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"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’s 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’s 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, Inés of my Soul recounts the settling of the country of Chile by the Spanish conquistadors during the sixteenth century. Inés 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." Inés 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’ve 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’s note, she indicated that she spent four years conducting her research. I typically adore a book with an intelligent and strong heroine, and Inés 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 Inés, 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’ll still give it a go with those other unread Allende’s 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."