Oct 01 2006
City of the Beasts
Author: Isabelle Allende
ISBN: 0060535032
DDC: 863.64
Trans from the Spanish: Margaret Sayers Peden
Alexander Cold awakened at dawn, startled by a nightmare. He had been dreaming that an enormous black bird had crashed against the window with a clatter of shattered glass, flown into the house, and carried off his mother.
The main reason I picked this one up was that I’d heard quite a few good things about Allende’s version of Zorro and so I figured that I’d give her a go. This is a one of her YA books though, so maybe not a perfect choice to gain an impression of her adult writing.
The story revolves around 15 year old Alexander Cold, who is shipped off to live with his grandmother after his mother becomes ill with cancer. And his grandmother isn’t you usual white-haired little old lady. Instead she is an explorer, and drags Alex off to the Amazon jungle. She is in search of the humanoid, yeti-like Beast that has been reported in the area, either to show this new creature to the world, or announce that it doesn’t exist.
Tags: 7 Stars, 863.64, City of the Beasts, Isabelle Allende, magic realism, Margaret Sayers Peden, myth, sff, South America, Spanish, translated