Disappointing

This is a weak imitation of Márquez in his worst writing fase. But I kept on listening it because the novel is beautifully written. Narrators are extraordinary. The last chapter was like a caricature of the whole stuff, very thin and disappointing. Never again Allende!

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Revelador!!

Se me pone la piel de gallina al escuchar y sentir como voy viviendo a través de las palabras de Isabel Allende eventos tan perturbadores, violentos y reales de una historia que con miedo me atrevo a decir que estamos condenados a vivir si no la conocemos.

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One of my favourite books ever

Whether I read it in Spanish, English or French this is one of the most splendid books I have ever read. I bought the first addition in 1982 and I re-read it every few years, each time enjoying it – laughing, crying and loving the passion and warm hearted zeal with which it is written and with which the characters come alive on the page. This audiobook, in Spanish, is beautifully read, and for someone whose first language is not Spanish, like me, if you have a little difficulty with listening, all you need to do is to bring down the speed of the reading to, for example, .8 which allows you to hear the words more clearly, but does not ruin the performance of the reader.

I especially recommend anyone who loves Isabel Allende’s work to read or listen first in their own language, and then listen to this fine version in Spanish. Allende’s style varies from the outrageous - such as when recounting the hilarious eccentricities of the extraordinary family whose tale she tells (which will have you laughing out loud) to a more sober, unadorned way of delivering horrific events that convey so much more than just what the bare words describe - such as her understated description of the final hours of President Salvador Allende of Chile - which will surely have any reader in tears. Nobody could possibly regret reading this book — go on — test my theory!

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Lo mejor qué he escuchado

Es una historia fascinante y la manera en qué es narrada le da valor agregado. Se agradece una voz clara y acorde a lo qué se va describiendo en la propia historia. Altamente recomendable

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Nice beginning but a bit heavy towards the end...

Loved the introductory story line but towards the end, it got a little heavy, for me, considering it probably reflects the real history of the time and place...

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Increíble historia

La narración alternada por dos voces, una femenina y otra masculina le da un toque especial. Fuerte mensaje final.

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Beautiful and captivating story

i enjoyed very much the story. In its first half, it bears several similarities with Cien años de soledad, in that the narration and the style are similar.
The narration has a good pace that keeps the reader involved with the content.

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Excellent

Very good narrator, perfect for this book.
The book itself is excellently written, fascinating and very interesting, weaving social and political turmoil with a bit of magical realism. Highly recommended.

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Masterpiece

This is one of those books that you read and stays with you forever.. Isabelle Allende is a magician who can mix reality and fiction like the best of the alchimists.

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1 person found this helpful

what a masterpiece

Some parts will be hard to hear, the violence women had to endured. But this is a MUST read particularly if you are from LatinAmerica

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