duhovita i pismena, isabel allende s polazišnom točkom nostalgije kreće na putovanje u svoju prošlost i kroz dvjestotinjak stranica, nepretenciozno i zanimljivo opisuje, prvenstveno, mentalitet čileanaca – njihove običaje i navade. putovanje od kojeg će ti povremeno frcati suze od smijeha, a kasnije smrznut se srce od užasa.. lijep kolaž sjećanja i šarmantan uvid u autentični čileanski način života.

“Memories don’t organize themselves chronologically, they’re like smoke, changing, ephemeral, and if they’re not written down they fade into oblivion.”

wowowowowow this memoir was amazing. i really loved the insight i got into Isabel’s life and the ideas that influence her writing. while it was a little hard to fully get into the first part, i still found it fascinating and truly beautiful. the later half of the book was captivating and i found myself struggling to put it down. I continue to fall more and more in love with her novels and i can’t wait to read the rest of her works. this memoir was beautiful in english and i can’t even begin to imagine how stunning it is in Spanish. i don’t know if i would recommend this for everyone, but if you like her books then you might enjoy it!

ty ty michelle for getting this for me ily!

yasss! 5/5 stars
this book took me quite a long time, but I like how it was a challenge to read. i'm really glad i read it, and i hope to read more isabel allende books in the future. it was really cool to understand where she comes from, the hisotory of her country, and hear about her expriences. I also like how honest she was about everything. I annotated this book so much, with things that I related to, things that surprised me, and things I just wanted to highlight. I like how this book really gave me a feel of this author's personality- such as her use of humor for certain dark topics. I just really liked what I learned from this book. It was a cool perspective to read from that was somewhat relatable but also not. And I liked it for that reason.
yeah.
great book!
don't reccomend to everyone, but i really enjoyed reading it.

4/5

Pirmąjį pasiplepėjimą su Allende patyriau su Mano sielos moterimis – fainas papliurpimas, truputį paviršiumi, stokojantis visko, ką gavau Mano išgalvotoje šalyje. Jeigu Moteryse autorė naudoja nemažai lozungų ir tiesiog tariamai įkvepiančių pareiškimų, Šalyje gilinasi: į politiką ir istoriją, formavusią tiek ją, tiek Čilę (o pastarosios neatsiejamos, vis dar virkštele sujungtos), geografiją ir kulinariją, kultūrą ir paveldą, sociologinius ir psichologinius visuomenės veiksnius. Daug pasvarstymų apie patriarchatą ir feminizmą, daug prisiminimų – išties Šalyje pati Allende jaučiama kiekviename puslapyje. Jei Moteryse kalbėti galėtų tarsi bet kuri kita patyrusi, įdomi rašytoja, čia jau net ant paties viršelio Allende nuotrauka, čia gausu jos šeimos prisiminimų, grynai asmeniškų patirčių, kurių bendražmogiškumą Allende suvokia, tačiau neprimeta nei skaitytojui, nei visai Čilei. Sunku šių knygų nelyginti ir galiu tik įtarti, kad paskutinioji pasirodė iš Allende ir čia aprašomo negalėjimo nerašyti.

Tikram autorės fanui Šalyje bus ką veikti – daug užuominų į jos kūrybą (tikrai ne visas pagavau, bet dar didesniam gerbėjui – vakarėlis ir džiaugsmas), daug paaiškinimų ir palyginimų, glaudžiai surišančių jos kūrybą ir realybę – šios dvi neatsiejamos. Nors mano skoniui knyga galėtų būti per 50 puslapių trumpesnė, o ir ne kiekvienas geografinis ir politinis niuansas man pasirodė įdomus, turiu nuojautą, kad Šalis skaitytojų Lietuvoje yra nepelnytai nepastebėta – ji verta dėmesio kiekvieno išsilavinusio, besidominčio žmogaus, norinčio patirti ir suprasti šalį akimis to, kuris gali ne tik važiuoti ant nostalgijos, bet ir palyginti gyvenimo Čilėje ir JAV patirtis, gebančio į mylimą tėvynę žvelgti švelniai, tačiau su sveika ironijos, šviesos ir puikaus humoro doze.

هنا تكتُب إيزابيل اليندي كتابًا وكأن وزارة السياحية في تشيلي تكفلت بتكاليف طباعته، تتحدث إيزابيل في هذا الكتاب عن تشيلي ذلك البلد النحيل الذي يقع في أقصى وأبعد مكان في العالم والعامر بالعادات والتقاليد الغريبة، تتذكر إيزابيل وطنها عندما رحلت عنه بعد الإنقلاب الذي أطاح بإبن عم والدها الرئيس الإشتراكي المنتخب سلفادور الليندي والذي أسقطته المخابرات المركزية الأمريكية حتى لاتتمدد الإشتراكية في بلدان أمريكا اللاتينية، يزخر هذا الكتاب بحنين إيزابيل لتشيلي ويعتبر نافذة تعرّف القارئ بهذا البلد

Audiobook narrated by Blair Brown
3.5***

In this memoir, Allende looks at her own family history as well as the history of her native country, Chile. She explores the social conventions, politics, natural terrain, geographical difficulties and advantages of this unique land. It’s a story full of mythology – from national legends, to her own family’s stories. Here are the roots of her ability to seamlessly weave elements of magical realism into her novels. Her own family history is rife with examples: a grandmother who could move furniture with her thoughts, ghosts and hauntings, and larger-than-life ancestors.

Blair Brown does a fine job of narrating this memoir. I’ve listened to her narrate a couple of Allende’s books and this is a good partnership.

In "My Invented Country: A Nostalgic Journey through Chile", Isabel Allende takes the reader to her native land Chile and treats said reader to a fascinating discussion on Chilean history, culture, her own life, and the various idiosyncrasies of her own family across the generations. Reading this book was both an educational and entertaining experience for me.

Es lo primero que leo de Isabel. Le pedí a una amiga que me preste cualquier libro de su biblioteca que piense que me pueda llegar a gustar. Y la clavó en el ángulo. Leerlo con sus anotaciones y subrayados fue lindo. Gracias <3

Me entretuvo muchísimo ahondarme en la historia y la cultura de chile, acompañada con las ocurrencias de Isabel, jijié en varias oportunidades. Es innegable lo parecidos que somos.

"Nostalgija... pasak žodyno yra "sielvartas dėl buvimo ne tėvynėje, melancholija prisimenant prarastą laimę". ...Bet - atsargiai! Atmintis - tai labirintas, kuriame tyko minotaurai." I. Allende.
Nesu labai aistringa šios rašytojos gerbėja, nesižaviu Pietų Amerikos gyvenimo stiliumi, bet buvo labai miela kartu su autore keliauti po jos prisiminimus apie jos tėvynę. Turbūt kiekvienas iš mūsų rastų kažką artimo, panašaus savo išgyvenimuose ir prisiminimuose. Jauki ir sentimentali knyga.

I liked this book in many ways since I don't know much about Chile. It was interesting to read about the differences Allende sees between the country as it was when she was young and the way it is now. The hierarchy of the old established families is less stringent than when she was young, and it is possible now to be upwardly mobile if one has some money. But conspicuous wealth is now a goal whereas when she was growing up, it was important to be frugal even when one had money.

I also enjoyed reading about the genesis of The House of the Spirits. It is the first novel of hers I read and I was not a huge fan since I don't care much for magical realism. But I would like to read it again with the idea that this is her own crazy family that she is describing.

One irritating thing was Allende's tendency to depict Chileans as the extreme examples of essentially all people in a given characteristic. For example, she wrote, "The mother figure reaches mythological proportions in our country.... Jewish and Italian mothers are dilettantes compared to Chilean ones.". Or another example "My uncle, Jaime became the most famous and most beloved pediatrician in the country,... and by far the most radical of my relatives, a Communist to the left of Mao, when Mao was still in diapers. ". But Allende finally acknowledged toward the end that she stretches the truth. She commented, "Don't believe everything I say: I tend to exaggerate and, as I warned at the beginning, I can't be objective where Chile is concerned." She was right about that in some ways.

I read this book a long time ago. There was a time when I loved the realism in literature. Isabel is one of many greats. I also love to read biographies, so naturally, I was all over this book, in paperback. Yes. Good old fashion way.

Isabel Allende is a praised author but her life story is magnificent.

In this love letter for Chile, her nostalgia and memories are so relatable.

Pág. 65 "Los Chilenos tenemos el ojo bien entrenado para determinar la clase a la cual pertenece una persona por..."

Pág. 102 "Una de las características de los chilenos en general, y de los descendientes de castellanos y vascos en particular, es la sobriedad, que contrasta con el temperamento exuberante, tan común en el resto de América Latina."