The Inhabited Woman [Paperback]

Gioconda Belli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1995

In this love story set against the backdrop of revolution, Lavinia, a beautiful young woman from the upper class, becomes infused with the spirit of an ancient woman warrior and breaks free from her sheltered world, joining with rebels involved in a tragic, bloody struggle to free their country from an oppressive military dictatorship.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The politics of Latin American revolution offer a worthy subject here, but Nicaraguan-born poet Belli seldom rises to the challenge. Lavinia, an independent young woman of privileged background, takes a job as an architect as a means of supporting herself and her newly inherited home. Entering into a romantic relationship with Felipe, a fellow architect given to mysterious absences, she soon discovers his secret: he is a member of the National Liberation Movement, a group dedicated to freeing their imaginary Latin American country from an oppressive dictator. Encouraged by the Movement's nurse, Lavinia becomes progressively more involved in the budding revolution until finally, after Felipe dies, she decides to take his place in a military operation. Intended to chronicle Lavinia's awakening political consciousness, the novel never rises above the level of propaganda, as oppressors and oppressed alike are portrayed as mere stereotypes of good and evil. A touch of magical realism, in the character of an Indian woman who fought the conquistadores and whose spirit now inhabits a tree outside Lavinia's house, ultimately adds little to a disappointing treatment of a topic that deserves better novelistic exploration.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In an unnamed Central American country in the early 1970s, young, rich, beautiful, and talented Lavinia Alarcon yearns for more fulfillment than her privileged background has provided. She finds it in a career as an architect, a love affair with her colleague Felipe, and their membership in a revolutionary group dedicated to the overthrow of The Great General, the country's autocratic ruler. Appearing throughout the book is the Nahuatl warrior-woman Itza, whose 16th-century struggle against Spanish conquistadors had led to her death and metempsychotic reappearance in the orange tree in Lavinia's garden, from which she observes, and perhaps influences, the action. Lavinia is asked to design a new house for General Vela, The Great General's righthand man, and accepts with the idea of providing valuable information to her group. Felipe is shot just prior to an attack on Vela's house, but before dying he convinces Lavinia to take his place on the assault team, with dire consequences. Although some of the action is melodramatic and Belli's characters are often stereotypes, her writing moves events swiftly to an exciting climax. For literary collections.
Harold Augenbraum, Mercantile Lib., New York
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (October 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446672068
• ISBN-13: 978-0446672061
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 1.1 x 8.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,010,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE INHABITED WOMAN, December 28, 2003

By 

Louise M. Mangini "mom2kats" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Inhabited Woman (Paperback)

As a retired English teacher longing for a "good read". I was delighted from the first chapter of Inhabited Woman. The concept of one woman from one period/culture being a factor in another woman's life sent a tingle through me. As I read on, I was excited in the insights gained by the main character. As she struggled with choices, I found myself rethinking my life and values. The characters are well drawn and the plot complex enough to be interesting. Furthermore, the author's use of langauge and images is sometimes almost poetry. BRAVO!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must, March 29, 2001

By 

SCBR "San" (Fl, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Inhabited Woman (Hardcover)

This is a book that is a must because it helps to understand (or at least to have another point of view) about latin american "guerrillas", but also about the subtle and not so subtle differences between men and women, that havent changed so much in hundred years. Going back to the past (to the spaniard invasion)and forward to our days, Belli knits a unique beautiful story of two eras distant in time, but very close in their needs. Not perfect in its "literary structure", but an original, passionate and enlighten story.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Excellent Piece of Literature From Latin America, November 22, 1999

By 

Michael Lima (Fresno, California USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Inhabited Woman (Paperback)

I found it interesting that Belli would use the character of a Native American woman to be the emotional narrator of this book. At first, it would seem unlikely that a Native American woman who lived a few hundred years before her modern counterpart would have much in common with each other. Yet, Belli does a marvelous job of tying the emotions of the two women together. As a result, the reader is left with the impression that human beings are basically the same despite differences in circumstances and time periods.

While this theme isn't new, Belli presents it in a manner that is very typical of Latin American authors. The book displays a very strong narrative, well-defined characters, and a touch of mysticism to make things seem slightly otherworldly. I did find the revolutionary angle of the text a little dated. But, that fact didn't detract from an otherwise magnificent book. It should be read by anyone who's either looking for an introduction to Latin American literature, or looking for a reminder about the universality of the human emotional experience.