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Title details for The Soul of a Woman by Isabel Allende - Wait list

The Soul of a Woman

by Isabel Allende
Gisela Chípe
Audiobook
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From the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea comes “a bold exploration of womanhood, feminism, parenting, aging, love and more” (Associated Press).
“The Soul of a Woman is Isabel Allende’s most liberating book yet.”—Elle

“When I say that I was a feminist in kindergarten, I am not exaggerating,” begins Isabel Allende. As a child, she watched her mother, abandoned by her husband, provide for her three small children without “resources or voice.” Isabel became a fierce and defiant little girl, determined to fight for the life her mother couldn’t have.
As a young woman coming of age in the late 1960s, she rode the second wave of feminism. Among a tribe of like-minded female journalists, Allende for the first time felt comfortable in her own skin, as they wrote “with a knife between our teeth” about women’s issues. She has seen what the movement has accomplished in the course of her lifetime. And over the course of three passionate marriages, she has learned how to grow as a woman while having a partner, when to step away, and the rewards of embracing one’s sexuality.
So what feeds the soul of feminists—and all women—today? To be safe, to be valued, to live in peace, to have their own resources, to be connected, to have control over our bodies and lives, and above all, to be loved. On all these fronts, there is much work yet to be done, and this book, Allende hopes, will “light the torches of our daughters and granddaughters with mine. They will have to live for us, as we lived for our mothers, and carry on with the work still left to be finished.”

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 2, 2021

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593400463
      • File size: 107066 KB
      • Duration: 03:43:03

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 25, 2021
      Allende (A Long Petal of the Sea) presents a rich and intimate account of her lifelong commitment to feminism. For Allende, feminism is “a philosophical posture and a rising against male authority.” She further clarifies that patriarchy is “stony,” while feminism is fluid and “like the ocean, never stays quiet.” The book’s biographical details include Allende’s youthful fight for equality in sports; her early years as a journalist in Chile in the 1960s and ’70s; profiles of her beloved mother and chauvinist stepfather; and a tribute to legendary literary agent Carmen Balcells (“my mentor and my friend”), who helped Allende enter the male-dominated world of Latin American literature with the publication of her debut novel, The House of the Spirits, in 1982. Allende also memorializes her daughter, Paula, who died at age 29, and describes the foundation she started in Paula’s honor to “invest in the power of vulnerable women and girls.” Allende also discusses her three marriages and proudly takes on the mantle of “emboldened” grandmother: “We have nothing to lose and therefore are not easily scared.” This spirited call for women to continue fighting for “a joyful world” will resonate with Allende’s many fans.

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from June 1, 2021

      Allende (The House of the Spirits) offers up an intimate memoir on the impact of feminism on her unique and fulfilling life. As a child, and later as a young woman in the 1960s, Allende realized that women were often seen and not heard. Her mother's circumstance, and that of many other women in Chile, inspire Allende's life of action; she is nothing if not passionate in all her undertakings. Three marriages, two children, one heartbreaking loss, and travels around the globe have brought her closer to the human condition and the hearts of women everywhere, women who want not just love, but safety, bodily autonomy, value, respect, and connectedness. This memoir is a quilt of stories, poetry, anecdotes, and truths that women carry, in every culture and continent. Passionately narrated by Gisela Chipe, the audio edition is filled with warmth, feeling, and emotion. It concludes with Allende's promise to "light the torch of our daughters and granddaughters with mine. They will have to live for us, as we lived for our mothers, and carry on with the work still left to be finished." VERDICT Beautiful and fulfilling; a must-listen for women everywhere.--Erin Cataldi, Johnson Cty. P.L., Franklin, IN

      Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Internationally acclaimed author Isabel Allende describes her lifelong feminism. The audiobook begins with her experiences as a child witnessing her mother's attempts to provide for her three children after being abandoned by Isabel's father. Her story then moves through the feminist movement of the 1960s, her three subsequent marriages, and the effects of feminism on the lives of her children and grandchildren. Narrator Gisela Chipe's rendering of the text is confident and resolute yet conveys Allende's tenderness as well as her passion. The Brazilian-born Ecuadorian-American Chipe provides a natural pronunciation of the Spanish words and names sprinkled throughout. One might wonder why Allende herself did not narrate this personal work, but Chipe provides a clear and accessible narration that aptly conveys the author's passionate life. S.E.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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