Allende later describes political events of that time period in Chile, when Salvador Allende became president and then was ousted via military coup. Many thousands of Spanish refugees died in the French detention camps, and it not hard to draw comparisons between the people portrayed in the novel and the plight of many groups of present-day refugees. Readers will come to feel what it was like to live in Spain during the war and then to make a journey away from their home country as a refugee. We learn of how the Nazis were coming to power and the Spanish revolution was underway. They begin to make a life in Chile and to figure out how to find a sense of home and family elsewhere.Ī Long Petal of the Sea is rich in historical detail throughout. As it will only be possible for them to flee Spain on this ship as a married couple, Victor and Roser decide to marry out of practicality, however their arrangement is an unusual one. The famous poet Pablo Neruda decides to sponsor a ship filled with refugees from Spain in order to help them immigrate to Chile and escape Franco’s fascist government. Meanwhile, conditions in Spain become untenable. Roser initially falls in love while in Spain with Victor’s brother Guillem, who is a part of the resistance effort, however he dies in the war.
Isabel Allende has written a number of fascinating books telling stories about different parts of the world and varied types of characters A Long Petal of the Sea is no exception.Īt the heart of this story are Victor and Roser, who form an unconventional partnership as a means of escaping Spain which has been overtaken by Franco and fascism.
An epic story of characters who must flee Spain following the revolution and make a life with each other in a politically turbulent Chile, A Long Petal of the Sea draws readers into its imaginative story from the start.
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