The book follows the life of Eva Luna, an orphan that has to fend for herself from an early age on. Growing up she meets a cast of colourful characters and later on becomes tangled up in the political turmoil affecting her country. She is a gifted storyteller, that uses her talent to better cope with the hardships of life and to entertain people.
The characters in this book are fantastic, I thought that most of them were multifaceted and exceedingly human, especially in the absurdities and eccentricities that many of them display. They also come from all walks of life, which enriches the story immensely. Also beautifully done is the political backdrop which mirrors the historical unrest that happened in South America during the respective timespan, which includes several decades in the mid-20th century. One scene that stuck with me in particular in that context is when Eva looks at one of her friends who is a guerilla leader and realizes that the revolution is of and for men and that it would not change even a single thing for women, because they would have to continue to fight for themselves as they always have. That was just a powerful passage.
In conclusion, there is a lot to like about this book, but it still fell a bit flat for me. As spectacular as some of the supporting characters are, Eva Luna herself was strangely not as engaging to me. Only at the end, when she makes a decision regarding the revolution, she felt more tangible. I also thought that the pacing was off, some events felt rushed and entire years are dealt with in a few sentences, while other sequences are maybe elaborated on too much and hence drag a bit. In addition, there are some plot points that felt a little forced to me, because they made the story progress too smoothly. The potential of it all is very high, but in my opinion the execution is somewhat lacking. Nonetheless, it’s a good book.
