Why a Booktrail?
1939: September 3, the day of the Spanish exiles’ splendid arrival in Chile, the Second World War broke out in Europe.
A Long Petal of the Sea
What you need to know before your trail
Victor Dalmau is a young doctor when he is caught up in the Spanish Civil War, a tragedy that leaves his life – and the fate of his country – forever changed. Together with his sister-in-law, the pianist Roser, he is forced out of his beloved Barcelona and into exile.
When opportunity to seek refuge arises, they board a ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda to Chile, the promised ‘long petal of sea and wine and snow’. There, they find themselves enmeshed in a rich web of characters who come together in love and tragedy over the course of four generations, destined to witness the battle between freedom and repression as it plays out across the world.
Travel Guide
Travel BookTrail style to Allende’s Spain and Chile
The novel and story opens in 1938 in the heart of Spain, at the height of the Spanish Civil War. Franco and the Fascists are at the peak of their power and characters in the novel are escaping to France and then on to Chile.
This is also the story of the Winnipeg, the ship chartered by Pablo Neruda to take 2,000 refugees to Chile. There are many places in and around Chile you can visit to appreciate the man and the role he played in history.
Is Chile to be the new home for a new beginning ? It’s soon in the grasp of a 1973 right wing coup.
Allende is Chilean herself and her research and personal connection to events in the story provide a compelling look at events in both Spain and Chile which had far-reaching consequences.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: A Long Petal of the Sea
Destination/location: Spain, Chile Author/guide: Isabel Allende Departure Time: 1939 onwards
Back to ResultsWhere Next?
