<a href=”http://technorati.com/tag/span490.” rel=”tag”>span490.</a>
Eva Luna is a whirlwind of characteristics, and if you do not get anything out of this story, hopefully you enjoyed the many exotic stories that encompass her life. I hear people say that the story is too convoluted, there is too many characters shoved into one narrative and the reader only gets a superficial look into their lives, but I could not disagree more. The narrative of Eva’s life mirrors her own stories; she spins tales of faraway lands and intricate plots. She herself lives in a world of the imagination, first in a house of mummies, moving on later to a house of a prostitute and then to a small hamlet forgotten to the rest of the world, where she resides in an abode filled with a foreign culture.
The many characters that Eva encounters help spin the tale of her life into a detailed web. This is what makes an adventure so interesting, and her life isdefinitely an adventure. Each character is a representation of some sort. Huberto represents rebellion and chaotic freedom and dreams. Mimi represents a world of minority and struggle, yet one where the underdog sometimes gets ahead. The Yugoslavian represents escapism and fantasy. The Senora represents the margins of society, and somewhat mirrors Mimi when she was Melicio. Rolf represents many of the things that Eva herself represents. Eva represents all of the things that the characters that she encounters represent. She is a female in a land and time of machismo, therefore she represents a marginalized sex. She is also from a low class and has grown up struggling for freedom, financial gain and to just survive. She has been beaten, violated and extorted for labour. Eva also represents creativity and the freedom that one can gain from it. She tells tales that she can forget herself in and help other people forget the pains of reality by escaping into her fictionalized reality. The reader can encounter the same types of stories in many of the other characters. For example Rolf, Eva’s parallel character (who eventually ends up being her ), is a minority in a foreign country. He too was abused and grew up struggling for survival: to survive his father’s thrashings and survive through a world war. He too represents a form of creativity that helps people alleviate their pain by either viewing a brutal existence worse than the one that they are living or seeing the truth that is going on around them, and perhaps giving them some hope.
Finally, I think that some people do not realize that there are many important events occurring within the narrative, and that if one is bored or tired of the intensity of the plot trajectory or the intricate details of the story, that perhaps they should delve a little deeper and they will find a few gems of wisdom. Allende is not describing so many political events for the fun of it and for narrative entertainment, she is making is a pretty stark point in including these occurances. If the reader is bored of the day-to-day world of Eva maybe they should pay more attention to what is happening around her, and in the end to her.
January 22, 2007 at 8:53 am
yeah but anyone that has to fish to find something they like about a book isnt likely to pick that book as a “good read” – i think thats solid advice for making the most out of a book once you’ve already started to read it (and perhaps, are obsessive about finishing every book you start), or out of a book you have to read for class… i know what you’re saying, but i just think that putting effort into finding something to like in the book when one is “bored or tired of the intensity of the plot trajectory or the intricate details of the story” is something most of us aren’t willing to do.
liking a book is really very subjective, so on my end, its cool if you liked it, but personally, i cant even sit through a boring 30-minute sitcom, so like hell i’m going to read 300 pages to see if besides the weak shallow plot she might have some good social commentary – know what i mean?
January 25, 2007 at 4:57 am
I don’t think what made the book “bad” for me was the amount of characters, some authors can weave an infinite number of characters into a plot and still create good literature. I also thought the characters were well developed enough that I could picture them and understand there personas somewhat, but I felt that the storyline was rushed, which made for a weak and unconvincing story. But like Marina, I think you have have every right to have enjoyed this book. Taste is subjective.
February 8, 2007 at 6:35 am
I think the pace of the book picks up a little bit in the second part and it definitely becomes more interesting to read towards the end. However, I do agree with those that have noted that it took Allende at least a hundred pages to gain this interest from the reader. As we know, very few individuals of today’s society are patient enough to be able to reach that point unless the reading is mandatory.
February 15, 2007 at 3:22 am
Bush and the Republicans were not protecting us on 9-11, and we aren’t a lot safer now. We may be more afraid due to george bush, but are we safer? Being fearful does not necessarily make one safer. Fear can cause people to hide and cower. What do you think? Why has bush turned our country from a country of hope and prosperity to a country of belligerence and fear.
If ever there was ever a time in our nation’s history that called for a change, this is it!
We have lost friends and influenced no one. No wonder most of the world thinks we suck. Thanks to what george bush has done to our country during the past three years, we do!
March 6, 2007 at 2:48 am
Yo estoy de acuerdo contigo, el libro es bueno de principio a casi el final, donde la posibilidad de los dos finales, tengo que decir, me parecio muy descepcionante, en especial habiendo construido toda una trama que mantiene al lector al pendiente de la historia desde el principio. Yo comenté, que la historia nos narra la vida de Eva, pero a la vez nos sirve como un prisma a traves del cual podemos analizar el desarrollo de una nacion latinoamericana que ecoluciona a traves de cambios politicos y sociales. Eva Luna es buena, lastima del final.
December 20, 2007 at 4:13 pm
very interesting. i’m adding in RSS Reader