Allende was the first South American female writer to reach an audience on a global scale. She did it with the publication of her first book, The House of Spirits, in 1982, and since then, she's become known as one of the most important writers of Magic Realism.

What sets Allende's work apart is its emphasis on women characters. She tells the stories of South American women and their fight against the status quo, using good old Magic Realist techniques like the incorporation of the supernatural and the fantastic into an otherwise familiar reality.

The House of the Spirits

Here's a novel that tells the tale of a South American family, the Truebas, over several generations. Though the country is never explicitly named, we also get to see, through the Truebas' eyes, the story of Chile's political troubles.

The novel's full of strong women, both in the home and outside of it. It's also full of clairvoyant characters, ghosts, and premonitions, to name just a few of the magical ingredients.

The Stories of Eva Luna

This is a collection of short stories narrated by Eva Luna, a young woman who has amazing storytelling powers. One night, Eva Luna's lover asks her to tell him a story she hasn't told anyone before. Instead of telling him one, she tells him twenty-three.

Chew on This:

We get a mix of the fantastic and the mundane in Isabel Allende's House of the Spirits, about a family living through turbulent times in South America.

In Allende's The Stories of Eva Luna, we get 23 stories full of magical occurrences. We don't know about you, but we're totally hooked.