99 pages 3 hours read

Isabel Allende

The House of the Spirits

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1982

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Introduction

The House of the Spirits

  • Genre: Fiction; historical family saga
  • Originally Published: 1982
  • Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1280L; college/adult
  • Structure/Length: 14 chapters and epilogue; approx. 496 pages; approx. 18 hours, 51 minutes on audio
  • Protagonist and Central Conflict: This epic family saga follows patriarch Esteban Trueba, wife Clara, daughter Blanca, and granddaughter Alba through several decades of unrest in their country (widely assumed to be Chile). Character conflicts involve the quest for political power, forbidden love, and revolution.
  • Potential Sensitivity Issues: Violence; sexual content; rape

Isabel Allende, Author

  • Bio: Born to Chilean parents in Peru in 1942; author of more than 25 critically acclaimed works; feminist, human rights advocate, and philanthropist; popular TED Talks presenter; began The House of the Spirits (her first published novel) as a letter to her ailing grandfather; awarded 15 honorary doctorates as well as the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2014)
  • Other Works: Paula (1994); Island Beneath the Sea (2009); The Japanese Lover (2015); A Long Petal of the Sea (2019)
  • Awards: Best Novel of the Year (Chile, 1983); Author of the Year and Book of the Year (Germany, 1984;) Best Novel (Mexico, 1985)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

  • Politics and Ideology as Content and Context
  • Patterns, Cycles, and the Interconnectedness of Life
  • Storytelling and the Power of Narrative



Related Titles

By Isabel Allende

Study Guide

logo

A Long Petal of the Sea

Isabel Allende

A Long Petal of the Sea

Isabel Allende

Study Guide

logo

Daughter Of Fortune

Isabel Allende

Daughter Of Fortune

Isabel Allende

Study Guide

logo

Eva Luna

Isabel Allende, Transl. Margaret Sayers Peden

Eva Luna

Isabel Allende, Transl. Margaret Sayers Peden

Study Guide

logo

In the Midst of Winter

Isabel Allende

In the Midst of Winter

Isabel Allende

Study Guide

logo

Island Beneath the Sea

Isabel Allende

Island Beneath the Sea

Isabel Allende

Plot Summary

logo

Maya's Notebook: A Novel

Isabel Allende

Maya's Notebook: A Novel

Isabel Allende

Plot Summary

logo

Of Love and Shadows

Isabel Allende

Of Love and Shadows

Isabel Allende

Plot Summary

logo

Portrait in Sepia

Isabel Allende

Portrait in Sepia

Isabel Allende

Study Guide

logo

The Japanese Lover

Isabel Allende

The Japanese Lover

Isabel Allende

Study Guide

logo

The Stories of Eva Luna

Isabel Allende

The Stories of Eva Luna

Isabel Allende

Study Guide

logo

The Wind Knows My Name

Isabel Allende

The Wind Knows My Name

Isabel Allende

Study Guide

logo

Two Words

Isabel Allende

Two Words

Isabel Allende