The Soul of a woman : Book Review


Book review

#dyrtjunechallenge

Week 3: Book by a local author (California)

Why did I pick it up: The title piqued my interest and I was curious to read the journey and experiences of a Chilean author from her hometown to California. Another interesting aspect is that this book was written during the pandemic last year. 

Title: The soul of a woman
Author: Isabel Allende 
Genre: Non fiction/Memoir

The soul of a woman traces the journey of Chilean author Isabel Allende from her tumultuous childhood in Chile to California. In this memoir she talks about growing up without her biological father, her rebellious nature ,  being an outlier with her different ideas about life, her two divorces, the loss of her daughter and her strong ideas about patriarchy and feminism. 

She narrates with brutal honesty and in an unabashed manner. The memoir moves back and forth in time as the author talks about the different phases and experiences in life.  Her fervor for feminism propels her to address several women related issues, be it female foeticide, rape, abuse and harassment. She also talks about her foundation which aims at helping women. There is a small part about her writing career and she talks about what it felt like to be a woman in a male dominated world. Many of these issues are still prevalent across different cultures and countries, she reflects sadly. 

 The soul of a woman is interspersed with facts and her emotions. It’s informative, evocative and mirrors reality. Her spirit and attitude is amazing. At 78, she writes with great zest which makes this book a compelling and an interesting read.

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