La casa de los espíritus
Four generations of women in a Chilean family, with magic and politics. Long, but the story carries you.
What it's about
The novel follows four generations of women in the Trueba family in an unnamed Latin American country that closely resembles Chile. Clara, who can see the future and move objects with her mind, marries the hot-tempered landowner Esteban Trueba. Their daughter Blanca falls in love with Pedro Tercero García, the son of one of Esteban's workers, and her daughter Alba lives through a military coup. Family love and violence mirror the country's history from the early 20th century to the 1973 coup. It was Isabel Allende's first novel, published in 1982.
Resumen en español fácil
Tap any underlined word for its meaning
La novela cuenta la historia de cuatro generaciones de mujeres de la familia Trueba en un país muy parecido a Chile. Clara puede ver el futuro y mover objetos con la mente. Se casa con Esteban Trueba, un hombre rico y muy violento. Su hija Blanca se enamora del hijo de un trabajador del campo, y su nieta Alba vive un golpe de Estado. La historia de la familia es también la historia del país.
Main characters
- Clara del Valle — a clairvoyant woman who speaks with spirits
- Esteban Trueba — her husband, a powerful and violent landowner
- Blanca — their daughter, who loves a worker's son
- Pedro Tercero García — a peasant's son who becomes a revolutionary singer
- Alba — Blanca's daughter, who lives through the military coup
How to read it in Spanish
Advanced level, but more readable than García Márquez: clear storytelling and a narrator who often tells you what will happen next. Chilean Spanish with a few local words.
Where to read it
The book is under copyright. Borrow it from your library (Libby has Spanish ebooks) or buy a Spanish edition.
