Rikkie Degenaar Book order (chronological)

One extraordinary woman. One hundred years of history. One unforgettable story. Violeta comes into the world on a stormy day in 1920, the first daughter in a family of five boisterous sons. From the start, her life is marked by extraordinary events. The ripples of the Great War are still being felt, even as the Spanish flu arrives on the shores of her South American homeland almost at the moment of her birth. Told in the form of a letter to someone Violeta loves above all others, this is the story of a hundred-year life - of devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy. Bearing witness to a century of history, it is a life shaped by the fight for women's rights, the rise and fall of tyrants and, ultimately, not one but two pandemics. Through the eyes of a woman whose unforgettable passion, determination and sense of humour will carry her through a lifetime of upheaval, Isabel Allende once more brings us an epic that is both fiercely inspiring and deeply emotional.

From the New York Times bestselling author comes a passionate meditation on womanhood. Isabel Allende begins by recalling her childhood, where she witnessed her mother, abandoned and voiceless, support three children. This experience ignited her fierce determination to fight for the life her mother couldn't have. As she matured in the late 1960s, Allende embraced the second wave of feminism, finding a sense of belonging among female journalists who boldly addressed women's issues. Throughout her life, she has witnessed the movement's achievements and navigated three passionate marriages, learning to grow alongside a partner, recognize when to step away, and embrace her sexuality. Allende reflects on what nourishes the souls of feminists and all women today: safety, value, peace, resources, connection, bodily autonomy, and love. Despite progress, she acknowledges that much work remains. Through her words, she hopes to inspire future generations, urging them to continue the fight for equality and empowerment, just as previous generations have done for them. This book serves as a beacon for daughters and granddaughters, encouraging them to carry on the essential work still ahead.

Internationally bestselling author of The Japanese Lover Isabel Allende returns with a beautifully crafted, multi-generational novel of struggle, endurance and friendship against the odds

Een alternatief therapeute en haar dochter krijgen te maken met enkele samenhangende moorden in San Francisco.

In the late 1930s, civil war gripped Spain. When General Franco and his Fascists succeed in overthrowing the government, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee in a treacherous journey over the mountains to the French border. Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life irreversibly intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love. In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage neither of them wants, and together are sponsored by poet Pablo Neruda to embark on the SS Winnipeg along with 2,200 other refugees in search of a new life. As unlikely partners, they embrace exile and emigrate to Chile as the rest of Europe erupts in World War. Starting over on a new continent, their trials are just beginning. Over the course of their lives, they will face test after test. But they will also find joy as they wait patiently for a day when they are exiles no more, and will find friends in the most unlikely of places. Through it all, it is that hope of being reunited with their home that keeps them going. And in the end, they will find that home might have been closer than they thought all along.

Alcuni hanno visto sparire amici e parenti, altri hanno saggiato gli artigli delle sevizie nelle carni, altri ancora hanno finto improvvise amnesie per salvarsi: chi ha vissuto nell’Argentina funestata dalla dittatura sa bene che la frattura tra passato e presente, tra ragione e immaginazione, è difficile da sanare. Come Laura, la protagonista della vicenda che dà il titolo a questa raccolta di racconti: l’incontro casuale con il suo aguzzino ventisei anni dopo la prigionia la getta nell’angoscia, ma quando scopre che adesso è lei a fargli paura, riesce finalmente ad affrontare i sensi di colpa e i fantasmi della memoria. O come Gabi, che aspetta ansiosa le lettere del suo fratello gemello, fuggito o desaparecido, senza rinunciare alla speranza. Spesso in queste storie, dopo tanta angoscia e incertezza, si schiude la possibilità di un riscatto e di un nuovo inizio. Può nascere dalla dolorosa accettazione di un amore mai sopito per un uomo terribile; da un incontro fortuito in treno che permette di riappropriarsi di un’identità rubata; dal pentimento di una sequestratrice, generato dall’affetto per la bambina rapita.

Spanning four decades, this book is the moving story of one woman′s determination to find love amid loss, to offer humanity though her own has been so battered, and to forge her own identity in the cruellest of circumstances.

Narrated with warmth, humor, exceptional candor and wisdom, The Sum of Our Days is a portrait of a contemporary family, tied together by the love, strong will, and stubborn determination of a beloved matriarch, the indomitable New York Times bestselling author of The House of the Spirits , Isabel Allende. "An inspiring and thought-provoking work." – Denver Post Isabel Allende reconstructs the painful reality of her own life in the wake of the tragic death of her daughter, Paula. Narrated with warmth, humor, exceptional candor, and wisdom, this remarkable memoir is as exuberant and as full of life as its creator. Allende bares her soul while sharing her thoughts on love, marriage, motherhood, spirituality and religion, infidelity, addiction, and memory—and recounts stories of the wildly eccentric, strong-minded, and eclectic tribe she gathers around her and lovingly embraces as a new kind of family.

An epic tale of love and conquest, lyrically written and enchantingly told by a writer at the peak of her powers. A real historical figure, Ines Suarez came to Chile with the Conquistadors in 1540, helping to claim the territory for Spain and to found the first Spanish settlement in Santiago. In this remarkable novel, Isabel Allende -- one of the world's most spellbinding storytellers -- re-imagines Ines's life and that of the two men who become her lover and husband respectively. 'Ines of My Soul' evokes the conflict and drama of the Conquistadors' arrival in Chile, as well as helping restore the reputation of Ines, a powerful woman long neglected by history and a patriarchal society. It also finds Allende returning to territory beloved of her and her readers -- imaginative historical fiction, evocatively told -- and to the familiar landscape of her native country. The novel gives Ines the recognition and glory that are rightfully hers; but more than that it is an epic tale of love and conquest, lyrically written and enchantingly told by a writer at the peak of her powers.

Als privé-detective Ricardo Cupido de opdracht krijgt om de moordenaar van de Madrileense schilderes Gloria te vinden, raakt hij volkomen in de ban van deze vrouw, die op iedereen een onuitwisbare indruk maakte. Het lijkt er aanvankelijk op dat de moordenaar een bekende moet zijn geweest, iemand die het niet kon verkroppen dat Gloria zo gesteld was op haar onafhankelijkheid. Maar deze veronderstelling vervalt als een tweede vrouw op precies dezelfde wijze wordt vermoord - in hetzelfde natuurgebied. Alles wijst er nu op dat een of andere gek aan het moorden is geslagen.