I read this book about ten years ago after my cousin’s husband (a literature professor) told me about it, and I can still picture scenes from it in my mind (which is a big deal for me, my memory is totally shot, and not from all the drugs I (never) did as a teenager!).

Isabel Allende has written many books, but The House of the Spirits is still my favorite. There is something for everyone in this book, politics, murder, mystery, and romance and even though it was written in 1986, the writing and subject matter are timeless.