City of the Beasts

Isabel Allende. Margaret Sayers Peden, translator. 2002. New York: Harper Collins. 448 pages. ISBN: 0060509171. 416 pages.

Plot Summary: When his mother becomes seriously ill, Alexander is sent to his grandmother, where he joins her in an expedition to the remotest parts of the Amazon to look for a Bigfoot-like beast. With the expedition comes Nadia, a “honey-colored” girl half native Amazonian/half European, who understands the languages and ways of the native people. With her, Alexander begins to understand the ways of the never before contacted “People of the Mist,” finds his totemic animal, and goes on a spiritual quest. This novel is partly a coming-of-age story, partly ethnography and partly about cultural and environmental terrorism.

Critical Evaluation: City of the Beasts tells a wonderful story that captures the beauty of the rain forest and its people. It is evocative and steeped in the magical realism that is part of Allende’s trademark. Through the children, who become accepted and initiated into the tribe, the reader sees the world through the eyes of the (fictional?) indigenous people, who are deeply visionary and spiritual. As it says of Alex, “He couldn’t put his trust in reason after having experienced the hazy territory of dreams, intuition and magic” (p.250). Each child finds the courage to confront their greatest fears, and thus are able to find great treasures. The two young people are the only ones to discover the truths about the giant beasts and the magic at the Eye of the World; the mythical El Dorado.

But having said this, the book is not without flaws. It gets off to a slow start and seems overly long-winded and awkward at times. As a reader, I wondered if it would have flowed better if read in its native Spanish. The book seems longer than necessary to tell the story, and some of the characterizations seem little more than caricatures. And the reader is left to wonder if the descriptions of the tribe are an accurate ethnographic picture. However, the strengths of the book outweigh its flaws. It is the first book of a three book trilogy.

Reader’s Annotation: Will Alex survive his trip in the Amazon and will he able to be with his mother when he returns?


About the author: Isabel Allende is one of the best known women writers of Latin America. She was born in 1942 in Lima, Peru. While her family moved frequently, she grew up primarily in Chile. She lived in Chile until 1974, in Venezuela until 1984 and now lives in California. She is related to the late Chilean president Salvador Allende (1971-1973), and after the CIA led military coup was forced to flee to Venezuela for political reasons. Over her career she has written newspaper and magazine articles, short stories for adults and children, theater plays, has taught literature and is the author of 17 books. She has also lectured and toured widely.

Her novels weave myth and realism together (as do the works of other Latin American authors) and often focus on her own experiences or that of other women. Her first novel, The House of Spirits, earned her comparisons to Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which led to her work being both harshly criticized as well as highly regarded. She has achieved great commercial success, and her novels have been translated into 30 languages and sold more than 51 million copies She earned the Quality Paperback Book Club New Voice Award nomination for her debut novel, The House of the Spirits and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize nomination for Of Love and Shadows. Allende's third novel, Eva Luna, was voted One of the Year's Best Books by Library Journal. Visit Allende's website at http://www.isabelallende.com/

Genre: Mythic reality.

Curriculum ties: N/A

Booktalking ideas: Alex left California an ordinary 15-year-old boy but soon becomes initiated into one of the most remote tribes in the Amazon jungle. The adventures he undergoes on the way are extreme and fantastical as he learns the ways of the jungle. On the way he uncovers a plot to destroy the rain forest and its people, and must find a way to stop it.

Reading level/Interest Age: There is some debate about this. School Library Journal states that it’s for grades 6-10, while Booklist lists grades 9-12. I agree with Booklist. Although the protagonist is only 15, the story is complex.

Challenge Issues: None.

Why included: I included this book because of my admiration for Isabel Allende.