jellybeyreads reviewed Inés of my soul by Isabel Allende
Review of 'Inés of my soul' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
3.5 stars. Audiobook from my commute.
I've not read anything else by Isabel Allende. This isn't my favorite book but I enjoyed it enough that I'd be interested in trying another of her books.
Briefly, this is a fictionalized account of Ines Suarez, the Spanish woman who helped found Chile in the 16th century. To be honest, it was frequently difficult for me to read (listen to) this book due to the cultural gulf between me--a 20th century, areligious, anti-imperialist pacifist-- and the 16th century explorers who casually raped women and destroyed the Indians--tortured them, enslaved them, stole their land--in the name of god, king, and egoism. I had to intentionally focus on not letting myself get too angry at the characters, but it was hard, knowing that they were real people who really did destroy entire cultures.
I was less distressed by Ines than by many of the other …
3.5 stars. Audiobook from my commute.
I've not read anything else by Isabel Allende. This isn't my favorite book but I enjoyed it enough that I'd be interested in trying another of her books.
Briefly, this is a fictionalized account of Ines Suarez, the Spanish woman who helped found Chile in the 16th century. To be honest, it was frequently difficult for me to read (listen to) this book due to the cultural gulf between me--a 20th century, areligious, anti-imperialist pacifist-- and the 16th century explorers who casually raped women and destroyed the Indians--tortured them, enslaved them, stole their land--in the name of god, king, and egoism. I had to intentionally focus on not letting myself get too angry at the characters, but it was hard, knowing that they were real people who really did destroy entire cultures.
I was less distressed by Ines than by many of the other characters--she is a healer and a builder rather than a warrior blindly fighting for a king of questionable scruples. And she has at least some respect for the Indians, although she is still first and foremost a 16th century Spanish Catholic , so it's clear that she believes in conquest as a good thing overall. But I also appreciate her as a woman trapped in a very constraining culture, and the lengths she goes to to find a little autonomy--travel halfway around the world, traverse a desert, face down a rapist armed only with a frying pan--are admirable.
