A Long Petal of the Sea

Paperback, 368 pages

Published April 6, 2021 by Ballantine Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-593-15749-7

(1 review)

In the late 1930s, civil war grips Spain. When General Franco and his Fascists succeed in overthrowing the government, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee in a treacherous journey over the mountains to the French border. Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love. In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage neither of them desires.

Together with two thousand other refugees, Roser and Victor embark on the SS Winnipeg, a ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda, to Chile: “the long petal of sea and wine and snow.” As unlikely partners, the couple embraces exile as the rest of Europe erupts in world war. Starting over on a new continent, they face trial after trial, but they will also find joy as they patiently await …

In the late 1930s, civil war grips Spain. When General Franco and his Fascists succeed in overthrowing the government, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee in a treacherous journey over the mountains to the French border. Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love. In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage neither of them desires.

Together with two thousand other refugees, Roser and Victor embark on the SS Winnipeg, a ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda, to Chile: “the long petal of sea and wine and snow.” As unlikely partners, the couple embraces exile as the rest of Europe erupts in world war. Starting over on a new continent, they face trial after trial, but they will also find joy as they patiently await the day when they might go home. Through it all, their hope of returning to Spain keeps them going. Destined to witness the battle between freedom and repression as it plays out across the world, Roser and Victor will find that home might have been closer than they thought all along.

A masterful work of historical fiction about hope, exile, and belonging, A Long Petal of the Sea shows Isabel Allende at the height of her powers.

15 editions

Stephanie Jane reviewed Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende

Epic!

4 stars

A Long Petal Of The Sea is the second of two pretty epic emigration novels I have read this month. Encompassing a greater scope in time and distance travelled, Allende's novel is certainly the more ambitious but I didn't find I connected as well with the main character as I did reading Farewell, Mama Odessa by Emil Draitser. That said, I was still fascinated by Victor and Roser's lives and I learned so much about the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. That war seems so often to be overlooked in favour of Second World War stories, but its complexities and human narratives are just as compelling. I've previously listened to Homage To Catalonia by George Orwell and felt that A Long Petal Of The Sea often shared the same feel of being a memoir rather than fiction. Allende has obviously researched her subject in great detail and the effort …

A Long Petal Of The Sea is the second of two pretty epic emigration novels I have read this month. Encompassing a greater scope in time and distance travelled, Allende's novel is certainly the more ambitious but I didn't find I connected as well with the main character as I did reading Farewell, Mama Odessa by Emil Draitser. That said, I was still fascinated by Victor and Roser's lives and I learned so much about the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. That war seems so often to be overlooked in favour of Second World War stories, but its complexities and human narratives are just as compelling. I've previously listened to Homage To Catalonia by George Orwell and felt that A Long Petal Of The Sea often shared the same feel of being a memoir rather than fiction. Allende has obviously researched her subject in great detail and the effort shows across the authenticity of her descriptions and her characters' actions.

Where I struggled somewhat with A Long Petal Of The Sea was with believing in the central relationship between Victor and Roser. I appreciate that theirs wasn't a romantic relationship in the conventional sense, but there was still meant to be a strong bond and I couldn't really feel that. Their other philanderings had sensuality and a sense of excitement, even while conducted away from the reader. Allende puts across a genuine sense of the restrictiveness of upper class Chilean society, especially in its contrast with the desperation of the Spanish exiles. Through the years of this novel we really do see all extremes of human existence as well as the lengths to which societies will go to protect their preferred ideologies. For Victor and Roser this means appearing to be on a wheel of recurring nightmare scenarios and I can't begin to imagine how devastating that must have been for the real people who inspired this story.

A Long Petal Of The Sea is only the third Isabel Allende book I have read, but after each of the previous two I promised myself to make a bigger effort to search out more of her work. I love her writing style and the way she convincingly portrays characters across a range of social classes and philosophical beliefs. It's difficult enough to get readers to understand sympathetic characters, let alone ones who who espouse opposing views. A Long Petal Of The Sea does just that whilst also depicting the changing Spanish and Chilean political landscapes over several decades. This isn't the easiest of reads, but I felt it was absolutely worth my time.