Ines of My Soul Author:Isabel Allende, Margaret Sayers Peden (Translator) Born into a poor family in Spain, Ines, a seamstress, finds herself condemned to a life of hard work without reward or hope for the future. It is the sixteenth century, the beginning of the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and when her shiftless husband disappears to the New World, Ines uses the opportunity to search for him as an excuse to fle... more »e her stifling homeland and seek adventure. After her treacherous journey takes her to Peru, she learns that her husband has died in battle. Soon she begins a fiery love affair with a man who will change the course of her life: Pedro de Valdivia, war hero and field marshal to the famed Francisco Pizarro.
Valdivia's dream is to succeed where other Spaniards have failed: to become the conquerer of Chile. The natives of Chile are fearsome warriors, and the land is rumored to be barren of gold, but this suits Valdivia, who seeks only honor and glory. Together the lovers Ines Suarez and Pedro de Valdivia will build the new city of Santiago, and they will wage a bloody, ruthless war against the indigenous Chileans -- the fierce local Indians led by the chief Michimalonko, and the even fiercer Mapuche from the south. The horrific struggle will change them forever, pulling each of them toward their separate destinies.
Ines of My Soul is a work of breathtaking scope: meticulously researched, it engagingly dramatizes the known events of Ines Suarez's life, crafting them into a novel full of the narrative brilliance and passion readers have come to expect from Isabel Allende.« less
Based on the Spanish Conquest of Peru, this is a historical fiction by Isabel Allende. The story is told through the eyes of Ines who was originally a seamstress but adventures to the new world in search of her husband. It is interestig that Allende never seems to take sides, but takes a unvarnished view of this bloody time in America's history. It was a great read.
Close to death, Ines Suarez tells her life story to her daughter in this historical novel of the sixteenth century. It begins as Ines searches for her husband in the Americas believing that he has left Spain. Then she meets Pedro de Valdivia, a war war hero and field marshal for Francisco Pizarro, who wants to conquer new territories. He focuses on Chile, which has eluded other Spanish soldiers. And, the lovers do conquer Chile but they encounter obstacle after obstacle yet finally succeed, managing also to create the city of Santiago.
In short, the book depicts the colonization of Chile by the Spaniards as led by Valdivia. His fiery romance with Ines is portrayed with their very human ambitions, faults, and passions adding another dimension to this historical undertaking.
The story is emotional ride. It describes the difficult early years when Ines lived in Spain followed by her search for her first husband in Peru and Chile. Later meeting Valdivia, the lovers found Santiago but her affair with Valdivia gradually fades. Life in Santiago goes on finding her with other lovers. A passionate tale, it written with historical and lavish detail about the country and its natives. It's a fascinating read
Allende brings the 16th century to life in this engrossing historical novel about Ines Suarez, a lowly seamstress from Spain who improbably became a key figure in the conquest of Chile. Passionately told, engrossing and vividly detailed.
I really enjoyed this book and Isabel Allende is one of my favorite authors. This is the story of a brave Spanish woman and her decision to journey to the New World during the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru and Chili. It is a wonderful and exciting story of the founding colonists in Chili and the leadership of Ines Suarez in this amazing adventure of conquest and settlement. I would recommend it to anyone. Genny
