A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende

Surprisingly, there is a very different blurb for the Amazon in America. Normally, I do not include the blurbs of books, however, considering the wide scope of “A Long Petal of the Sea” it makes sense to first introduce its premise. Wow! I had no idea the emotional and intellectual journey ahead in this most remarkable of books. I was overjoyed and that same evening started the book. In the early days as a member, I happily clicked on new books, then failed to find the time to either read or review.Īgainst all expectations, I was accepted to review “A Long Petal of the Sea”. Ideally, NetGalley want 80% of books delivered to be reviewed -let’s say my stats are nowhere near this figure. The rest happens outside, in another place, in another dimension of reality that has nothing to do with me.As a huge fan of her work, I coveted the book but I doubted my chances. So nothing changes really for me or for the little circle of my family and friends around me. If I didn’t have a time to start, I would be procrastinating forever. I still write on the same computer in the same place, the same stories. Do you feel like any of your achievements eclipse others? You are the biggest-selling Spanish-language author in the world. You have 75 million copies of your books in print.

You’ve got a Presidential Medal of Freedom. And they contributed immensely to our culture. The difference between those 2,200 refugees that came to Chile is that they were well-received. It’s the memory of things that have happened in the past and are still happening today exactly the same way. You have said that people write to recover what has been lost. And I see sometimes a woman who is 56 years old today, and I say: Would she look like this? Would she still be married to the same man? Probably not. Would she tint her hair? I don’t think so. I do often think how would she look today. Does this reflect your desire to see your daughter again? And I’ve seen how things seem really bad and we seem to be in a very dark place, and then we get out.Įlsewhere in the book, a daughter appears out of nowhere. And I don’t fear most of the things that other people fear. In the book, you write of a man who has seen the angels and fears nothing. How are you going to stop the invasion of the desperate? You have to incorporate them and provide space for everybody. I say that we have to defend the borders from aggression. What do you say to Americans who believe a country has a right to defend its own borders? It’s very interesting how in the world everything has become global: mining, drugs, guns, illnesses, the stock market, everything–except people.

A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende