A Long Petal of the Sea

Finished April 12

A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende, translated by Amanda Hopkinson and Nick Caistor

This novel is a fantastic read, with the main events part of real history. Beginning in 1936 in Spain, we are placed amidst the Spanish Civil War., The war is drawing to a close and hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians are fleeing to France. One of them is Roser, a young pregnant woman who lover, a soldier, is missing. His brother, Victor Dalmau, a medical school student who is serving as a medic, has arranged for a friend to bring Roser and his mother out of Spain, choosing a Red Cross nurse as a contact point for them to connect through in France. With so many people fleeing it is chaotic and Victor's mother is worried about slowing them down, and Roser and the friend find their way over the mountains into France before becoming separated. 

France is overwhelmed with the sheer quantity of people fleeing Spain, and there are limited opportunities for the many refugees. Roser finds a place to work and live, but it is not a permanent situation. In order to take advantage of getting away from Europe, Victor and Roser marry. By doing so, they gain a spot on the Winnipeg, a ship chartered by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. In Chile the small family starts over. Roser begins her career as a pianist supplemented by giving lessons, and Victor re-enrols in medical school while running a Catalan-style pub with a fellow Spanish exile. They always hope to return to Spain one day when Franco is no longer the leader, but the hope grows fainter over time. 

They make good lives there, with Victor working as a respected cardiologist while still showing his penchant for helping those in need, and Roser working with a Venezuelan man to create an international orchestra respected for their use of traditional South American instruments. Roser's child is raised within their strong household love, and their growing love for each other. 

Then they end up living through another upheaval as Chile is taken over by the fascist Pinochet. They realize that Chile is now their home, a land they truly love and feel tied to, and that the love they have built is strong and their son has grown up with their shared values and feeling a true Chilean. 

The real history of the characters' difficult episodes is told well, even to the presence of the author's father in the story. But it is their strong character and how they live their values that is at the centre of the novel and so well told.

I loved the inclusion of Neruda's work at the beginning of every chapter as it really spoke to the time and place. 

A shining example of Allende's writing.