I know you all probably thought this day would never come, but we have arrived. It’s time to talk about the the book club’s reading of The House of the Spirits: By Isabel Allende. As you probably guessed by the delay in posting, this book was tough for some to finish, which in the end I think a few girls had to tap out. However, most of us were big fans, and one even deemed this her favorite book she’s ever read.
I do have one announcement to make before we start. Our book club has decided on a name. We took some inspiration from our good friends, The Paperback Cowboys (a texas band), and came up with The Paperback Cowgirls. We brainstormed a lot of west texas themed names with book puns, women puns, etc. Then we thought, well that name is honestly what we are going for, but for the gals.
With that in mind, let’s get into it! All the cowgirls agreed that this book would have crushed in high school english class. The symbolism explodes across every page. In summary, this book follows a family spanning multiple generations and across cities and countryside and through political turmoil and unrest. Set in Chile in the 1910s–1970s, this story is a blend of magical realism and historical fiction and is full of unique and flawed characters. One thing that is difficult to do is understand who is who. Many characters have the same or similar names, and having a family tree with you while reading will be handy. This book covers difficult topics that could be triggering for some. It also highlights injustices and the ways people can navigate certain situations. It is not a lighthearted book if that is what you are looking for. It is impactful, educational, and mystical.
My notes for this book are not exactly the same as last time. The meetings were hard to organize this time around, so they won’t be quite as you remember, structurally. That being said, there will be spoilers ahead! Also again, my notes are chaotic and unfiltered. Please proceed at your own risk.
We had some debates on whether audio book or physical book was preferred, and the group was pretty split. Lots found it nice because they are able to hear the words and names as they are supposed to be pronounced, but the narrator is hard to follow. Lacie thinks its a nod to Clara’s clairvoyance, which is fun to consider. Five chapters in and I have a note saying that people are loving the book and that is is different than a book they would typically choose for themselves. I noted some people by name when it’s a direct quote or idea. Everything else was something we all sort of discussed, but I may have missed some people bc it’s live note taking and I am not a court scribe yet.
SPOILERS BELOW
Chapter 1: Clara said the F word and it set the tone for the book
Haley loved hearing about Rosa and her birth
The gals kept thinking of and picturing elphaba when her hair showed up green
– Except everyone thought she was hot
Barrabás – Love him RIP
– Love how eccentric he is
– Peeps thought he was a person at first
– What was up with the dog sex??
– Was marcos spirit in his new life
– Lacie says “Men are like dogs”
– He had this insatiable appetite for sex like a dog
– Which is like esteban later
– He dies and then Esteban is now the new “dog”
The autopsy was traumatic and caused her to go mute…we were like wait did they assault her or not? Chapter summaries confused us
– Necrophilia is creepy
– Haley brought up marilyn monroe body
– How men feel entitled to women and their beauty
Chapter 2: Esteban as a victim. He is an embodiment of the patriarchy.
Pancha / Peasants
He was obsessed with his horse?? We don’t think he actually effed a horse but it was sus
Flawed logic bc the first lady was a virgin and he okayed that
He somehow wants to make his mom proud, but he is raping women
He respects matriarchy yet the women he rapes are not in charge? His logic changes for the situations
In a time when being quiet is like submission, it’s actually her power and her defiance
– Shes not even doing it in that regard either
– Someone said “I like it better when they aren’t talking” and was a bit of foreshadowing
– They tried to scare her and she didnt gaf and that also foreshadows her marriage to someone who should scare her but doesn’t
Chapter 3: Clara our girl!
They built the house and it also reflects the storyline – hallways and stairwells to nothing
Still at this time, Rosa being poisoned and Barrabás being stabbed, we dont know who did it
Férula pulling a dirty d (last book)
They boo her for being catholic in the poor part of town
– Seemed like she was being genuine but the people are like read the room
– “She is obsessed with suffering”
– You see it crack a little when she talks to the priest and shes like idk if its enough to have to just wait for Heaven and cant be okay right now
– She didnt even use the money he gave her
Chapter 4: The story of the fox and the hens
Loveeed when Clara announced the names of the kids
– You’d think Esteban would be anti that and he is but he can’t stand up to her
Love that Esteban is damned to eternal loneliness desde Férula
– Both of them are one in the same
PTG (Pedro Tercero García) and Blanca is like the first sign of class division in their family line
– Only time we see it since Esteban’s parents
– And then he gets super pissed
– Probs is the root of why he is the way he is
The three mora sisters
– Witches
– Haha they are her coven
Headless gma
– The twins come out and they are looking right at it
– They put the head in the box downstairs with the rug?
– When people die it doesn’t phase her bc she is still connected to people in death
We cant remember what they call her notebook ??
Why does he want to BE in their skin??
The Ants??
– They bring that white man in and he just talks to them and leads them out
The pedros are the ones that are needed / the “good” men
– One for Tres Marías
– One for Blanca
– One for Clara
– Lacie added that it’s comforting to see at least a few good guys, coming from a boy mama
– Its bc they are socialist
Esteban “this place was a shithole before I got here”
– Like was it actually bro??
– They literally just asked the ants to move and they did
Chapter 5: We love Blanca!
– We love her crafts!
– Damn armadillo looking ass
– Shes busted even though shes not
We love their love story
– We see them mature
– So accurate girl matures first
– The foreshadowing to them laying together later
The mini earthquake is when he confronts Férula and kicks her out and then the big one almost kills his ass
– Earth is reacting to the story
The damn chinchillas
– He put everything he had into convincing him to invest in them
Esteban thinks some foreigner is better than any of the people in his own country…
He has his own earthquake when he freaks tf out and beats Clara and loses her words forever
The third Esteban will be Esteban’s demise
We want to say fuck you Esteban another time for good measure
Seems to go with the machismo culture in the Latin American, even though things are so revolved around the matriarchy – Esteban is so here for his own mother but doesn’t give a rats ass about the women he violates
Is Blanca pregnant?
– We can’t tell if shes preg yet
Why did Estebon attack that phone like a loser?
– Breaks all his bones, gets fixed, im skinny now?? Hahaha
Rest of the book 😀
There are so many little things you have to be paying attention to, or even looking for to understand the full beauty of this book.
– The generations and the cyclical nature of life
– Clara C, Blanca B, Alba A – Clear, White, Dawn
– Its like the story is going backwards
The book is traumatizing but that represents life and you either deal with it or die
– It explains how your ancestors impact your life too
– Trauma from the past can impact the future
The political and spiritual thread woven through as well
– It was magical realism but also realistic as to the climate of the time
It was an interesting that it was a loose autobiography
– The fact that she was isolated in a shed and just getting it all out is a reflection of the grandma
Jaime vs Juan
– Twins but super different, especially in how they influenced Alba
Amanda – skinny crackhead – had such a crazy story
– Miguel is her bro, crazy anarchist political leader
– Hard to read
– She has a relationship with Nicolás and gets pregnant. Jaime, who is in love with her, performs the abortion. Shortly after the abortion, Amanda disappears from the story. She reappears twenty years later when Jaime helps to save her from illness due to drug addiction. Wild full circle moment.
How does the novel portray sex?
– From fucked up to beautiful
– Lots of characters had so much hatred for others but it also almost all came from their past
– Esteban Trueba was trying to pay someone back for wronging him and his family but a woman was then on the receiving end of that trauma
Lots of symbolism
– Wish we knew more about the culture, because why do they mistreat women so much?
– Machismo society
Why do we need two narrators in this book? Alba and Esteban. How would the story be different from diff narrators?
– It would’ve been illuminating to get other peoples POVs
– To have Clara’s POV we could’ve learned more details
– Transito Soto POV would’ve been super cool
– Name means transit/movement and that’s how their relationship was. Always leading to a new phase, a transactional relationship
– Ways to climb the ladder
– She was able to manipulate him in ways that were unexpected
– Why is she the only woman he respected?
– Cut from the same cloth (didn’t fit in as much with his fam)
– Without Estebans POV it almost wouldn’t have been as detailed perhaps
And that’s a wrap folks! For anyone that read along, please leave your thoughts and comments down below. Our next book is a quick read by Olivia Atwater called Half a Soul.
Madeline Daily 