We had a conversation this week – about A Long Petal of the Sea, the Spanish Civil War and Franco, immigration, the Holocaust, Isabel Allende, political ideology, history repeating itself. Perhaps it was because I sat in a different seat in the room, but people seemed more relaxed even as the room seemed brighter, harsher and more barren. Our discussion moved back and forth across the table, not around the room, and we never referred to any of the book club questions.

As usual, we found unexpected connections because one of us was born in Spain and, though he has a degree in History, he had never learned about the Spanish Civil War. He had heard of Pablo Neruda and was glad to have had this chance to read some of his poetry. Everyone seemed appreciative of the history conveyed, but we also found the novel difficult to read, especially in the beginning because of the horror and devastation of the war, as well as the number of characters introduced. One of us was obviously emotionally moved and had been unable to read to the end of the book.  Another found it strange; she had never read a book like it, but she loved it. Still another found the writing too much like reading a newspaper article. And one of us would like to read it again!

Several members mentioned how the historical events in the novel are reminiscent of current events. The idea that history is repeating itself resurfaced throughout the meeting. One of us was amazed at the number of political parties and ideologies Isabel Allende mentions.  Someone commented that dictators are always voted in and we discussed the United States’ complicity in the death of Salvador Allende and the ascension of Augusto Pinochet. We did not get into any politically divisive discussions but rather seemed concern for the future. One of us tried to allay our fears by noting that the US military is independent and the Catholic Church is not as powerful as it was in Chile at the time; but although many of us seemed to agree, I am not certain we were adequately reassured.

When I asked if anyone noticed another theme Isabel Allende considers central to her novel, one member said “free love,” which captures perfectly the breadth intended by the author and brought us back to characters and plot.  No one was surprised that Ophelia’s baby survived, but one of us was pleasantly surprised that the daughter showed up to meet Victor in the end. And did anyone trust Father Urbina? Discussing the character Carme made us laugh and one member read a favorite description: “She had shrunk until she looked like a plucked bird, a heap of bones and skin, with little hair left and a cigarette permanently dangling from her lips.”  Another member loved the tender time that Victor and Roser had together in the end. She also read a favorite passage: “Pain is unavoidable, but suffering is optional.”  At one point, two members started to have a heated discussion about the selfishness of Isidro del Solar, which I believe highlights the emotional undercurrent of this discussion.

One member has read many other novels by Isabel Allende and this novel seemed familiar to him.  He also mentioned films he recommends and I will list below.  We had a discussion about the Valley of the Fallen (Valle de los Caídos), which is now called Valle de Cuelgamuros, and is a controversial monument ordered by Franco to honor the Spanish Civil War dead.[i] We watched a short clip from an interview with the author and I have a handout showing a few pictures of the Argelés-sur-Mer refugee camp in France, a bronze sculpture by Alberto Giacometti,  a sample of paintings by Oswaldo Guayasamín, a travel image for the Chilean Lake District, and a bit more.

When I write these journals of our discussions, I am always amazed at how much we discussed in only an hour. Fourteen people. Seven men and seven women. More and more of late, I find myself referring to books and movies to bridge gaps of understanding, creating shared experiences, empathy, and more. It’s real!

• OTHER WORKS DISCUSSED:
• House of the Spirits (1982) by Isabel Allender
• City of the Beasts (2002) first of a Young Adult series by Isabel Allende
• Next Year in Havana (2018) by Chanel Cleeton (previous Whitney Book Bistro selection)
• One Hundred Love Sonnets (2014) by Pablo Neruda
• The Complete Memoirs: expanded edition (2021) by Pablo Neruda
• FILMS:
• House of the Spirits (1993) film adaptation of the novel, starring Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, and Winona Ryder
• Il Postino (1994) An Italian comedy-drama with a fictional story about Pablo Neruda meeting a postman and teaching him to love poetry (Wikipedia).
• MUSIC:
• “Manifiesto” by Victor Jara.  I played part of this song at the meeting. Many more of his songs/albums are available free through Freegal.

[i] I was a bit confused by this discussion. I believe that we were discussing this monument, which I looked up after the meeting. I found a recent article in The Guardian that I found informative:  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/12/exhumation-of-civil-war-dead-from-spain-valley-of-cuelgamuros-begins