A Long Petal of the Sea

I read the book in Spanish and got it in English for a gift. I loved the Spanish version and the friend I gave the gift to is enjoying it a lot.

A Long Petal of the Sea, Isabel Allende, 2020 I really like good historical fiction. It gives one the personal experience of participating in historical events through the perspective of fictional characters. And this is good historical fiction as it addresses the subjects of refugees and exile brought about by political instability and turmoil. Allende is not someone without personal experience in this regard as her uncle was Salvador Allende and she had to flee Chile in 1973 when Pinochet staged a rightwing coup. Her first book “House of the Spirits” dealt with this same subject using a fictional country and fictional political leaders. This book is about real countries, real events, real political figures. The book starts in the year 1939 in the city of Barcelona. Franco’s forces have just defeated the Republican forces in the battle of Madrid and are closing in on the last Catalonian stronghold of Barcelona. There the middleclass family of a music teacher, Marcel Dalmau, is contemplating the impending disaster. Marcel’s two sons are socialists, members of the Republican forces. Victor is a medic and his brother, Guillem, a soldier, just killed in the forces defeated in Madrid. Also, part of the household is a girl, Roser, a musical prodigy, adopted by Marcel and pregnant with Guillem’s child. The story follows the flight, in the depths of winter, of Victor and Roser, along with the catastrophic exodus of hundreds of thousands from Barcelona to the French border. There, in the French concentration camps on the beaches at Argeles-sur-Mer, they endure brutal mistreatment and witness the deaths of thousands of refugees. The Nobel Prize winning Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda plays a crucial role in the story as he organizes an exodus of over 2000 of the refuges on a chartered freighter to be resettled in Chile. The story follows the lives of Victor and Roser as they are rescued by Neruda and end up in Santiago, Chile. They are adopted by the scion of a wealthy family who is a sympathizer with left-wing causes. The tensions, inequalities and instability of Chilean society of that time are revealed through the characters’ lives and portend another repeat of the horror they escaped in 1939. Allendes’ complex interweaving of compelling characters and situations propel this story forward and will keep you turning pages. Victor does not relinquish his political affiliations, and this will prove disastrous 34 years after he arrived in Chile when the right-wing dictatorship of Pinochet takes over. Along with Rosa he again becomes a refugee and again they both are forced into exile in Venezuela. Allendes’ portrayal rings true because she has lived this story herself. Political instability fueled by inequality and strident ideology are dangers to all Democratic societies and can give rise to catastrophic conflict. Allendes’ book is a plea for understanding and compassion for the plight of refugees from political, societal and racial violence. The world is again confronting refugee crisis’s in the middle east and on our own southern border. How we treat or mistreat these refugees reflects on our human values not theirs. Apparently throughout history it has been all too easy for people to succumb to the politics of unscrupulous leaders who appeal to the worst aspects of human nature. If you’re looking for an epic and masterful work of historical fiction, of hope, exile and belonging then look no further. Within this epic sweep of history is embedded a great story with many unexpected plot twists. This will be made into a movie. Pablo Neruda’s poetry is featured at the beginning of each chapter. JACK “Foreigners, here it is, This is my homeland, Here I was born and here live my dreams, Chile, long petal of sea and wine and snow”

Tough read but worth it in the end.

This long journey of Spanish refugees getting out of a French prison camp and travelling on a rescue ship to Chile is so vibrant with love stories, history and strong characters!! It's such a rich book- I really enjoyed it.

Pedí en agosto. Nunca han recibido!

A Long Petal of the Sea is a historical fiction novel (with no elements of magical realism), a family saga spanning from 1936 to 1994. Based on the true events of the ship Winnipeg which carried over 2,000 Spanish refugees from France to Chile in 1939 organized by the poet Pablo Neruda, the story follows the lives of a young doctor Victor Dalmau and his wife Roser. While the story is fictional, the book provides a realistic account of the Spanish Civil War, the political situation in Chile during WWII and after. While I enjoyed learning about the historic events depicted in the novel, getting into the story took some time as I was not much acquainted with these events but 50 pages through I was into the world that Allende has created for the readers. The beauty of words make the story what it is and a gem of the book . The realistic Spanish Civil war and the political situation in Chile during WWII are incredible detailed merged in the fabulous characters that elaborated a mind-blowing story that has dark and light moments! “Pain is unavoidable, but suffering is optional.”