Not knowing anything about Chili, some things in this book were interesting, but it didn't really make me want to pick it up and read it over my other books I was in the middle of.
Some of her most interesting views were actually about the US after she moved here:
"The North Americans' sense of time is very special. They are short on patience. Everything must be quick...[stuff removed]. Gringos invented two terms that are untranslatable into most languages: 'snack' and 'quickie'."
"This country's [the US] fascination with violence never ceases to shock me...[stuff removed]. Compared to other places on earth, where a child can step on a mine on his way to school and lose two legs, the United States is safe as a convent, but the culture is addicted to violence. Proof of that is to be found in its sports, its games, its art, and, certainly not least, its films, which are bloodcurdling. North Americans don't want violence in their lives, but they need to experience it indirectly. They are enchanted by war, as long as it's not on their turf".

Indraznesc sa cred ca e o carte de memorii atipica, scrisa in stilul caracteristic al Isabelei Allende, care m-a ajutat sa inteleg mai bine cum evenimentele politice si sociale din Chile au format-o si au inspirat-o sa scrie cartile pe care le apreciez atat de mult: Casa Spiritelor, Eva Luna, Portret in Sepia etc.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

When reviewing a memoir, I always find it difficult to rate the books because it feels, inadvertently, as if I am rating someone life. That leaves me with a not pleasant aftertaste, of sorts. In these cases, I attempt to rate more the writing style rather than the content itself.

I read Allende's Zorro quite a few years ago and I loved the feel of the book. Allende, like so many Latinx writers of her time, use magical realism to foster their stories. Thankfully, Allende always manages to use this type of style to enrich her stories, which is not an easy feat.

In her memoirs, she uses a tone very much like that of her narrative writing. My Invented Country is on the surface a story about Allende's life but digging deeper it is an account of a country's rise and fall and rise during incredibly horrific events. Allende's gift is to lace her own story with that of her country.

This is not a quick read even at less than 200 pages. Not because of its length but because Allende's tone is almost meandering like a slow conversation with a friend. As a reader, you take your time learning the truth.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

I’m a fan of Isabel Allende’s fiction, and wanted to read her nonfiction as well. This book is entirely about her relationship with the places she’s lived, primarily her homeland Chile- its people, places, customs, and even its geography. I wish it was a subject I was more interested in, because then I would’ve enjoyed the book more.

I do like her style of writing, which flows like a conversation- but as such it follows no pattern and the book has no arc, it’s just a lot of slightly melancholy musings and remembrances.

Tre stelle e mezzo per la Allende, brava come sempre, che in questo libro ci svela quanto la storia della sua vita abbia inciso sui sui racconti. Lo sapevamo già, è vero, ma leggerlo in queste pagine emoziona un po', come se il nostro pasticciere preferito ci svelasse l'ingrediente segreto delle sue torte (che poi tanto noi a casa non saremmo mai capaci di rifarle comunque, ma insomma...).
Naturalmente dopo aver letto il libro sarebbe d'obbligo il viaggio in Cile, per verificare le descrizioni meravigliose dei paesaggi e degli abitanti. Un altro desiderio da mettere nel cassetto dei sogni.

Mi país inventado relata la vida y nostalgia de la escritora Isabel Allende - llegando a describir su niñez, los personajes familiares y el impacto de su vida en el exterior de su patria, Chile, durante su juventud y después del golpe de estado del 1973 contra Salvador Allende.

Este libro, además de sumamente personal y honesto, describe las observaciones de Allende con respecto a las idiosincrasias del pueblo chileno, y en varios momentos comparando el choque cultural al interactuar especialmente con venezolanos y estadounidenses quienes, en su opinion, tienen caracteres mucho más bruscos en comparación a la modestidad del chileno común. Allende detalla, en particular, memorias de su abuelo y cómo esa relación intergeneracional le permitió y cultivó la curiosidad, especialmente con la literatura y problemas sociales. Entre el humor y tragedias que se relata, el lector logra recibir el tesoro de que un autor explicando su propia vida con sus exageraciones y chismes familiares. En fin, Allende nos describe su "origin story" como le dirían en los Estados Unidos, o su cuento de origen, narrando a través de una colección de memorias cómo llegó ser la escritora célebre que se conoce en hoy en día.