The House of the Spirits

In her surprising debut novel, Isabel Allende constructs a universe filled with spirits, with multifaceted and human characters, among them Esteban Trueba, the patriarch, who lives obsessed with the land and with an absolute passion for his wife, whom he always feels is beyond his reach.

Clara is the elusive and mysterious matriarch, endowed with supernatural powers, who foresees family tragedies and determines the destiny of the house and the Truebas. Blanca, her gentle and rebellious daughter, harbors a love for the son of her father's foreman, which provokes Esteban's disdain, even when this love gives birth to the granddaughter he adores: Alba, a luminous beauty and a passionate, strong-willed woman.

The passions of the Trueba family, their struggles and secrets unfold over three generations and a century of violent changes. In a context of revolution and counter-revolution, the author brings to life a family united by bonds of love and hate more complex and enduring than the political loyalties that could separate them.