My Invented Country: A Memoir (Paperback)

by Isabel Allende (Author) "I was born in the years of the smoke and carnage of the Second World War and the greatest part of my youth was spent..." (more)
Key Phrases: invented country, United States, Latin America, Salvador Allende (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Allende's writing is so vivid we smell the countryside, hear the sounds, see the bright birds, the scorched earth, smell and even taste the soft fruit.' The Times 'She has everything it takes: the ear, the eye, the mind, the heart, the all-encompassing humanity.' New York Times 'Allende is incapable of telling a bad story. She writes of her own experience with a kind of wild candour. Her heroically sustained narrative, her lovingly prepared plots and surprise inventions explode in an exaltation.' Independent

I can't be objective where Chile is concerned," writes novelist Allende (City of the Beasts, 2002, etc.) in this evocative and, yes, highly personal, social geography cum memoir. Allende describes her tour of her homeland as "a series of reflections, which always are selective and tinted," and readers wouldn't want it any other way. She starts with her childhood, which "wasn't a happy one, but it was interesting," then proceeds by caroms, letting memory lead the text this way and that. She explores the country's physiography: the inhospitable north, where flamingoes are "brush strokes of pink among salt crystals glittering like precious stones"; the central valley's apples and grapes; Santiago, with "the pretensions of a large city but the soul of a village"; or the volcanic southern zone, with its wind and rain. Yet this is primarily a social and personal journey. Allende writes about her family's history, about her experiences with the politesse that hides the unbreachable class system, and about the poor, who are "well educated, informed, and aware of their rights." The nation's sobriety is matched by its violence: "experience has taught us that when we lose control we are capable of the worst barbarism." Many believe in the supernatural, and the Catholic Church's influence is pervasive. Women, with their "blend of strength and flirtatiousness that few men can resist," are also "abettors of machismo: they bring up their daughters to serve and their sons to be served." Allende shows us organ grinders, gypsies, and hot bread. She makes connections with her books. "Each country has its customs, its manias, its complexes," she writes. "I know the idiosyncrasies of mine like the palm of my hand"-and there lies her nostalgia. The musicality in Allende's voice bevels all but the melancholy, especially the sad day in 1973 when the CIA orchestrated a coup against her uncle, Salvador Allende. Dazzling as a kaleidoscope: an artful tumbling and knocking that throws light and reveals strange depths. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"A stunningly intimate memoir .. Allende is that rare writer whose understanding of story matches her mastery of language." (Entertainment Weekly )

"Poignant . Allende's keen intelligence and lively prose keep readers wishing for more." (San Diego Union-Tribune )

"Isabel Allende [is] surely one of the most graceful and yet haunting writers alive." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch )

"Charming and entertaining." (New York Times Book Review )

"At every bend [Allende] delights us with unexpected humor." (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel )

"Intriguing elements of the author's captivating history." (Publishers Weekly )

"Throughout, Allende's writing is beautifully descriptive, with eloquent turns of phrase and vivid metaphors." (Boston Globe )

"A delicious exploration." (Orlando Sentinel )

"Dazzling as a kaleidoscope: an artful tumbling and knocking that throws light and reveals strange depths." (Kirkus Reviews )

"Riveting in its frankness and compassion, . [Allende's] account of why and how she became a writer is profoundly moving." (Booklist )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (April 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060545674
• ISBN-13: 978-0060545673
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #45,477 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > History > Americas > South America > Chile
  #3 in	Books > Travel > Latin America > South America > Chile
  #15 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( A ) > Allende, Isabel

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Other Sept. 11, May 17, 2004

By	Brian Maitland (Vancouver, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Simply an amazing memoir that reveals more than I ever knew about Chile and Chileans. The funny thing is you start of thinking the book will be mainly about the events of Sept. 11, 1973, when Pinochet took power in a coup. It is not at all yet that event is really the one that has led Allende on this long journey as a observer of life par excellence.

In reality the book is more about a woman searching for her sense of place in a world turned upside down by living a life in exile. The honesty and power of her words is just so uplifting without descending into "look at me, me, me" sort of navel gazing.

If I could give it ten stars I would.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Voyage, September 18, 2004

By	Rogina Ruiz "Gina Ruiz" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My Invented Country is Isabel Allende's best book yet. This amazing biography takes the reader on a poetic journey though Ms. Allende's young life. Her writing is stellar and poetic. This book is to be savored for its beauty of language. Writers dream of crafting sentences like these. Lovers of language will adore this book for its symmetry and grace. Readers of all ages will love it for its beautiful and absorbing story.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars worth the read, April 25, 2005

By	A. Lundquist - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I don't think this was one of Allende's best. Paula, her other memoir, was amazing. Still, I like how her affection for her country comes through and how she struggles to make her peace with it and her new home, San Francisco. The book was a bit loose and meandering. Her humor was great.