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    Island Beneath the Sea: A Novel
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    Island Beneath the Sea: A Novel
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    Island Beneath the Sea: A Novel
    Ebook561 pages10 hours

    Island Beneath the Sea: A Novel

    By Isabel Allende

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    “Allende is a master storyteller at the peak of her powers.”
    — Los Angeles Times

    From the sugar plantations of Saint-Domingue to the lavish parlors of New Orleans at the turn of the 19th century, the latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Isabel Allende (Inés of My Soul, The House of the Spirits, Portrait in Sepia) tells the story of a mulatta woman, a slave and concubine, determined to take control of her own destiny.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateApr 27, 2010
    ISBN9780061997556
    Author

    Isabel Allende

    Isabel Allende is the author of twelve works of fiction, including the New York Times bestsellers Maya’s Notebook, Island Beneath the Sea, Inés of My Soul, Daughter of Fortune, and a novel that has become a world-renowned classic, The House of the Spirits. Born in Peru and raised in Chile, she lives in California.

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    Reviews for Island Beneath the Sea

    4/5

    681 ratings54 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Love love LOVE this book! Beautifully written as all of Allende's books.
    • 5/5
      best i have read to isabel allende
      i was reading it and hoping it will never end....
      u live with all the characters in this novel ,feel they are alive..
      happy for their joy,depressed for their sadness...
      TETE the main character what awonderful woman have all this passion
      all that love ,forgiveness,extraordinary spirit ,tolerent ,that ask for help from the priest as well as her african Gods ..
    • 4/5
      A historical novel about Hait. Very interesting. Well written. Could have been shortened in a few places, but good on a whole.
    • 4/5
      The story of Zarite, known as Tete. A slave born in Saint-Domingue, now Haiti, Tete is a house slave on a sugar plantation. In exchange for saving her master from the slave uprising, she demands her freedom and that of her daughter, who was fathered by her master. Tied to the her master by the love of his child, she stays with him as they eventually escape to Cuba and then New Orlenas. I loved the history tied up in this story, especially the atmosphere of turn of the 19th century New Orleans. I thought the translations were a bit stilted in places, though. You'll like this if you like Allende's other stories of strong woman fighting to be free of male domination.
    • 5/5
      story of slaves in St. Dominica and Haiti. House slave that saved master and son. Free black cortesan also throughout the story.
    • 2/5
      First of all, I have to say I listened to the audiobook in Italian, read by an actress who unfortunately did a terrible job. She read the whole thing with a tone of amused delight, which is the farthest she could possibly go from the horrific ugliness described in this book. So, please bear with me.

      It's not that I didn't like the story. It's the combination writer / italian reader that I really, really didn't like.

      As for the book itself, I am fascinated by the history of Haiti, but Allende's characters meant less than nothing to me. Look at the book cover - you see how impersonal, flat and bi-dimensional that drawing of a girl's face looks? That's exactly how Allende's characters come across in the book: they feel fake, as if they were talking stereotypes, marionettes, who never once become truly alive.

      I could never empathize with anyone. The only true feeling that I could sense throughout the novel was boredom. And perhaps that of being a victim of cruelty... question mark?

      In other words: ok, the bare bones of this story are extremely unpleasant. Fine, but at least give me some damn adventure or thrills. Nothing at all, only a bit at the end, too late to save the book. Another writer, like for example Ken Follett, while sparing nothing of the violence and ugliness, would have written the story in a totally different way, providing that true conflict, dynamism and excitement that this book is totally lacking.

      So when i think of Allende I now have this image of an old lady sitting in her neatly organized living room and droning on about this boring story, told with bitterness and a hint of sadistic pleasure, while seeping her tea. Her style is called "magic realism" because in the middle of an ornate, poetic and elegant descritpion she will use the word "shit" instead of feces. How magic! She is of course speaking in Spanish, and she has a crazy Italian translator next to her who translates every sentence for me with a spirited smile on her face, as if it was the highest form of poetry she has ever heard.

      Right. Not good.
    • 5/5
      Stunning, breathtaking, just an absolutely fantastic read. I started Island Beneath the Sea last night and literally could not put it down. I've just turned the last page and am wondering why have I never read Isabel Allende before!?The novel opens with a prologue in which Zarité expresses her love of dancing."..he invited me to lose myself in the music, the way you do in a dream. Dance, dance, Zarité, the slave who dances is free...while he is dancing, he told me. I have always danced."Zarité or Teté as she comes to be known, was sold as a slave when she was only a few months old. In 1770 she lives on the island of Saint-Domingue. She is sold again to plantation owner Toulouse Valmorain to look after his wife. Life in the French colony is becoming more and more unsettled. By 1793 the island is extremely dangerous - the blacks have rebelled and are massacring the whites. Valmorain, his family and Teté escape to Cuba and then to Louisiana.The brief synopsis I've provided doesn't even begin to touch the rich, sweeping saga Allende has written. The story that Allende has woven is simply mesmerizing. But is is the character of Teté that captured me completely -her strength, fortitude, endurance and spirit. Teté is a resilient woman, facing seemingly unbearable situations with quiet dignity. Her life and that of Valmorain are inextricably intertwined as she bears two of his children - the products of repeated sexual violence, beginning when she was eleven. Despite the violence visited upon her, she has an unflagging love for her children and hope for her own future.But it was the descriptions of the treatment of the slaves that brought tears to my eyes many times. The cavalier and cruel actions by the whites was appalling. Indeed, there were over 60 classifications of mulattoes, based on the amount of white blood.The supporting characters were no less captivating. Tante Rose, the local healer and voodoo leader, the freedom fighters, including Gambo, Teté's lover and Violette,the mulatto courtesan desired by many. Parmentier, the local white doctor who has secrets of his own. Each one of their stories are rich and vibrant as well.The Island Beneath the Sea is historical fiction at its' absolute best. The detail was fascinating. I had no idea of the roots of the island we now know as Haiti, the slavery that started long before it reached America and the long war between Spain and France over this small piece of land. Descriptions of the social lives and customs of this time period were incredibly illustrated. The title? Slaves chose to kill their children and send the to 'the island beneath the sea' rather than have them live as slaves. Allende's ability to weave factual events with fiction is truly spectacular. Highly, highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Island Beneath the Sea. Isabel Allende. 2010. My first Allende book was a pleasant surprise. For some reason I steer away from magical realism and that is why I never had any desire to read this author. This was a straight forward historical novel set in Saint-Domingue (Haiti) and in New Orleans. Zarite, a mulatto slave and concubine relates the story of her life on a sugar plantation and later in New Orleans. The vivid descriptions of life on the plantation, the plight of the slaves and mixed race children, the decadence of the plantation owners, and of life in New Orleans during the time of Jean LaFitte was fascinating and horrifying. This is a great historical novel. My favorite way to lean history!
    • 2/5
      When I pick up an Isabel Allende novel I bring certain expectations with me and even though Island Beneath the Sea met many of them, in some aspects I feel that Allende missed the mark. While still beautiful, this is not my favorite of her novels. Island Beneath the Sea is written in Allende's amazing prose style, which creates vivid images and intense settings, it is as beautiful as Monet's Water Lilies at Giverny, but it is also written in a style which can be frustrating to the reader. Like Monet, Allende's style is unquestionably beautiful, but not for everyone. While reading Island Beneath the Sea, I often found myself enjoying lovely sentences but being frustrated by the repetition of information and felt as if Allende was overly concerned with her reader's understanding exactly what she was describing. It often seemed to me that she either simplified the descriptions or repeated them until her readers couldn't miss the meaning. The story line throughout Island Beneath the Sea is also beautiful and well constructed. Isabel Allende's talents here are obvious, but again it seemed too straightforward and predictable to come to a satisfying conclusion. There is no denying the beauty of this book, but it is not the strongest novel from this wonderful writer. Nonetheless, I have been haunted by the world which Allende describes. This is the perfect time for this novel and the connection to the Haitian history that runs throughout can help connect readers to the current situation in Haiti. Isabel Allende is a compassionate and beautiful writer, she has obviously researched this novel and includes details which lend to the credibility of the story and world. Her craft is unquestionably lovely, but this particular story I found difficult to connect to and frustrating to read. I would recommend many of her other novels including Of Love and Shadows, The House of the Spirits and Zorro, before I would recommend Island Beneath the Sea.
    • 4/5
      Duh!
      For a great portion of this book, I kept trying to figure out why the characters seemed so very, very familiar... almost as if I'd read the book before, years ago. But it was only published two years ago, and my memory isn't quite that bad! I even looked on the internet to try to find out if any excerpts had been previously published, or any short stories featuring the same characters... no.
      Just as I sat down to write this review, I remembered: I went to see Allende at a live appearance, I believe shortly before this book was published, and she read a chapter from it!
      So my memory may be bad, but...

      So. That settled.
      I really enjoyed this book. Yes, it can tend toward melodrama, but the events are suited to high drama. Allende has a real talent for creating rich settings and vivid characters. I feel that in this book, a complex time period and difficult social milieu is dealt with well, showing horrific situations from a multiplicity of perspectives, without shying away from the difficult aspects of showing slavery from both slaves' and masters' perspectives.

      Zarite is a strong and memorable character - well, memorable enough that I felt like I knew her from hearing one chapter, even though I couldn't remember why!

      I have to admit, after 'City of the Beasts,' I was about ready to give up on Allende... but she's still got it. I guess she just has an inexplicably poor opinion of the intelligence of younger people. ('City of the Beasts' was supposedly YA.) I know, I shouldn't even be talking about it in an unrelated review. But, boy did it suck!
    • 1/5
      Very disappointed! It was like sitting through a boring history lesson. The lack of depth to the characters seemed so unlike what I expect in a novel by Allende, and overall it felt pedantic.
    • 4/5
      The setting of the sugar plantations in early Haiti became very real as did early New Orleans. I felt the characters were honestly drawn and believable. Obviously the author has done her research on the historical events of the time. My only complaint was that there were a few too many times when coincidence played too large a part. What are the chances of meeting up with "long lost" lovers, sons, daughters after many years and many miles. However, that did not take away from an engrossing read. Another good read from Allende.
    • 3/5
      The scope of this novel is impressive and its various settings are fascinating: pre- and post - revolution Haiti, and New Orleans before and after the French hocked it like Granmere's pearls to the USA. Allende evokes each with considerable skill and great historical detail. It is, however, a largely disappointing read: Zarite is a flat impersonation of the brutalised but unbroken character she has the potential to be - she appears to exist simply to shuffle along the novel's somewhat limp narrative. Valmorain, her 'master', is a more successful character - a truly hideous example of corruption, venality and human weakness.
    • 3/5
      Fascinating history of what is now Haiti; I loved the first part with more of the historical detail and Tete's early life; as with many epics of this kind I tired of the story by the end. Some of the characters in the last part of the book were not well layered.
    • 4/5
      Great book! Isabel Allende never disappoints me. The Island Beneath the Sea follows the life of Zarite "Tete" and the birth of Haiti.
    • 5/5
      Amazing historical fiction of Haiti and the slave uprising.
    • 4/5
      Beautifully written story that is crafted superbly. I love Allende and was pleased to discover that while this novel does encompass the full life story of every character in the book, it didn't lose focus (like some of her other books occasionally do). I would have given it five stars except for one aspect of the ending. I get it, I just didn't care for it. Otherwise, definitely an engrossing and sweeping tale.
    • 5/5
      Great read as always by this wonderful author who will by a few pages transform you into another world...
    • 5/5
      A great story on the history of slavery on the plantations in Haiti and in the Louisiana Territory in the late 18th century by one of my favorite authors.
    • 4/5
      A vivid portrayal of life in Haiti and New Orleans during the late 1700's. One of the principal characters is Zarite--a mulatto slave who becomes the "property" of Toulouse Valmorain--a Frenchman who travels to Haiti to take charge of the family's plantation. Revolutions, uprisings, illnesses, and religious beliefs all shape the story Zarite (or Tete as she is called) struggles to gain the freedom to pursue her own happiness in a world where all the cards are stacked against her, while her master struggles to gain financial wealth and an heir to pass it onto. Whether it is voodoo, God, or Karma the characters will "reap what they sow" in the end. What made this story resonate with me were the vivid descriptions of the traditional African beliefs (their so called "voodoo") which were not only portrayed in action but also in the thoughts and deeds of the characters. It also illustrated the far reaching effects of the French Revolution and the philosophies about the freedom of all men that were circulating the globe at that time. For those who enjoy history and books with vivid characters and descriptions this would be a great choice.
    • 3/5
      I listened to this book as a download from my library. It is the story of a young slave girl, Zarite, in Haiti who is bought to be a lady's maid to the Cuban wife of a plantation owner. The wife goes steadily mad but does produce one male heir for her husband. Before the time the wife becomes pregnant the husband takes the slave girl (Tete as she is called) to his bed. Tete has a son as well but he is taken away from her by the master. Tete raises Maurice, the legitimate son, and when she also has a daughter she is allowed to keep her because by that time the wife is completely mad. The two children grow up together. While they are still young there are slave uprisings and the master has to flee the island. Tete is instrumental in saving the family and she is promised she will be freed because of this. Eventually they end up in New Orleans. Tete does win her freedom and that of her daughter. However, their lives are still entangled with that of her former master.This book didn't grab me as much as some of Allende's other books have. Perhaps because I felt that the story shared a lot with The Book of Negroes which I really loved. But there is some interesting history here and some really strong women characters.
    • 5/5
      The story of the intertwined lives of a slave born in Saint-Domingue (Haiti) and the wealthy plantation owner who buys her when she is still a child. The Haitian Revolution and the reality of of the refugees new lives in New Orleans were illustrated with great detail. I loved both the historical storyline of the novel and the fabulous character development.
    • 2/5
      Normally, I love Isabel Allende's works -- most of her novels I consider a "tour de force," and I consider them "epic" as well. However, perhaps the beginning of "Island Beneath the Sea" was too vague, too reminescent of freshman-level abstract poetry for me to fully embrace the ideas. I was put off by the beginning and thus unable to give the novel a chance.
    • 5/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this even though at times the content was a horrific story line. No sugar-coating the reality of life and history.
    • 4/5
      Enthralling story of Haiti, in the late 18th and early 19th century, through the story of a white sugar plantation owner, his family and slaves. Through the eyes of a slave woman, Zarite, we witness the sweeping changes slave rebellions bring. We also witness life in French New Orleans when they flee the island, and the changes the Louisiana Purchase bring about to that society. Such historical figures as Toussaint Louverture and Jean Lafitte populate this book. Through it run elements of voodooism and how the people of color mix it with Catholic beliefs.Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      The book tells the story of Zarité, a slave who grows up on Haiti and during the slave rebellion stays with her owner to take care of his children. She travels with him to Cuba and later to America. In America she finally gets her freedom, but her past still haunts her.I really loved this book. Allende has a great talent for telling historical stories. Her characters are lifelike and you soon grow attached to them and get very involved in their lives. The descriptions of the areas are great and really give you an idea of what life was like at that time.One thing I really liked about this novel was how Allende shows the different viewpoints and manages to really give you some idea of how the slave-owners felt and thought. For me it is hard to imagine, but I do think these owners generally didn't view their slaves as 'human' and this book gives a good insight into what it might have been like to be a slave-owner in those days; especially Toulouse, who starts out with great ideals but ends bitter and cruel, is a character who really comes to life, even if he's not a 'nice guy'.Though the story in itself is quite sad, and many bad things happen to Zarité and other slaves, it is also a positive story. It shows courage and strength and love, and shows how even in bad situations people can still find joy. Aside from the slave owners and the white people who look down on the slaves, there are also people who are genuinely concerned for the well being of the slaves and support them in their quest for freedom.
    • 5/5
      Born on the island of Saint-Domingue, Zarite-known as Tete-is the daughter of and African mother she never knew and one of the white ssailors who brought her into bondage. Her childhood is one of brutality and fear, Zarite becomes the slave or Toulouse Valmorian who arrives from France to oversee his father's plantation.
    • 4/5
      This impressive epic novel is set in the late 18th century surrounding the time of revolution in Saint-Domingue, now Haiti. It describes the colonization and slavery on the plantations. Although beautifully written, eloquent and flowing, in some parts the story is harrowing as it brings a cruel history to life. The saga is based on factual events, which makes it informative and interesting, while at the same time heartbreaking because of the brutal nature of many passages. This passage describes the source of the title:"Many (infants) died of tetanus, paralyzed, their jaws frozen. That was one of the island's mysteries because whites did not suffer from that disease. The masters did not suspect that those symptoms could be provoked undetected by sticking a fine needle into a soft part of the baby's head before the cranial bones harden. In that way the baby went happily to the Island Beneath the Sea without ever experiencing slavery."
    • 5/5
      Interesting story of the slaves of Haiti and New Orleans. The main character, Zarité, had and incredible journey. We follow her family and her Maitre over a 50 year span.
    • 5/5
      great book.prose brings to life history of Haiti, the brutality of slavery . She weaves together real characters with fiction. I learned so much about culture , religion and hostory in New Orleans.