The House of the Spirits by Isabelle Allende

 My neighbor Blanche is Puerto Rican and only became a reader in adulthood. She told me first book she ever read opened up a whole new world to her. It was this one. And it is an amazing book... It's written unlike any book I've ever read. The sentences are long and the paragraphs are often a whole page or more! It makes you kind of breathless as you read! The images and the density of the writing is so rich, though, that you are immersed completely. It's a feeling that's kind of hard to describe. Add to this the fact that the characters and settings are fascinating, and move from urban to rural and back, and over three generations of time. It's a broad and sweeping look at a family and a country's culture.

It's also fairly violent and depressing. The hardships described and the cruelty of the patriarch are hard to live through. I love so much of the Hispanic culture, and the intense emotions and drama illustrated here are consistent with my impressions. It's lively, it's dramatic, and it's easy to get caught up in the drama. These characters love passionately and live without compromise. 

There's also a mystical element that is quite interesting. Some of the characters have otherworldly beauty and green mermaid hair. They can levitate around the room. It's kind of a shadow theme in the book. The political climate of the country is also an interesting theme, especially as the dominant rich are overthrown by the peasants. It can be very graphic. It's never boring.

I enjoyed reading this book for the most part, but I wouldn't choose to live through it again. What I enjoyed was thinking about why Blanche found this book so captivating. I haven't visited with her about it since I've read it, but it's on my agenda to seek her out to do so. I love a good story and great characters, but this one had more graphic violence and pain than I would choose...