This novel is set in the 1500's and is about Ines Suarez - a Spanish woman that sets of to Chile to find her husband but instead she falls in love with Pedro Valdivia and helps him to conquer Chile. The story is told by an elderly and dying Ines to her stepdaughter Isabel. She tells the story of the hardships of venturing to Chile as both a Spaniard and a woman. The story is based on the real life of Ines Suarez and the men she loved. It made me realize that I need to really read some more history books because I hardly know anything about what happened in South America.
I did enjoy this book. It was heavy to read because there is not much dialogue but the writing was interesting and kept me captivated. It was hard to read about how awful the Spanish explorers treated the indigenous population of South America and how they felt they were less then human. I had to keep remembering this book was written from a woman's point of view in the 1500's and not the views of the author. I love Isabel Allende and always enjoy her books. I especially love the fact that most of her stories are adventure novels involving really strong women. She is a really smart author and I hope everyone reads one of her novels!
Rating - 4
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