Customer Reviews

Ines of My Soul: A Novel

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Based almost entirely on the life of Ines Suarez who lived from 1507 to 1580, Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende is a lyrically written story of passion, ruthless exploration, rugged courage and love in the 16th century. Allende is one of the few authors that are wonderfully decriptive writers who have the ability to write beautiful and flowing prose and make the reader feel as if they're witnessing and experiencing a scene rather than just reading about it.

Poor and nearly destitute, Ines has a rough life in Spain. Alone because her husband has left to make his fortune in the new world she eventually sets out to search for him. When she arrives Ines learns he has been killed. Determined to make a new life for herself Ines decides to remain in the new colony. She eventually falls under the spell of Don Pedro de Valdivia, field marshal of Francisco Pizarro. Together they undertake the founding of the country of Chile.

Richly textured with wonderfully developed historical characters, Allende has written another masterpiece. For those who have their appetites wetted for further reading on this period of history, Allende includes a helpful bibliography that she freely admits is incomplete. I wonder though how many of these titles will be available in English. I also suspect that many of them are rare and may be difficult to locate.

You'll want to read Ines of My Soul slowly because there isn't much out there of its equal. Savor it.

In Inés of My Soul, Isabel Allende has written her finest novel, and I read it in one sitting, so impressed by it and so drawn into it was I. The lushness of her prose and her descriptive abilities have never been used in quite this way, and as Allende describes the virginal South American wilds, I was left in amazement at her accomplishment. I have always admired Allende as a writer, but I have been frustrated in the past at what I have seen as her unnecessary and detracting forays into the supernatural, which has intruded (as in House of the Spirits) into an otherwise rational plot. Nothing precisely like that comes to pass in this book, and insofar as it does, it seems less an affront in its setting here than it had at other times, and that also impressed me.

Inés of My Soul tells the story of a real life sixteenth-century figure, the bold and enterprising survivor, Doña Inés Suárez, who, along with her lover, the dashing Don Pedro de Valdivia, founds the great city of Santiago, Chile. Writing a remembrance from the vantage point of extreme old age (seventy years and near death) Doña Inés tells of growing up in Spain, then of course the world's most powerful and wealthy nation, and also describes to the reader her eventual voyage to Peru, in search of her husband, Juan, who had traveled to the New World before his wife, as one of Pizarro's conquistadors. Upon learning that her husband has died in battle (and finding that the man was not all she had once thought him to be) Doña Inés, left there in Peru with initially limited options, eventually is swept away by a dashing warrior and lover named Don Pedro de Valdivia. Together the pair go on to make the journey south to the wilds and are afterward remembered as among the founding figures in the modern nation of Chile. From her antiquity, Doña Inés tells the story of all this, and does so in a way that mesmerizes the imagination even as she---or more accurately Allende---teases the intellect and almost makes one forget until reminded of the human toll that was inextricably part of wedding together the distant lands of Chile and Spain.

I found this to be an enjoyable and visually-powerful work of fiction. It impressed me in a number of ways, and I recommend it to those who admire this gifted South American writer, who feel drawn to its historical and geographical setting, or to anyone looking for a good read this season.

Although Allende deserves credit for resisting any impulse to impose modern sensibilities on her sixteenth-century protagonist, she doesn't succeed in creating in Ines a character I could understand or relate to. I realize Ines was a creature of her times, but many human feelings are universal across eras and cultures, and I needed help from the author to connect with Ines' dogged love for Juan (which seemed somewhat shallow), her religiosity, and her tolerance of -- and even participation in -- extreme cruelty and violence. The first-person narrative gives us the impression that she is a highly intelligent person, but it does not reflect a fully dimensional character. There is a tantalizing reference to her being intellectually mentored by a priest, but details of that relationship aren't there. I read through the novel mostly because it is a highly accessible narrative of the historical events as they probably occurred. It may be the enticement I needed to tackle Bernal Diaz' or William Prescott's histories of the conquest of Mexico and Peru. However, for a first-time Allende reader, who wants an un-put-downable historical novel I recomnmend instead her excellent Daughter of Fortune.

I have enjoyed other novel by Isabel Allende and found this one interesting on several different levels. Her writing is always evocative and unfailingly filled with sly references to characters foibles and shortcomings.
This novel had a touching frame of reference: the narrator is a 70 year old woman dictating her memoirs to a daughter. Yet while the book is an enthralling historical romance it is also filled with disturbing violence. She includes some bibliographic references but it is unclear what is fact and what is the author's invention. I sensed parallels with the uneasy state of the world today in the depiction of torture and the brutal treatment of prisoners It certainly brought attention to the central issue that the colonization of Chile was a tragedy to the Indians and attained at the cost of enormous bloodshed.
Is the book successful? The central character is complex but hard to connect with. Her courage is exemplary yet as the matriarch of a country she fails in several key ways to inspire us.

The Spaniards plod over the mountains and deserts from Peru to Chile, chasing glory and gold. As a reader, I too plodded over those mountains and deserts--to the point of tedium. An endless series of battles between the Spanish and the native peoples, this novel has little to recommend it. Most curious is Allende's Author's Note: "This novel is a work of intuition, but any similarity to events and persons relating to the conquest of Chile is not coincidental." Many historical novelists will make the opposite claim: that they have, if anything, "distorted" history (see Gabriel Brownstein's note in "The Man from Beyond"). Ultimately, of course, most of us are not in a position to know the difference. The result in this novel is that it's set up to reclaim the reputation of Ines de Suarez. The first-person narration encourages us to take her side, but, frankly, she's not that interesting. The "intuition" referred to by Allende is, of course, the interior monologue of her Ines. But that's not particularly gripping. From all accounts, Suarez was a remarkable woman for her time, but she just isn't that interesting a narrator. The first-person story-telling often comes across as implausible as she isn't in a position to know what transpired at a distance. On occasion, she simply recounts stories told to her by eyewitnesses, passages that constitute fairly dry chronicles of events. So the novel is a seemingly endless series of battles, atrocities, and dull politics. The passions of her life are talked about rather than shown to us. A quick google search comes up with the outlines of her life, a fascinating one for sure. This novel, however, is not fascinating; it simply wears readers down in dogged pursuit of making a case for Ines de Suarez as a great figure in South American history. Perhaps more novelistic intuition and less slavish commitment to the facts of conquest might have brought this story to life.

I was so excited to purchase and read this new book by Allende, that I may have put my expectations too high. Unlike Daughter of Fortune's Eliza, Ines lacks grace and integrety. Towards the middle of the novel, I had started to skip pages because I could guess what she was going to say and do. Her, "I am a 16th century woman, hear me roar" routine got very old after the first few chapters and I wanted something more from her. Humility? Softness? I'm not sure, but what I do know is that with the rich historical tapestry that Allende has proven she can weave, I am disapointed that she didn't try harder in convincing us that Ines was a flesh and blood woman and not just some Amazonian slayer of Mapuche. Ines is too proud, too sure of herself. I regret not being introduced to this historical figure properly.

I've enjoyed all of Isabel Allende's books but this is certainly one of her best. After I finished reading it I wanted to go back and begin reading again! In this sweeping historical novel Allende establishes herself as a 21st century chronicler of the conquest of Chile. In the process she restores Inés Suárez to an appropriate level of importance and gives voice to the Mapuche Indians. (They tell part of the story and their words are part of the narrative.) This is not a black and white version of the conquest; it is nuanced with multiple perspectives. We hear from Inés (a European woman), Pedro de Valdivia (Spanish conquerer), Catalina (a quechua-speaking servant), Cecilia (an Incan princess), Felipe/Lautaro (Mapuche hero) and many more. Allende's gifts as a novelist and storyteller make this an appealing and unforgettable book. I can still picture the vivid descriptions of Chile and hear the clamor and war cries of battle. Throughout the saga the sentiments of believable characters breathe life into a sequence of historical events. In this compelling work Allende has created the lasting monument to Inés Suárez.

Being an engineer I seldom read other than technical publications. However I saw my sister (who is now an MD) reading this book while on vacation, scuba diving in Mexico. I was intrigued in what kind of book she would be interested in. So she let me read the first chapter (which was the Italian version) between dives. I found myself fully immersed in Inez's life and could not let go. I kept urging my sister to finish the book so I could get back to it. The book has some serious violence in it, but is also romantic and passionate. I think the author is great and I have recommended the book to my wife who was amused how the two of us were fighing over it. I have never recommended a non technical book to anyone before. However being of european upbringing, I chuckle at the fact that in europe, the book's cover shows Inez's breasts, while in the US version they are covered. In America we can handle the violence but not the sex; in the US sex goes digital: it is either nothing or swings to pornography. Go figure why. Anyhow I love Isabel Allende's work and I am reading the book dedicated to her daughter Paula. I am glad Isabel came to America and taught at various US universities. We need more authors like her. I wish I had her as a literature teacher.

Since the main character, Ines, is such a difficult woman to love (woman of her time or not), Isabel Allende must be a brilliant writer because I was, mostly, compelled forward throughout the book.

Ines was a conquistadora, and her life is definitely not something a modern woman can relate to. She WAS a woman of her time--though there is a hint of modernity that bled into her character as well.

She has three loves in her life: one she was a (young) fool for; one whose flaws she should have seen sooner, but didn't because her position depended on him; and one that she found a sort of ordinary happiness with. In other words, she spends most of her life--and the novel--with men not worthy of her affection. I hate it when women do that.

Also, she seems to hate the atrocities that go on around her--the r*ping and the whole-sale slaughter of the natives--and yet it serves her purposes and advancement, and so she turns a blind eye to the constant, disturbing prices the natives pay for the success of her dream. You will be disturbed by the behavior of the Spanish and the means they use to "civilize" South America. You will also wonder how this woman, who seems so decent in most of her narrative, can stand to live--even thrive--in such and environment.

Perhaps, every adult should read this book just for the stark reality of what went on during the Spanish conquest. Be prepared to be turned-off--but not to the novel itself--and saddened at what was allowed to happen.

There was s*x a plenty in this novel, not all over the place, but enough of it, described in enough detail, that I would not allow an innocent young adult to read this novel. The author was just setting the pace for Ines' relationships, but there was a level of detail to the encounters that might have been avoidable. Also, the graphic nature of the violence, including the conclusion of one Spanish life, is at a level inappropriate for younger teens. This is an adult's novel.

Overall, this is a great retelling of the life of a little known Spanish woman that allows us to look at the actions of the conquistadors from a new perspective--and to consider what it was like for the women of the American exploration generations, those left home and those who joined the conquest.

Ines of my soul is the second work of Allende's I have read. Sadly, I have still not read House of Spirits, her grand opus, but having read Eva Luna, I can say this is not bad at all.

Ines Suarez, a widow, who falls for the conqueror of Chile, Pedro de Valdivia is at once a heroine, villain, and pitiful creature. She embarks on a journey to find her husband, only to discover that he is dead. His demise now opens a window of opportunity, or should I say fate, that leads her to Pedro and together, they are inexorably linked to the founding of Chile. Ines is seen as a heroine, when she defends her beloved city from Indian invaders-indeed a very explicit account of decapitation by a woman, and yet we call them the weaker sex( hmm).She is vilified by the inquisition and other jealous Spaniards around for various reasons- her adulterous union with Pedro; her position as gobernodora; the lands and riches bequeath her etc. However, her treament by Valdivia was the point of pity. It took him three years to explain why he had left her,and this to me was his(Valdivia's) lowest point.

Pedro de Valvivia has been described by various history books, but suffice it to say here that he was purely a man of his time.One should not expect anything less.

As a historical account, the novel does brilliantly. In it I am able to capture the zeitgeist of sixteenth century Spain: the influence of the church, and the general hypocrisy that made women subservient and subjugated. Here, looting an enemy's camp, raping the women, and enslaving the populace, "for God, King and country", seems to be the prevaling mantra. In our modern society, not much has changed; the same attitudes prevail under a different guise; perhaps slavery, at least in that form , does not exist; the new subterfuge being ,"emancipation of the people".This novel is quite instructive, as soldiers over the centuries have behaved the same way -Iraq, Afghanistan being the most recent examples.


The only aspect I would criticise in the novel is the way it was written. I expected more in the use of language, a little more linguistic sophistication and magic realism that Allende is noted for. This I found a bit lacking in the novel as a whole. Was this deliberate? There is beauty in simplicity, but then there is also beauty in how something is conveyed. Maybe that was the author's intention, to present this in a lay woman's words, without the sophistication that would be attributed to erudition.

As a whole, a good read. Entertaining and stimulating. It raises certain questions about love, fidelity, the concept of savagery and civilisation, and which of us possesses the more informed and enlightened approach. Everything is relative, and perhaps we are all mestizos :a complex amalgam of what is good and bad about the human race.