Linda's Reviews > The Soul of a Woman

"She has the Spirit of the Sun, the Moods of the Moon, and the Will of the Wind." (Unknown)

To define Womanhood is like taking on the task of counting each and every grain of sand along the shore. Each has its own individual shape, lustre, hue of color, glint of light. But when together and unified, the composite is a Heavenly one.

Isabel Allende is a favorite author of countless numbers of us. We wait with vigilance for her next offering. The Soul of a Woman leans from her usual fare to more of an outright memoir. It touches on the depth of womanhood and the breadth of feminism in today's world.

Isabel Allende has led quite the life. Born in Peru, she later resided in Chile, Argentina, and even Lebanon. Her outward personality was apparent in her kindergarten days. We smile as she reflects upon being expelled from school at the tender age of six because of insubordination. She verbally rebelled at the discipline that surrounded her from the threatening figures of the nuns at school. Home schooling was the next option.

Allende takes us back in time to life with her mother and with her grandparents. Her mother, Panchita, was born in an era that catered to men and kept women in the shadows. Allende's father left when she and her siblings were very young leaving Panchita with few options. Living with her grandparents introduced her to a world of discipline once again. Lack of a father sewed the seeds of rebelliousness which would follow her throughout her life.

The Soul of a Woman causes us to reflect on those individuals who impacted us in regard to our own view of womanhood. Were we born in an era, like Panchita, where masculinity was defined in terms of power, violence, conquest, and territorial gains in life? Were we raised to believe that women were only the child bearers and "home makers"? Or did someone of strength open the door forcefully to let the light of progress and the right of being shine across the way?

Fictional female characters that boast bravado in storylines from the Middle Ages is one thing. Real flesh and blood, fire-breathing females in real life is another. And that compels us to look over our shoulders in gratitude for those who came before us and the realization to take on a willingness to forge ahead for today's little girls who will become tomorrow's stoic women. What part will we play?

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Random House (Ballantine Books) and to the highly talented Isabel Allende for the opportunity.