This is a book I would quite like to read, but it is on the wishlist of a fellow bookcrosser - so I think it will go there as I have a pile of books a mile high to wade through first!

Mrs Bridgewater, you're really too kind!! Thanks so much for making of this book my NSSBTSSS :-)
I have too a biiig pile of books to read, but I will make sure that this one will be slipping in between bookrings and rays, so it can travel some more... I am actually thinking of making a bookray out of it, good idea, isn'it?

This is the very first book by Isabel Allende I've read, and not a novel, but a biographic tale of her family in the first place, where Chile is the background, seen throughout the generations of Allendes. The backbone of this book are two very important events in her life: the military coup and violent death of her uncle, Salvador Allende Gossens, on the 11th September 1973, which sent her into exile and transformed her into a writer, and the terrorist attack of the 11th September 2001, on her newly adopted homeland, the USA.

In her light, pleasant way, almost as a friend chatting to us, she tells us about her memories of childhood, and of the house where her mother was born, that although she never saw, she knew it as if it was her pockets, because of all the stories related to it that her grandfather used to tell her as a child. We get to know her relatives so well, who were the inspiration for The House of the Spirits, and we learn about the history of the Chileans, in a portrait that shows their good and bad sides, throughout the centuries. But this book is not just a story of her family and of what brought her to be what she is now. What fascinates me most is her thoughts related to the emigrant life, and the fact that she is an emigrant like me (although with different reasons), and left her country behind her several times, the very last when Pinochet came to power. From childhood, (her stepfather was a diplomat), she moved from country to country, losing her Chilean roots and adapting to the lifestyle of any new country in which she moved to. The country she feels homesick for, after all, probably never existed, as it is mostly a construction of memories of her childhood, tales told by her grandfather, and what we people that live abroad, away from our country, make out of our memories of it mixed with nostalgia.

It is interesting how, thinking about her thoughts regarding her adoptive country(ies), I agree with her mostly. Like her, I can live anywhere, and every country I've been to can now be considered a bit of my home. And as far as my home country is concerned, I am, too, creating my imaginary country in my mind - and saying it with her words: [...]I have constructed an idea of my country the way you fit together a jigsaw puzzle, by selecting pieces that fit my design and ignoring the others. My Chile is poetic and poor, which is why I discard the evidence of a modern, materialistic society in which a person's value is measured by wealth, fairly acquired or otherwise, and insist on seeing signs everywhere of my country of old. I have also created a version of myself that has no nationality, or more accurately, more nationalities. I don't belong to one land, but to several[...].

I am going to read her novels, now...I am really curious to see what the memory and her nostalgia created in her books!

This book, like her author, needs to travel...what about a bookray??

Participating BCers are:

clarrie-rose (Birmingham, England, UK)
Amanida (Chertsey, England, UK)
AnglersRest (Teignmouth, England, UK)
mrsbridgewater (Holybourne, England, UK)
The book got lost on its way to Hellie - remaining readers added to new ray of the book (see last JE made by YowlYY)
Hellie (South Shields, England, UK)
tehuti (Nottingham, England, UK)
Caro1 (Newark, England, UK)
mrsordonez (St. Louis, Missouri, USA)
Lobodyke (Bardstown, Kentucky, USA)
monkeyflower (South S.Francisco, California, USA)
ldpaulson (Ventura, California, USA)
Karenlea (Glendale, California, USA) (can ship intl.)

I really enjoyed this. Having read several of Allende's novels it was interesting to discover how much of her fiction is based on her own life and her family. She had lots of interesting and thought-provoking things to say about the extent to which we invent and shape our memories. It was also easy to read, lots of fun, and very funny in parts.

Now sent off to Amanida!

Just came through my letterbox - thanks! I have read and loved several Isabel Allende novels, so I'm looking forward to this. I have another ring ahead of it, but will get to it soon.

Interesting background to her novels, especially on the politics and history of Chile. The narrative wanders around a bit, but I enjoyed the mischievous humour. I do prefer the novels, though.
Will be off to hellie once I get her address.

This one arrived this morning. There are about three rings in front, but will get to this ASAP.

Thanks for sharing this.

I should be finished this by the weekend. I have just PM'ed mrsbridgewater for an address. Will be in the post hopefully Monday 22nd.

I loved this book, it is one of my favourites for the year.

I found this to be a quite an emotional book as the author talks of her homeland, and the changes within it.

Thanks for sharing YowlYY.

I now have mrsbridgewater's address, and the book will be off on its travels again on 22nd Aug.

Oops! I thought I'd journalled this when it arrived - sorry!

I enjoyed this book, a great background read that supports and illuminates her novels.

I did some investigation and found out that the Bermuda Triangle, currently to be found in the proximity of Sunderland, has striken again - the bookray seems to be lost in the mail while travelling to Hellie :(

I am going to send it to lostbookisland, hoping it will show up again at some stage, and organised another copy of the book for the ray to continue. Anyone keen to still receive journal entries for this bookring can catch the replacement copy to their bookshelf by checking entries there.
I hope this copy is luckier and manages to complete the ray! :)

This book comes to the Lost Book Island after being turned around in complete confusion until it is not sure just where it is supposed to be. The Lost Book Island has many wonderful things to do while this book tries to regain its bearings. First thing upon sign in this book reserved the tennis court so that it could stay healthy and fit. This book will be ready to travel again when the time comes. Of course, the island offers many other things for the active books, this book will be trying out for beach volleyball and long distance swimming just to name a few.

It is hoped that one day soon this book will get a new journal entry so that all interested bookcrossers can see where this book has traveled to and if it will get the chance to continue travels once more.

Oooo! This book has just been returned to me! The book is fine, but the packaging is battered beyond belief (and the small bar of Green & Black's Chocolate seems to have evaporated!) I think it found its way back here because I used a recycled jiffy bag and it had my address as well as Hellie's (although Hellie's address is all but illegible :-( ).

So, what happens now?

RELEASE NOTES:

Left in the reception area with the newspapers.

The book was found in hotel reception. I will read it and leave it in the place I have found it.

CAUGHT IN EDINBURGH MIDLOTHIAN SCOTLAND