January 25, 2021
Allende (A Long Petal of the Sea) presents a rich and intimate account of her lifelong commitment to feminism. For Allende, feminism is “a philosophical posture and a rising against male authority.” She further clarifies that patriarchy is “stony,” while feminism is fluid and “like the ocean, never stays quiet.” The book’s biographical details include Allende’s youthful fight for equality in sports; her early years as a journalist in Chile in the 1960s and ’70s; profiles of her beloved mother and chauvinist stepfather; and a tribute to legendary literary agent Carmen Balcells (“my mentor and my friend”), who helped Allende enter the male-dominated world of Latin American literature with the publication of her debut novel, The House of the Spirits, in 1982. Allende also memorializes her daughter, Paula, who died at age 29, and describes the foundation she started in Paula’s honor to “invest in the power of vulnerable women and girls.” Allende also discusses her three marriages and proudly takes on the mantle of “emboldened” grandmother: “We have nothing to lose and therefore are not easily scared.” This spirited call for women to continue fighting for “a joyful world” will resonate with Allende’s many fans.
Starred review from June 1, 2021
Allende (The House of the Spirits) offers up an intimate memoir on the impact of feminism on her unique and fulfilling life. As a child, and later as a young woman in the 1960s, Allende realized that women were often seen and not heard. Her mother's circumstance, and that of many other women in Chile, inspire Allende's life of action; she is nothing if not passionate in all her undertakings. Three marriages, two children, one heartbreaking loss, and travels around the globe have brought her closer to the human condition and the hearts of women everywhere, women who want not just love, but safety, bodily autonomy, value, respect, and connectedness. This memoir is a quilt of stories, poetry, anecdotes, and truths that women carry, in every culture and continent. Passionately narrated by Gisela Chipe, the audio edition is filled with warmth, feeling, and emotion. It concludes with Allende's promise to "light the torch of our daughters and granddaughters with mine. They will have to live for us, as we lived for our mothers, and carry on with the work still left to be finished." VERDICT Beautiful and fulfilling; a must-listen for women everywhere.--Erin Cataldi, Johnson Cty. P.L., Franklin, IN
Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
