargo, debo confesar que a veces se me hac铆an eternos sus largos p谩rrafos, especialmente porque la edici贸n que tengo tiene la letra tan chica que deber铆a ser ilegal.
Muy recomendable a los amantes de la historia, especialmente a la importancia de las mujeres en una 茅poca tan masculina como Chile en el siglo XVI.
Women are often written out of history or intentionally ignored. In the old 鈥渨ho gets to tell the story鈥� practice, it was often men telling about men, and victorious men would often conveniently ignore anyone who might take some of the hero鈥檚 (or heroes) shine or steal some of his (their) thunder. The official story/history of the Spanish founding of Chile follows this same old pattern, and Allende has revised it here to include a female conquistador who had a lot of impact on the Spaniards鈥� route to Chile from Peru, the founding of Santiago, and the creation of many of the first institutions of civilization. Yes, In茅s Suarez was attached intimately to two of the military men (not at the same time) who rode into Chile and challenged the natives to wrest the land from them, but her own strengths and skills, tenacity and loyalty made big impact on the work the men forged.
Allende also includes with sensitivity and compassion some of the native Mapuche side of history, which of course entails the brutality and hypocrisy of Spaniard policies and practices in the treatment of them. The Church and how it turned a blind eye to the colonial savagery gets dinged as well.
But the book is mostly about an otherwise forgotten female, so hurray for women in history and getting their stories told! Allende really brings In茅s alive, and gives us history that includes the fact that women were there at the founding of a nation in many important ways.
The author includes sources and historical references at the end that support the story she creatively tells us.
Faz-me feliz quando se faz jus 脿s mulheres de condi莽茫o simples e humildes que se tornaram grandes como o caso desta In锚s Suarez.
Mulheres que na sua esmagadora maioria foram negligenciadas, espezinhadas durante s茅culos, diminu铆das, injusti莽adas, desvalorizadas e que apesar de tudo isso, contra tudo e contra todos, se sobrep玫em em prol de uma causa e se agigantam.
Tal como esta maravilhosa personagem, mulher de fibra que se veio a revelar uma das conquistadoras do Chile, uma hero铆na com uma hist贸ria sem igual.
Ali谩s, mais do que uma hist贸ria de amor 茅 antes demais a hist贸ria de um pa铆s, de um continente.
Mais uma vez a nossa querida escritora d谩 a 锚nfase merecida 脿s mulheres neste caso na conquista e povoamento da Am茅rica do Sul.
M谩s bello que la primera vez! Hice esta re-lectura y me volv铆 a enamorar de los personajes. Isabel es m谩gica en la ficci贸n hist贸rica, alucinante con sus descripciones y siempre tiene ese toque de humor que me fascina. Comenc茅 a ver la serie basada en el libro y se las recomiendo, est谩 muy buena!
Que libro tan maravilloso, que manera tan hermosa de narrar una historia de amor envuelta en guerra y sangre, Isabel Allende me gusta much铆simo y este es sin duda mi libro favorito de la escritora seguido muy muy de cerca por la isla.bajo del.mar. Si bien este libro es en esencia una historia de a amor, nos muestra sin ning煤n tapujo lo sangrienta que fue la conquista por parte de los espa帽oles en el Per煤 y Chile y muy sabiamente nos hace pensar si hab铆a derecho para eso, por que grandes culturas ten铆an que someterse a unos recien llegados en nombre de un rey que no solo no conoc铆an, si no que estaba a a帽os de distancia y como sufrieron tormento tras tormento en mano de estos hombres que se cre铆an due帽os leg铆timos de todo en nombre de un Dios inexistente. In猫s es un personaje maravilloso, ame este libro.
A帽os que me hab铆an hablado de este libro y a帽os que le hab铆a hecho el quite, hasta que vi un cap铆tulo de Doctor House donde Cuddy lo ten铆a en su velador y al fin me pic贸 la curiosidad. Entonces lo consegu铆 y liztaylor estaba para empezarlo.
PERO se me ocurri贸 antes googlear bien a la se帽ora y... no. No me dan ganas de leer libros donde se endiosen a personas que cometieron asesinatos a destajo, as铆 como quien juega a los bolos en una estrategia de juego. S茅 que la vida y la historia est谩n llena de conquistas, la gran mayor铆a sangrientas, y que es probablemente natural (aunque personalmente creo que la tierra al final no es de ning煤n pueblo en espec铆fico porque siempre le est谩 tocando al fortach贸n de turno), pero igual... demasiada crueldad para m铆. Me dan demasiada pena estos hombres originarios ah铆 siendo masacrados solo porque llegaron despu茅s personas que decidieron ol铆mpicamente vivir ah铆 en vez. Podr铆an haber compartido la tierra o qu茅 s茅 yo.
As铆 que, debut y despedida, jajaja, y ya est谩 borrado de mi kindle, y lo comento aqu铆 porque probablemente no lo leer茅 nunca, va directamente a mi categor铆a "nah". Esto sin desmerecer que Isabel Allende escribe s煤per bien y todo lo dem谩s, solo que NOT MY CUPPA TEA. Tampoco me gusta el g茅nero criminal porque tambi茅n lo encuentro morboso y cruel, y porque tambi茅n encuentro que en general glorifica al asesino cuando logra pasarse de listo y salir impune. As铆 que quiz谩 sea cosa m铆a.
Es que me da pena cuando la gente sufre. Aunque m谩s que eso, cuando no hay moraleja. Cuando, siglos despu茅s, todav铆a una masacre as铆 se considera heroica. La mala costumbre de vanagloriarse por ser capaz de enga帽ar, oprimir o eliminar al otro, si en nuestra consideraci贸n las causas lo valen. El fin, para m铆, no justifica los medios y todav铆a menos cuando m谩s encima es hip贸crita, porque estos conquistadores justificaban sus actos diciendo que poblaban Am茅rica para "salvar" al "salvaje" de su "lejan铆a del Se帽or" y blabla. O sea, si vas a hacer papilla a civilizaciones enteras, al menos ten la decencia de no echarle la culpa a tu Dios.
Fue asqueroso el manto de sangre que cubri贸 a casi todos los abor铆genes americanos en la conquista espa帽ola. Y no una guerra justa. No eran iguales. Ten铆an niveles muy distintos de avances y tecnolog铆a. Es casi como si ahora llegaran unos aliens y nos invadieran y luego escribieran libros palmote谩ndose las espaldas sobre c贸mo lograron burlarnos y someternos, y lo valientes que fueron por hacerlo. Hu谩cala. Los avances y el intercambio cultural podr铆an haberse logrado de formas mucho menos traum谩ticas.... solo que ellos no ven铆an realmente a ello, sino que (con contadas excepciones) al oro f谩cil.
Ojo, en todo caso, que mi animosidad no va dirigida a la Espa帽a actual ni a sus habitantes. Eran otros tiempos y el mundo ha cambiado, pero esto es lo que sent铆 ante la perspectiva de leer este libro.
While this did not live up to some of Isabel Allende's other work in terms of either writing style or character development, the history was fascinating. It is a fictionalized account of the founding of Chile, told through the eyes of the "mother of the country," the leading conquistador's mistress. The book is written to be her memoirs, so there are rather annoying interludes in which the narrator is in her "present day," talking about how she must finish the story before she dies, blah blah blah, and her comments about the other characters' personalities are also rather banal. However, the story is fascinating, and Allende did a great deal of background research that makes the setting realistic, even if she does not go into the moral complexities of the conquests themselves. In this way, she stays true to her narrator's voice, even if that is somewhat simplistic for modern readers who may not see the conquest and butchering of native peoples as a god-given right of the Spaniards.
A tragic love story embedded in the brutal conquest of Chile, and a topical one that raises the flag for feminism and lowers it for colonialism.
Allende sticks close to the historical record of the Spanish incursion into that vast desert land south of Peru by Pedro de Valdivia and his mistress Ines Suarez, while fictionalizing the bits that occurred between pivotal historic incidents along this trail of blood, tears, and death. The story is narrated by Isabel in her 70th year, looking back on her life from ages 30-40 when she stood toe to toe with Valdivia, suffered starvation, repulsed continuous attacks by the indigenous Mapuche, and prevailed to set up the capital city of Santiago, thus setting the stage for subsequent waves of Spanish to settle the land and push back the incumbents, with gold, land, and slaves as their reward.
For those wanting to know how brutal the Spanish conquistadors were, this book pulls no punches: executions, torture, rape, pillage, and betrayal were de rigueur. Even Ines, when pushed to the limit, does not stop at lopping off a few heads. And just like Pizarro conquering Peru with 150 men, Valdivia sets off to claim Chile with 13 Spaniards and 1500 disposable Yanacona slaves. Battles are won on a ratio of 1:1000 between Spanish and Mapuche, due to the former鈥檚 superior strength compounded by horses, armour, guns, and swords. And when hospitality is shown by the locals towards 鈥渢he bearded pale faces who come in floating houses from across the sea鈥� the Spanish return the courtesy by robbing and raping their hosts. The Spanish camp is riddled with disunity and conspirators lurking to topple the established order at the slightest opening. How such fragile groups could go onto found nations is baffling.
Valdivia is the most complex character. Married to a frigid woman aged 13, he flees to the new world as much to escape her, as to seek fame and glory, and leave his mark on the world, being sterile himself. He strives to rise above the lust that plagues man (sometimes, he fails) and set up a just society based on hard work, away from the greed and corruption of Peru. He meets Inez in Cusco while she is on the hunt for her husband, Juan, who had introduced her to the art and deviations of sex and abandoned her for the new world. Ines and Valdivia are soul mates and strike it off in their first encounter. Ines abandons her quest for Juan and sets off with Valdivia to Chile instead, inducting him into the sensuous arts she has learned.
Conquest does not prove easy, for the Mapuche plant their own Manchurian Candidate within the ranks of the Spanish to learn the latter鈥檚 war strategy and tactics. When the 鈥渟leeper鈥� is activated, Valdivia faces his real challenge, and the novel moves through to a thrilling but inevitable climax.
Ines prevails as the Matriarch of Santiago, immersed in healing the sick, organizing meagre resources, growing food, and inspiring her citizens to prevail against all odds鈥攁nd she comes through. Valdivia, is not so fortunate, for he is beset by the pressures of Royal authority to make unethical decisions and preserve his own status, which extends to abandoning his loved ones and viciously punishing those who don鈥檛 toe the party line. 鈥淲e reap what we sow鈥� applies to this couple.
Allende is brilliant in being able to take us back to this period and immerse us in its tragic brutality.
I'm just going to invite you into the argument in my head as I read this:
This book is celebrating a conquistador. Why am I reading this? Well, but she's a poor woman who just sort of winds up here. No, she's straight-up murdering indigenous leaders herself as part of her heroic arc. But isn't her story a valid story to tell? She actually existed. Sure, but in choosing to tell the story only from her mind, all the indigenous people become a faceless mass of savages. Except for the endlessly helpful woman who's her -- ahem -- "best friend." She kind of admires her opponents. She murders them and helps others who murder them. She's not as bad as the other conquistadors. I'm not interested in the line between 'bad' conquistadors and 'good' ones. It looks like bad conquistadors murder rape and pillage for money, but good conquistadors murder rape and pillage for honor.
And not that any moment in history is comparable to any other moment of history, but what would happen if someone wrote an admiring book about a female Nazi who really rose through the ranks through her own bravery and intelligence, though she sometimes felt bad about some of the crueler practices in the concentration camps she oversaw. Oh you're making a Nazi comparison now? Look, every story admiring someone who holds more privilege than others is omitting a founding violence. Colonization and genocide aren't in the past, they're happening right now, and most books don't grapple with it. Maybe it's unfair to hold this book to those standards. Yes. Yes and ... she's a CONQUISTADOR.
Another reviewer describes this book as "an assault against my spirit." After all my mental arguments, I think I agree with that. Every paragraph contains violence toward indigenous people, recast as banal or justifiable or at worst just sort of unfortunate. I sort of think the only meaningful way to read this book is as a horrifying tragedy dictated by a villain who thinks she's the protagonist, with the kind of irony present in The Remains of the Day. But I don't have any reason to believe it was written with that intent.
Una novela a la que ten铆a ganas hace tiempo pero no ve铆a el momento. Una historia fascinante la de In茅s Su谩rez y lo que vivi贸. Una mujer dura que sufri贸 para conseguir algo que no era nada f谩cil y mucho menos para una mujer en esa 茅poca. In茅s fue valiente, por irse sola al nuevo mundo, In茅s fue atrevida por enamorarse y quedarse con Pedro de Valdivia, pero In茅s fue mucho m谩s que deb茅is descubrir leyendo la novela. Una historia de amor, de fuerza, de conquistas, de guerras, de penurias y sobre todo, de historia, la historia de la conquista de Chile por los espa帽oles. Narrada en forma de diario por la gran Allende esta novela merece ser le铆da, sin duda alguna.