Of Love and Shadows (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: sweet land, Another Spring, Professor Leal, Los Riscos (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Allende has forsaken the epic multi-generational sweep of her bestselling first novel, The House of the Spirits, for a more tightly focused yet equally satisfying tale of love and political commitment. Irene Beltran, the unconventional daughter of a wealthy family, and Francisco Leal, son of Spanish exiles, are reporter and photographer for a women's magazine in an unnamed Latin American dictatorship. They stumble onto a mass grave where the bodies of people tortured and murdered by the police have been dumped. As their love grows in the shadow of death, Irene and Francisco struggle to bring the men responsible to justice. They win a qualified victory when public outcry and international condemnation, sparked by photographs and tape recordings smuggled out of the country, force the authorities to allow a trial and conviction. But the lovers must flee the continent to avoid reprisals from an enraged government that has no intention of truly altering its policies. The novel ends with Irene and Francisco en route to Spain, where they will make a new life while waiting for democracy to return to their homeland. Allende is a smashing storyteller who brings the most minor characters vividly to life; her absorbing new novel should win her an even wider readership. BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Allende skillfully evokes both the terrors of daily life under military rule and the subtler forms of resistance in the hidden corners . . .  She can just as deftly depict loving tenderness as convey the high fire of eroticism.  And when you've successfully mingled sex and politics with a noble cause, how can you go wrong?"--New York Time Book Review -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (April 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553273604
• ISBN-13: 978-0553273601
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #233,273 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A moving tale of love and violence, February 2, 2001

By	Michael J. Mazza (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

"Of Love and Shadows" is Isabel Allende's novel about life under military dictatorship in an unnamed Latin American country (the dictator is simply called "the General"). Margaret Sayers Peden has translated the Spanish original into a very readable English. Although the book was slow to grasp my close attention in the opening episodes, I ultimately found it to be a powerful and moving story of love in the midst of violence and fear.

Allende, who is Chilean, mixes a naturalistic style with several surreal touches in this novel. As the story progresses, her main characters investigate a disturbing mystery, and their ultimate discovery has a profound impact on several interconnected families. Allende uses this narrative framework to explore such issues as gender identity, philosophical conflict, religious difference, censorship, and the role of both the journalist and the soldier in the modern state. "Of Love and Shadows" is an important book for those interested in contemporary Latin American literature.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not magical realism but Greek tragedy, May 10, 2006

By	Peter W. Shor (Wellesley, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I loved this book. I think a lot of the low ratings are from people who are disappointed because they were expecting a magical realist novel. Allende's first novel, "The House of the Spirits," is a wonderful example of magical realism, but this is a completely different beast. While it contains a handful of supernatural events, most of them are one-liners, which I suspect may be throw-away references to other Latin American writers. There is one significant happening which can be seen as supernatural, but which can also be explained completely realistically.

I think this book should actually be read as a Greek tragedy. It comes complete with a chorus (the inhabitants of the old people's home), with a fatal flaw in the heroine's character (albeit one which would be a virtue in any reasonable society), and with a tragic ending. This book is amazingly poetic. It's about love, and living in a military dictatorship, and doing the right thing regardless. But it's not magical realism, and if that's what you're looking for, don't read it.

18 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An original form of Laitn Literature!!, October 31, 1999

By A Customer

This book was about a journalist Irene Beltran and a photographer named Francisco Leal. They are assigned and assignment and uncover the dark secrets of the governments military. They uncover a mine full of decaying human bodies. This tradegy brings them closer and allows them to uncover a passionate love. Afraid but presistant Irend convinces Francisco to presue the investigation. Their lifes are then put in danger, when the government learnes about their investigation. Near death, almost captured and killed they are forced to become exiles and refugees. They leave their country and in return are given a new life.

This book was compelling and captivating. It took me to the world of Latin American dictorship. It showed me the cruelty and unjustices of the form of goverment that people have lived through. The preserverance of Irene and Fransisco demostrates the capability and strength of love.