Island Beneath the Sea: A Novel (P.S.)

This book really makes you think about our past and slavery. Many say racism is alive in the world. I have to hope we have made some progress since the detailed slavery descriptions in Island Beneath The Sea. This book is tremendous and life changing. Will be thinking about it for a long time.

Generally, I really enjoy Isabel Allende's writing. However, in this book, her usual poetic imagery and beautifully crafted words were missing. The book felt episodic and long. I did not fall in love with her characters, their flight and dramas, or even the subject matter for which I am generally drawn. I've never given one of her books such a low rating.

Beautifully written novel of love, injustice & the fight of the human spirit and it's will to prevail. The tale entwines the lives of many complex character's Zarite, Valmorain, Gambia, Rosette, Maurice, Rosette and more amidst late 1700s through early 1800s Carribbean and Louisiana. Expertly crafted Allende weaves the fabric of one woman's search for freedom and the events of love, loss, betrayal and awakening that ensue. Thoroughout the novel we see Tete become Zarite and what it means to be " truly free".

This is fascinating, beautifully written historical fiction with very interesting characters whom we follow in the late 1700's & early 1800's in Saint Domingue, Cuba and New Orleans. Racial issues play a major role. I highly recommend it to everyone and especially to anyone who might like to know of the history of Haiti, then Saint Domingue.

I was instantly hooked on the main character and many others. This tale is fantastically woven with history . The full experience of this novel is both entertaining and educational. Many of my Haitian friends verified a lot of the details. This book deals with many human traits that people have worked hard to suppress. It is quite long but maintains the readers interest. I am eager to read other works by Allende.

First, "Island beneath the sea" means dead, this is where the dead go in some negro religion, probably voodoo although not explicitly stated in the novel. It is a good title for the book, there are many dead, all supporting characters, not the main character. The time is in the 1790's, before and after the revolution in Haiti. Prosper Cambray was the manager of Toulouse Valmorain's plantation, similar to Simon Legree in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" but that is the only comparison, Cambray's actions make Legree look like a pussycat in comparison in their treatment of the slaves. The island is Espaniola, and covers both Santo Domingo and Haiti, one French, the other Spanish. The American novel is a later time period but it is not the changing world that makes the difference, it is the price of slaves. Negro slaves in Central and South America are cheap, their lives worth little so they are worked to death in a few years and new slaves bought. In the United States slaves were expensive so it paid to keep them alive, to breed them and sell the offspring, requiring a differnt handling. With so many new slaves arriving in Espaniola escape was common, there were few owners compared to the slaves, miscegenation occurred and the cross breeds felt themselves better than the pure negros, many were free, put on airs, and those with the greater percentage of white blood considered themselves better than those with fewer white genes. The revolt of the slaves occurs and minor mention is made of it, the novel concerns itself with the departure of the whites, the mistakes of the mixed races, and the deaths of many of the supporting characters. The slaves chased out all the non-slaves, ridding themselves of the leaders and innovators in their society in order to be free and losing the capacity to advance their society. The novel drops Haiti and picks up the main characters in New Orleans and ends with a few more deaths in keeping with the title.
What downgrades the book is having the heroine 'see' the gods of voodoo, have the negro music take over her actions and dance in ecstasy, and have magic work. There is little of it but what little there is is unbelievable and unnecessary. Otherwise a good read.

An intriguing historical novel about slavery in the Caribbean and how slavery was a complicated social pariah affecting and effecting married couples, interracial couples, and the children of these unions. This was and still is a complicated issue that society has difficulty coming to terms with. This book leaves one wondering if the effects of slavery in the Americas will ever be resolved.

This is a really great historical novel with great characters. I read this and immediately went to find other things this author has written. This is something that everyone should read for a better understanding of our country's heritage. People have suffered a lot to get where they are and this is a riveting book of the black/slave heritage. I would give this book a 10 if I could.

It was an excellent book; I learned so much about the life of a slave, and most especially, the life of a slave in Haiti.....brutal. I so admired Tete because she never gave up, was strong and determined and such a loving mother.

Lovely, poignant imagery carried me to another time and place. Fully fleshed out characters capture the imagination, each with hidden secrets, flaws, and endearing qualities. The history is seamlessly woven into the story, and anyone who knows Caribbean history will admire the detail provided on figures who played key roles in that time.

I always enjoy Isabel Allende’s novels because of the depth of her storytelling against a historical background. I somehow knew the story would end tragically, but also with some resolution for the main character.

I bought this in the Kindle format. However, I looked through the hard cover edition. The story would have been easier to follow had there been a set of maps of Haiti showing elevations, plantations, mountains, forests and towns that were important to the first half of this tale which takes place in Haiti. Maps were unavailable in any edition I saw. They would have really helped the reader understand the action that takes place during the Haitian slave revolts. The book follows the life of the slave girl Zarite (Tete). She is the product of a white father and an African slave. The slave is raped en route from Africa to Haiti by one of the white sailors. Tete is herself raped twice by the French plantation owner who hires her to care for his mentally ill spouse. Tete's first child by Valmorain is a boy, Jean claude and the second is a girl, Rosette. These offspring would be termed Quadroons. The boy, Jean Claude, is removed quickly from Tete's possession and placed in the care of Violette and her white French army officer husband. Violette is a mulatta woman who is likely also a Quadroon. Violette was Valmorain's mistress before he married his Spanish born wife. She is unable to conceive. Violette and her white spouse raise Jean Claude as their own son. Valmorain and his wife have a son, Maurice. Tete who has milk from the birth of Jean Claude becomes his wet nurse. Valmorain's wife descends into madness, and Tete becomes the only mother Maurice knows. Yet Valmorain continues to rape Tete. He does not view it as rape, because he views Tete as his property. Tete becomes pregnant again and when Maurice is about 3, she gives birth to her daughter, Rosette. By now Valmorain's wife is completely out of touch with reality.Thus Valmorain does not need to remove Rosette from the plantation to hide her existence from his wife. Valmorain allows Rosette to remain on the plantation in the care of her mother, Tete. Maurice and Tete grow to love each other much to Valmorain's chagrin. Valmorain dotes on Maurice who is his only white child and legitimate heir. Maurice also grows to love Rosette. He protects her as he would a younger sister. Since there are no other white children on the plantation, Maurice plays almost exclusively with Rosette who appears to many as if she is a white child of Spanish origin. Rosette and Maurice become very close and love eachother dearly. At some point they become aware that they have the same father. Valmorain and Maurice's must leave Haiti abruptly when violent slave revolts erupt. The rebellious slaves murdered many whites on the island during their revolt. Tete helps Valmorain and Maurice escape risking her own life to do so. She saves their lives on more than one occassion. Valmorain, Valmorain's brother-in-law, Santos, Tete, Maurice, Violette, Jean Claude, and Rosette all make their escape to New Orleans via Cuba. Even mulattos were in danger. Dr. P., Valmorain's physician friend eventually joins them with his "colored' wife, Adele and his mulatto children.

This story is an indictment of slavery, an institution which brings suffering and debauchery to both slave and master. The brutality of the institution in Haiti may have been without equal. It was one of the reasons the slave rebellion there came to fruition resulting in the first black government in the western hemisphere. Valmorain was not as evil or brutal as many of the other slave owners, but he was cruel enough. His overseer, Prosper Chambray, a mulatto himself was more brutal than many of the white slave owners. Dr. P who saw the value of Tante Rose's native African home remedies was one of the few really decent white men. He was a physician who saw the futility of European medical practices like bleeding to effect cures. Yet he hid his relationship to his children by Adele and even his relationship to Adele from the other whites on Haiti and to some extent in New Orleans.

In New Orleans Valmorain who reinvents himself as a wealthy plantation owner remarries a wretched woman named Hilda who bears him only daughters. Thus his only son is still Maurice. As children Maurice and Rosette have grown to love each other. They share the same father, Valmorain. They part just before adolescence. Valmorain sends Maurice to a liberal boarding school in Boston. He pays for Rosette to be educated in New Orleans by nuns who run a school for girls who have some negro blood. Rosette looks like a white girl of Spanish descent but she is 25% black. She rejects that identity and does not identify as the daughter of her mother Tete, a slave. She sees Tete as Valmorain's possession and feels herself to be free even though she is not. All of these narrative threads are headed for disaster. Maurice attends school among abolitionists and he hates the institution of slavery. Valmorain is appalled at his son's ideas which Maurice shares when he returns to New Orleans. For without slavery his father's fortune would be lost. Until this point Allende's tale is filled with adventure, romance, suffering, love and sadness.

However, here is where she loses me. Spoiler alert here. Maurice and Rosette who have loved each other since childhood fall in love romantically, and wish to marry. To me this is over the top. A very liberal priest would have married a white boy to a girl of color. But when he learns that they share the same father he refuses. Tete finds a way to accomplish the marriage on a ship in front of the ship's captain. They marry and Rosette gives birth to their child, Justin, Valmorain's second heir. I found this incestuous act too over the top for me. I did not think Tete was compassionate or clever by virtue of her method of accomplishing the marriage. If these children had been worth admiring, they would have seen the wisdom of a rule that precluded incestuous unions. While Tete could have been sympathetic and compassionate about their love and devotion to each other, she should not have helped them marry legally. Of course, such an act would and did doom them.

This story would have made a terrific movie. I think it would have been a better movie than a book. The translation from Spanish is excellent. Allende is also fluent in English so she could carefully supervise the translation. Allende is a translator herself and Allende's translator is also an author so these facts make for an excellent translation.

Haiti devolves into a chaotic and violent society because 1) The simultaneous occurance of the French revolution prevented France from devoting enough troops to stabilize Haiti with its myriad problems, 2) The unstable new French republic sent confusing messages about its policies regarding states of freedom and class for the different degrees of coloreds and slaves in Haiti 3) There was a large multiple of blacks relative to the number of whites in Haiti. Populations in the U.S were not so skewed. 4) The geographic and climatological characteristics of Haiti vs. The Dominican Republic placed Haiti at a disadvantage for commercial success.

I enjoy historical fiction and was intrigued by the depiction of life in Haiti as well as New Orleans. I had no idea of life on a plantation in Haiti before and during the revolution. This book made me want to read more about life in New Orleans prior to purchase by the United States.

As always Isabel Allende does not disappoint me. Loving Historical Novels as I do, I look forward to opening her next book. She weaves a tale of adventure, romance and a window into slavery outside of the US including Louisiana during French occupation, all against the back drop of the Haitian Revolution..

Isabel Allende is a true novelist. Her books are outstanding. The interwoven storyline and character deveopment are a cut above what I have found in a multitude of 'good' and entertaining novels. Her books are classics and will be read for generations. The reader truly enters the experience, and the book once started cannot be put down until finished.

This novel is well written, descriptive and informative. The author takes us through a part of history that most would like to forget but the characters come alive and we want follow them in their journey. I couldn't put this book down, I cried, held my breath and rejoiced while I read. Well done, I'm looking forward to reading more is Allende's stories.

A good read, mixing history and romance. As a French person, I was very interested to read about the history of slaves in 18th century in St Domingue / Haïti, and other historical facts of that period of time. Isabel Allende has a way of keeping her readers gripped to the book, even if some parts are a bit too romanced, or not as well written.
I would recommend this book especially to the young French generation, like my own children in their twenties.
Thank you Isabel for another gripping book !
Linda Adenis-Lamarre

I often have a hard time determining what is fact and what is fiction in Allende's books. She weaves a tale so skillfully and beautifully that characters become real and their lives compelling. I don't think I've ever been disappointed with Allende since I first read House of Spirits. And I still ask myself, were these events real?

I ordered this novel immediately after having read the author's The House of the Spirits. I found this novel to be very similar in style and substance to the aforementioned work, which in this case is a good thing. Whereas the former work was a highly educational look at early 20th century Chile, and the formation of the country's first Republic, this novel is set in late 18th century Haiti, Cuba and New Orleans. The novel follows a young female slave named Zarite (Tete), from the unrest and subsequent slave rebellion on Haiti as she follows her master to first Cuba and then New Orleans.

Just as in The House of the Spirits, the author alternates between the first person account of Zarite and the more prevalent third person narrative. The prose is beautiful and the story line is educational and instructive.

This is an absolutely top class piece of work, both in the quality of the writing and the history and political lesson contained therein. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in French and Spanish colonization of the Caribbean or the writing of such authors as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, to whose writing Allende compares quite favorably.

My bookclub chose this novel for last month's meeting. We all found it very interesting, especially since we were following a Caribbean theme with our choices. The story is very intriguing and informative. I actually learnt a lot that I didn't know before about the island it was set in, the period in history and the slave trade. The narration was very creative, coming from different perspectives and with many characters being described. I would recommend this book.

His story is gripping and historically informative. The characters come to life and jump off the page. I am from New Orleans and have mixed blood decent. This story brought many things to light and explained the foundation and basis for the heritage, society and city that I call home with the utmost affection and pride.

This story is told with such eloquence and strength and speaks to the heart and soul. I did not want the story to end.

Growing up in Trinidad, we were taught Caribbean history, the slave trade etc, but this novel painted a more vivid picture of life back then that cannot be found in any history book or in any movie that I have ever seen. Ms. Allende fully used the art of descriptive writing that I actually felt as though I was Zarite; I sang, danced, cried and even wanted to murder Hortense myself. This is truly a great book.

A historical novel about the suffering of Africans in the Caribbean and the French and American connections. I felt I really got to know the characters and shared, to some degree, their feelings of repression and desire for freedom. A rattling good story, with complex plots and loads of information as part of the story and not ladled on to prove she had done her research. Very cleverly written and with the usual uncompromising style. Ms Allende tells it as it is, and as it must have been. I'm waiting for her next novel.

This story was interesting and Isabel is very descriptive with her writing. She makes you feel like you are there on the island with the characters and, you can almost feel the heat and humidity. I have read some of Isabel's other books and they are always good enjoyable stories that make you feel like you are in the middle of them. I was a bit disappointed in the ending it was a bit lacking, but otherwise a good story. I will definitely read her books again.

putting names to that period of time makes the history come alive. The compassion I instantly felt with these characters was immediate. I will never take for granted my freedom. Nor will I so easily swallow a crystal of sugar again without giving gratitude for those who work so hard for our luxuries.

This book details an expansive and important historical period prior to the Civil War covering the slave rebellions in what is now Haiti and following the characters to New Orleans. Strong characters, plot and settings. For anyone interested in learning more about one route that brought slaves to the U.S. with characters that sink into your soul, and are willing to commit the time, this book is it.

A beautiful and rich novel with depth, complexity, mysticism, and insight into the human condition. The entire time I was reading this book, I felt that the heat of the tropical setting (which felt like its own character) forced the other characters to live more closely to many of the more primitive elements of human beings -- like lust, greed, violence and the search for pleasure.

Fundamentally, the book is a story of the slave rebellion of the 1700s that made Haiti an independent state and what happened to the white colonists who were forced to flee to save their lives. Through the stories of a white plantation owner (who relocates to New Orleans), his white family, his black concubines, and assorted children of all races -- Isabel Allende exposes the complexity and brutality of slavery in all the ways it was accepted as part of everyday life. Where the shade of one's skin determined a person's place in society. Where white slaveowners practiced all sorts of self-deception. And also where societal hypocrisy is deeply rooted with both whites and blacks living by rules that dictate that inhumane horrors are allowed as long as they aren't mentioned in polite society.

The book has a similar feel to Allende's HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS where the reader isn't quite sure where the lines are between reality, magic and belief. Voodoo and historical island beliefs and traditions are intertwined with Western culture. And the characters are so well developed and multi-dimensional that they become flesh and blood. A masterful telling of a dark chapter of history, brightened only slightly by a fledgling abolitionist movement.

This incredible novel is more of a narrative, as it had little dialogue and jumps between a third and first person perspective. Please don't let that dissuade you. Some reviewers felt that the author was overly descriptive in the historical events of the time period and yet vague when it came to details about the day to day lives and horrors of slavery. It is my belief that Isabel Allende wanted to preserve the dignity of her characters; Zarit'e in particular, while still giving the reader the intimate knowledge of what her life was like, as she experienced fear, pain and humility throughout her enslavement.

I find that the best of stories are the ones that I think of throughout the day, even when not reading the book. This novel had captured my soul and given me the gift of renewed gratitude for what I have, and the ease of my life when compared to what others have lived through. A story that remains with you, and creates your own introspective dialogue is a rare gift. Highly recommended!

Wonderfully portrayed characters add to the story of Haiti in colonial times. It was obvious that this was based on historical facts that had been researched. Some of the scenes were described in brutal detail.

isabel Allende is one of my favourite writers. she is such a great storyteller. South America is a place of so many contrasts and a very different history from Australia. Isabel's life has taken her to many different countries in the region and her background of history and the mystical and deeply religious life of the people of South America gives her books a very interesting twist to the characters she writes about. Much more interesting than reading a history book on the country.I have read at least 4 of her books and thoroughly recommend this one.

A fascinating history lesson about how Haiti was established as a colony of former slaves after being a French "possession." It also covered early New Orleans society. I didn't realize when I started reading the book what would be involved but found the plot and characters completely intriguing.

Learning about the history of Haiti and the immigrants/refugees that were forced to leave the island and escape the ravages of slavery, revolution and war, made the book an interesting ( and hopefully historically accurate) read. While well written and crafted, in the end, It was difficult to really care about the main character. It was only in the monologue that i could stir any emotion for the poor Tèté. Perhaps that was the intention of the writer...to hide the emotional core of the protagonist between a rather detached narration of events.

This is an insightful narration about various levels of deprivation that the African slave was subjected to in the Dominican Republic and New Orleans. The family personalities of both the "owners" and the slaves was made real and heartfelt, permitting us to judge, feel anguish, and assuredly arrive at insightful conclusions. And although this is basically a story of black and white , it made it abundantly clear that there are many shades of gray.

The author excels at this. They may start low, they may serve humbly for decades to protect those they love, but these are not people defeated. They will make allies and wait. They will use and enlarge on any resource or talent they have. All against a wonderful historical backdrop.

While being introduced to all of the characters, you get the feeling that the story will never really begin. However, once you get through that part, it's an amazing story spanning a lifetime of the main character, Tete, from slavery to finally freedom, Haiti to New Orleans. I couldn't put it down!

If you've ever wondered why Haiti has never benefitted from trading with Europe and the US and remains poor and underdeveloped and if you've ever wondered why the Africans who immigrated involuntarily to North America have a strict social skin color code and if you've ever wondered about the role of white women in the subjugation of slaves and if you've never heard of white slaves, this is the book for you.
Beautifully written, strong characters and romances on many levels. We know the author is talented and she really struts her stuff here.
Long and delicious.

A brief History of Haiti and the early culture in New Orleans from the viewpoint of a young Mulatto (do we even use that term today?) woman. She has just enough determination and belief in her loas (gods) to help her choose strength instead of bitterness while learning to perceive the beliefs of others.

This book arrived in great condition and is an excellent read. I wouldn't expect anything less from Isabel Allende. While learning about the history of the first free black republic, you also get drawn in and emotionally attached to the many characters in this book that spans one slave's life.

this book, about slavery in Haiti, the only country to overthrow slavery by uprising, is very readable. A page turner from beginning to end. We read this in my bookgroup, and everybody liked or loved it. I have recommended it to many people who have enjoyed it.
The story starts in Haiti and goes to New Orleans and never lets up.

I have always loved Isabel Allende. Her style of writing is so passionate an intense. Every character that she introduces has such depth an intensity it is hard not to put any of her books down. She is hands down one of the greatest writers I have ever read. This breathtaking epic that goes from France, Haiti to New Orleans captures that era like never before. I live in New Orleans and after I read her book I saw New Orleans in a another light. This is one of her best books next to House of Spirits. I pray that as I develop as a writer I can have a tidbit of her talent and passion.

This was a fabulous book about an incredibly volatile time in the history of French colonization, slavery, and the rising up of the Africans who were brought unwillingly to Saint Domingue (Haiti) to work the sugar plantations. As always, Isabelle Allende's characters draw you in and you become part of their lives. I enjoy history when it is written in great novel style. I loved the book and hated for it to end.

I found this book kind of boring honestly but oddly, the characters are haunting and have stayed with me since I finished the book. A lot of times during the read, I felt like "where is this book going?" And I couldn't wait for it to get over but at the same time, I wanted to finish the book and see how it ended. The test of good fiction for me is did it teach me something? I can't figure out what this book was trying to impart on it's readers.

This novel is superb. It keeps the reader in suspense from beginning to end ..
It is not only exciting but also instructive. Through these lines, I could clear up several points of shadow in the history of my country. It evokes the history, its everyday reality, unbiased allowing the reader to discover a world where real people live and not a caricature of Heroes, Saints victims and executioners. Portaits so often portrayed in the history books of Haiti.
The origin of a mentality, a belief that has marked this nation and still prevailing today.
My only regret is that the book had an end.

Isabel Allende is, in my opinion, one of the most talented writers of our time. "Island Beneath the Sea" is an epic novel of many characters and subplots, but Allende knows how to handle them well. It did take me a little while to get into the book but I'm glad I stuck to it. In addition to learning some of Haiti's history - a country and people that are still regarded as second class citizens - I came to better understand the history of New Orleans. Mostly, though, this is a novel about slavery and the all-consuming quest for freedom.

The one complaint I have is the author's use of the words "blacks" and "Negros" to refer to the slaves. No one wants to read the "N" word over and over but it was this bit of untruth, in addition to some situations and relationships I questioned, that tended to draw me out of the story. Even so, Allende is a masterful storyteller and "Island Beneath the Sea" is worth the read.

My favorite book ever! Everyone I recommend this to loves it. Sometimes I buy it for people as gifts. If you're into books about the antebellum south, slavery, black history, or Caribbean culture, you'll love this. Its the perfect mix of history and fiction. Allende does a phenomenal job!

This story takes place on the island which is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It is an historical novel so we learn about the history of the island. I did not think it measured up her previous novels I have read but it is interesting.

This was a great book; based on the descriptions of the plantations and the characters, I think you got a real sense of the horror and ironic nature of slavery from the Caribbean islands to New Orleans. Great insight into the white world of those regions as well.

I loved this historical novel. I feel it was well researched and balanced, in terms of giving all sides of the story of life in Haiti in the 1700's. I have read almost all of Isabel Allende's novels and have watched her development from a good storyteller to a wonderful novelist who not only tells a wonderful story but weaves a well crafted novel with interesting characters.

I really enjoyed Isabel Allende's novel Island Beneath the Sea... it was based on factual details but provided a wonderful cast of characters with life's difficulties and travesties facing them on a daily basis. It hurts a person who is opposed to slavery to read this novel as it bares the truth in seeing how people were brutalized. Above this drama the characters show emotions that are so well laid out in the novel. I recommend this for a person interested in colonial history in the 18th century and for the appreciation by the author of the lives of her characters.