The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende

And once I'd adjusted to the pace and small scale, it became clear that many of the stories were perfectly crafted and thematically rich, whole meals by themselves. I tried, however, to defer judgment until I'd finished everything on the tray.

Early on, the book seemed to me like a plate of hors d'oeuvres, each one tempting, some as exquisite as caviar, but not really adding up to a meal. There's a reason why story collections are rare visitors to the best-seller lists.Įva Luna's stories are delicate, their images akin to poetry: the Pope in his glass-enclosed car, for example, is 'a white porpoise in an aquarium' Tierra del Fuego tapers off into 'a rosary of islands.' And, like poetry, this prose requires careful attention. But 'The Stories of Eva Luna' have only the faintest superstructure connecting them and so must stand up to more scrutiny: in a novel, the author needs to hook us only once in a collection, each story must win us over anew, which is more work for everyone. The 23 very short stories unfold in the same confident, chaotic style as the novels that have endeared Ms. Allende's third novel to her lover, Rolf Carle. 'The Stories of Eva Luna' are ostensibly tales told by the eponymous heroine of Ms. Fortunately for her readers, she didn't throw it away but sent it off to her publisher. The Chilean novelist Isabel Allende has now gone one better by having one of her characters write a book. In years past, I've received and given out this common advice for writers: Let your novel's important characters dictate their life stories to you, beginning with childhood write it all down then throw it away and start the novel. THE STORIES OF EVA LUNA By Isabel Allende.

The Stories of Eva Luna by Isabel Allende