Customer Reviews

The Infinite Plan: A Novel

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There I am devouring Allende like a large meal, going from book to book, thought to thought, era to era without any regard to continuity or subject. I almost left The Infinite Plan for last but it was next on the pile so I picked it up and as weird as this sounds, enjoyed it more so than all the other novels that kept going on and on in their spinnings through history and drama and characters and relationships.
Gregory is a real protagonist, I wasnt even sure if I liked him though I knew for sure that he didnt even like himself. He seems to meander through life with aims that are less focused than an Allende plot. But this time the meandering works, the sense of simply walking with a character and them telling you there life is really used to its fullest here. Again m review is as a comparison to other Allende books and yet this style, the masculine voice/perception really seemed to come across. What I particularly found provocative, worth the price of admission, if you will was the root of Gregorys problems, essentially accepting the company of unhealthy, needy people in his life. He even has an associate in the law firm he owns who regularly tries to commit suicide in the bathroom. Thinking about the characters and their spiraling lives made me think that there is a marked ear for humor, a comedy lost within Allendes work. It all becomes this heavy historical missive and borders sometimes on a historical romance novel that is laborious and in love with its own language. To read her in Spanish must be a real treat, an added attraction to her work because I can see how the crossing of historical tapestry can become tiresome.
This time though, she strikes the mark in the final analysis of a character and his problems. Not perfect but it comes closer than the others do in fully executing a character. I agree with a previous reviewer that the Vietnam scenes are a little awkward but the awkwardness now strikes me as waiting to be funny, hilarious even but Allendes characters tend to be so somber that their laughter is suspect or predatory for something that is about to bring more sorrow.
I dont recommend this at full price nor do I suggest it as the only Allende novel to be read but it is a nice distraction from her main body of Latin American historical/romance work. It comes as a pleasant off-shoot to the present world and a strong experiment in a writer changing from a feminine focus to masculine.

Isabel would be able to tell every story, to put a reason in the life of every person. In reading the life of Gregory Reeves, I had the impression that the dreams, hopes and hidden reasons of my life were becoming clear to myself. Reading her books is like telling her your story, and waiting for her to give it a reason and, at the same time, to put poetry in it, to make it worth to be told.
In her narration, also the feelings, the pains, the irrational of an existence are put in a rational light. But nonetheless her writing does not loose the poetry of the irrational that she shares with other South-American writers, like Marquez or Amado.
I'd say that the secret of her books is really this merging of rational and irrational, the sense and order of feelings and the mysterious poetry of what seems rational.

Usually when I read a book by Isabelle Allende I am mesmerized and eagerly turning pages waiting for another revelation. In this book I was just bored and disappointed.

The main character is the child of a minister whose "Infinite Plan" sounds more like New Age speculation than revival preaching. He is raised in the Barrio where almost every character confirms to the whole Latin Men are sexy but sexist stereotype and when he grows up to be a lawyer, he's a complete creep.

I can see that Allende's purpose is to take a likeable character, transform him into a jerk (as he warns you on about page 100 or so) and then slowly bring him back to humanity (there is one line about how he thought he was moving in circles but he was actually moving in spirals - I still remember that one.) but by the time he gets to his resolution, you still don't like him that much. He's been such a self-absorbed yuppie that you want to smack him upside the head a few more times.

The rest of the characters are either awful or poorly drawn charactitures. There is the daughter who becomes a drug addict (and the main character realizes that its not his fault that his kid is such a screwup but then again, it kinda is his fault) and there's his best friend from the Barrio who has some strength and you really wish that she was in another book and not hanging out with these losers. There's the father who's mysterious and the sister that's constantly angry. There's also te best friend that is loud and abrasive.

Now, this is still an Isabelle Allende book and as an Isabelle Allende book it has some great emotional highs and lows and some memorable scenes. It just isn't as sustained as her masterworks like House of Spirits or Eva Luna.

A common complaint among women readers is that men who try to write women characters usually get them wrong. They are either window dressing or so obviously stereotypical as to be surreal. This book seems to be Allende's attempt to write a book from the male perspective. It's a failure, but it's an interesting failure. A better portrayal of the emotional lives of men would either be Fight CLub or High Fidelity (either the movies or the books are great)

It all started a hot summer day here in Taipei. My brother was here on vacation, before he went off to university. I noticed that he wouldnt come out of his room for hours while I played on the computer, or watched TV. It was nine pm and he came out of the room with a smile on his face and he held out a book to me. He said" you have to read it!" with excitement. After a couple days he went off to university and I was left alone. I really hadnt payed much attention to the book, but one day I put my mind to it and started reading it. I discovered that the book never stoped unraviling surprises. It was practically impossible to stop reading in middle of a chapter, I had to know what would happen next. I was surprised how the book always had surprises.It was an emotion I had never felt before, reading a book. A sensation that you dont get by reading any other book. This is a book that shows you reality and how real life is, not just some wonderland. Its fiction, history, andventure, sexuality, and other subjects in one book. I'd read for hours until my body was exhausted. When I finished the book I was a little sad because I didnt know what would happen next. I have to say this is the best book I've read in my young life, and probably not the last book I read from this author: Isabel Allende. Id recommend this book to everyone who loves reading.

This is generally well-written, but Allende made the characters represent too much of their entire culture, and so they are not very believable. The book drags because you don't care about the people. Caucasion American characters are greedy, lazy, immoral with no family values. Latinos are simple, traditional, their lives depend on the strength of the family. Asians are quiet, smart, unemotional. I was definitely disappointed in this book. In addition, her portrayal of American culture during the Vietnam era and the '70's is cliche. The book really loses its allure halfway through when the uninteresting, 2 dimensional characters are described in a poorly written stereotypical setting. I expected more from Allende.

I think this is one of Allende's best books and the one that particularly reveals the strength of her insightful power. In a story told with her characteristic artistry, the author opens up not only the depth of a man's soul but also the essence of an era in a portion of the soul of American society. The characters in this story seem sometimes unbelievable, but that is what makes the book great. Each one of them is portrayed with exaggerated traits that make them distinctively symbolic. The fresh and honest perspective from which this story is told reflects the generous view of someone exploring American society with the curiosity of an outsider, and the understanding of a deep believer in the goodness and value of all human beings.

I have read nearly all of Isabel Allende's books and have loved them. This is the first one that truly disappointed me. It is certainly not representative of her fine writing. It seems disconnected and doesn't flow. I also felt there were too many characters and too much history packed into an average length book.

An interesting family saga in which the author deals with many social issues - many of which are current today. These include the plight of 'illegal aliens', war, incest, parental skills or lack thereof as well as abandonment.
The characters are extremely well done. Much of Greg's(protagonist's) life revolves around Carmen and Olga, who are the most forceful characters in the story. Even the very minor characters, like the white haired granny peddling her services beneath the table, are unforgettable.
The author is excellent at descriptions and is frequently very humorous.
Much of the book is philosophical. Greg is continually searching for happiness outside of himself. Carmen informs him that "every person is born with a talent and happiness depends on discovering that talent in time." (233). On the subject of children, Greg admits that his own children had grown up like savages, without care and without real love but they never lacked for anything material. He concludes that money is a poor substitute for the affection he didn't know how to give. Heavy! And so true.
An excellent read!

I picked this up from the library shelf on a whim, having read and loved "Daughter of Fortune" and other Allende books. What a great find! I really enjoyed this book, and have recommended it to my mom, an avid reader (like me) who's also a book snob (kinda like me).

Give it a shot -- a worthwhile journey.

I am a very big fan of Isabel Allende, but I just couldn't get into this book. It was okay, but her other books are better.