- Hardcover: 390 pages
- Publisher: Us Imports; First Edition edition (3 May 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060778970
- ISBN-13: 978-0060778972
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.5 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,718,641 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
If admirers of the exquisitely talented novelist Isabel Allende had to pick the least likely subject for a novel by her, it would probably be the swashbuckling yarn Zorro. But that's exactly what Allende has tackled, and with her first adult novel since 2001’s Portrait in Sepia--and the result (against all the odds) is a conspicuous success.
It is, after all, something of a surprise that Allende proves herself so adept at a novel chronicling the adventures of this masked superhero figure of the old world. In such books as her signature novel The House of the Spirits, the author's territory has been the careful and insightful delineation of human character against richly atmospheric settings. Swashbuckling adventure has hardly been her metiér, but in some ways Zorro proves to be a more successful resurrection of the much-loved tale than the rather self-conscious Antonio Banderas movie incarnation.
Diego de la Vega is a man caught between two societies: he inherits his aristocratic background from his Spanish father, a high-ranking military officer who has become a landowner. His mother, however was a Shosone Indian, and it is from his Indian grandmother that he absorbs Indian ways, while achieving the unparalleled swordsmanship skills of his father. As his country suffers under the yoke of Napoleon's autocratic rule, Diego becomes a member of la Justicia, an underground movement dedicated to the overthrow of the tyrant. He then finds himself called upon to use his warrior skills to deliver those around him--and to confront a deadly rival.
Of necessity, the character drawing here has to be on a larger scale than we are used to from Allende, but she is still able to freight much of her subtle observation into the colourful canvas that is Zorro. Will her long-time admirers be able to accept such a radical change of pace from the author of The House of the Spirits? If they can't, they are doing themselves a disservice--and those addicted to novels of high adventure can add a new title to their lists.--Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
Review
'Beautiful and disturbing and profound!told in Allende's characteristically dizzying style.' Guardian 'Heroism doesn't come more mysterious or more dashing!Pacy and atmospheric, this is a tale of love, rivalry and the pursuit of justice.' Mail on Sunday 'The swashbuckling Zorro takes on new life in Allende's saga!never less than entertaining.' Sunday Times 'Isabel Allende leaves few swashes unbuckled as she gives Diego's saga a smooth, limpid flow. Highly entertaining.' Independent
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An engaging and interesting read,
By
This review is from: Zorro (Paperback)
I found the book to be full of wry humour and a very accomplished imagining of Zorro's past, particularly in the way in which the progress of Diego towards becoming a 'hero' reflected a building up, layer by layer, of characteristics and experiences.
In terms of absent characterisation, it is perhaps the case that Bernardo and his beloved are not layered with the same complexity as Diego and Isabel, but I saw this as reflecting their less tension-ridden characters. My main criticism of the book would probably be that at times some of the layering of experiences to fit his later role in life seemed a little forced. However, this book has to be seen more as a narrative of his development into Zorro than as a 'fly-on-the-wall' style account of his life. Ultimately, I found the novel to be engaging, touching and exciting.
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Swashbuckling Read - This ZORRO Is Better Than The Legend!,
By
This review is from: Zorro (Hardcover)
Historically, whenever and wherever oppression exists, the people who are subject to it look for a heroic figure to defend them and to punish their persecutors. Such a paladin was Robin Hood, another is the legendary Zorro. One of my favorite authors, Isabel Allende, has reached deep into her ample well of talent and brought forth a hero who is more human than demigod. She has breathed fresh life into the Zorro of myth, and gifted him with a heart, a soul, a good mind, an indomitable spirit and human fallibilities. This beautifully told tale of adventure and classical romance is chock-full of swashbuckling swordplay, ocean voyages, pirate attacks, Native American lore and rites, detailed fencing episodes, social injustice, secret underground societies, evil villains, duels at dawn, damsels in distress, unrequited love, gypsy camps, noble drawing rooms, drama, rollicking humor, vivid characters, tremendous energy...and so much more. The story's narrator is even a mystery person whose identity is not revealed until the conclusion. Ms. Allende's "Zorro" is a glorious literary adventure which will provide hours of entertainment for young and old alike. Don Diego de la Vega was born in Alto California at the end of the 18th century to a Spanish aristocrat, and the daughter of a Shoshone shaman and a Hispanic soldier turned deserter. Diego is raised alongside Bernardo, the son of his Indian wet nurse, and the two milk brothers remain inseparable throughout their lives. Although born into privilege, Diego becomes aware of social injustice at a very early age because of his mestizo blood and his bonds of friendship and brotherhood with Bernardo. European settlers continually perpetrate acts of violence against the Native American population and the two boys are helpless to come to the defense of their people. The two receive a multi-faceted education. The Shoshone teach them how to hunt and fight like Indian braves. White Owl, the shaman and Diego's grandmother, instructs them in indigenous lore, sends them on individual quests for a vision and their totems, and brings them through the rites of manhood. After a fox saves Diego's life, the small animal, el zorro, becomes his totem. White Owl tells him, "Zorro is your totemic animal, your spiritual guide. . . . You must cultivate its skill, its cleverness, its intelligence." Don Alejandro de la Vega gives his son lessons appropriate to a young Spanish grandee, including fencing, and instructs him about all things necessary to run their enormous rancho. Whatever Diego is taught, he passes on to Bernardo. The first part of the novel is about life and politics in California, Mexico, and Europe during the Napoleonic Wars, along with vignettes of the events and traumas which touch and effect the lives of the boys, and their families, as they move into adolescence. Diego is sent to Barcelona to receive a noble's education, like that of his Spanish ancestors. Bernardo accompanies him, as a servant, even though he is no such thing. They stay with a close friend of de la Vega's, a Francophile, Tomas de Romeu, who has two daughters, the beautiful Juliana, and the spunky, younger, cross-eyed Isabel. The girls and their duena Nuria, are to play important roles in this tale. All of Spain is under Napoleon's control and the Spanish are rebelling. Guerilla fighters attack the French forces everywhere. Meanwhile, Diego enrolls in the School of Humanities, and is mentored by the famous fencing master, Maestro Manuel Escalante, who literally wrote the definitive manual on the art of swordplay. Escalante recruits Diego into the secret society, Justicia, whose members' are pledged, "To seek justice, nourish the hungry, clothe the naked, protect widows and orphans, give shelter to the stranger and never spill innocent blood." It is in Barcelona that the revolutionary character Zorro is born. The novel's final chapters deal with the return of Diego, Bernardo, their traveling companions, and Zorro. And in Alto California, Zorro confronts his enemies at last, the homegrown kind and those who have pursued him from abroad. As always, Isabel Allende's narrative is a delight to read. Her descriptive passages bring to life the local color, sounds and smells of Indian villages, the hacienda, the California countryside, Barcelona, gypsy camps, the sea, and a pirates' island. Her characters brim with life. "Zorro: A Novel" is better than the stuff of legend and a book I highly recommend for an adventure-packed read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, if not a masterpiece,
By
This review is from: Zorro (Paperback)
Having loved House of the Spirits, and been disappointed by City of the Beasts, Zorro comes somewhere in between. Firstly, this is no literary masterpiece - it is a picaresque 'voyage and return' romp that shows how Zorro came into existence, enjoyable without being particularly challenging.
Allende has clearly done her research, and is like a kid in a sweetshop when presented with all the opportunities of the period. As she says in the 'PS' section at the back: "It was the time of the Napoleonic wars, the wars of independence in America, the pirates of the Caribbean, the secret societies, the new discoveries in science and the exploration of the world." Perhaps she tries to cram in too many of these in crafting her tale, while being too 'knowing' as a narrator to fully dive in (there are postmodern asides to the reader about the epic narrative). The fights are not particularly excitingly described, and over with quickly, while in getting through so many events no time is left to build a lasting tension. What is refreshing is the female perspective she brings to the story, which features some strong female characters and a feminine view of Zorro's egotism without losing the appeal of the hero. In short, worth reading for light relief and an interesting peek into the world in the early 19th century, but don't expect literature or high tension.
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