Published: 2019. First time in English 2020, Bloomsbury
Genre: Fiction
Themes: Spanish Civil War, love, family, Chile, political refugees
My rating (out of 5): ❤❤❤❤❤
Inside the back cover of this book it says that Isabel Allende is one of the most widely read authors in the world, and her books have been translated into at least forty-two languages selling more than seventy-four million copies. After reading A Long Petal of the Sea, I fully understand why.
The story begins in 1939, at the end of the Spanish Civil War, when half a million refugees escaped Franco by walking from Spain to France. They walked through bitterly cold conditions, with barely enough food to keep them alive, and among their numbers was a heavily pregnant young woman called Roser who was leaving without the baby's father Guilleme. He is away fighting for the Republican Army so her escape is enabled by his brother, Victor, who carries her carefully in the sidecar of an old motorbike. As they struggle onward Victor decides it is better not to tell Roser that he knows Guilleme is already dead.
By the time they leave Spain, Roser and Victor have already known more than their fair share of suffering. Roser began life as a neglected child spending her days working as a goat herd, and she almost died of cold and hunger before being rescued by Victor and Guilleme's father who found her shivering and alone on the hillside. While still in their teens, Victor and Guilleme went to fight in the Civil War and Victor served his time as a medic in a field hospital treating the horrific battlefield injuries - often without anesthetic or sterile instruments.
Their arrival in France brings no respite after the arduous journey across the mountains. The French authorities are overwhelmed by the huge numbers of refugees arriving on their border, and simply gather them up and put them in concentration camps. Victor and Roser find themselves displaced, cold and starving and it is clear that a newborn child would never survive the terrible conditions.
The story goes on to tell how they get away from the camp and manage to obtain places on a refugee ship that takes them to Chile to begin a new life half a world away from home. The book is based on actual historical events and in 1939 two thousand people were transported to Chile on the ship Winnipeg that had been chartered by the Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda. They arrived at their destination on the very day that the Second World War broke out in Europe. The title of the book 'A long petal of the sea' comes from one of Neruda's poems and his poetry and influence thread their way all through the chapters of the book.
The story spans several generations of families on both sides of the Atlantic and leans heavily into the political struggles of Spain and South America that play out with similar outcomes. The skill of the writer is seen in how Isabel Allende keeps the powerful momentum of the story going amidst all the factual content that runs concurrently. It is no surprise that this book has become an international bestseller as the struggles and ambitions of the characters reflect a human drive to overcome even the greatest adversity. The writing is carefully considered and well paced and is particularly skillful in the way the characters mature through the years.
Highly recommended.
Comments
Post a Comment