Eva Luna by Isabel Allende (not counting; see ETA)

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ETA (March 22, 2011): I've decided to no longer "count" this author as a person of colour, sparked by the discussion in this post - http://community.livejournal.com/50books_poc/213467.html.

5. Eva Luna by Isabel Allende

I've found with this challenge that I'm getting around to reading books I've been meaning to read. As with the authors from my first batch, Isabel Allende's reputation preceded her plus this book got a personal recommendation from a friend of mine as opposed to a mention from an article as usually happens with books I read.

This book was such a page-turner. The title/main character is incredibly likeable despite her flaws and sometimes questionable life choices. She's a storyteller and narrates most of the book, which is meant to be a novel but sometimes reads like a series of connected short stories what with all the backstories for certain characters. That isn't to say the main story suffers because all these other stories really add to the main one and enhance it. And I certainly got a feel for the author's version of South America. Not sure how authentic it is but it was incredibly vivid and a bit fantastical, which I guess is how magic realism should be.

The book was eye-opening too in that it gave me a better understanding of Latin/South American society/history/culture. And its exploration of the role of women in that context was also an experience. This was a thought-provoking book but also an entertaining read. I would definitely recommend this book and I would really like to read more of the author's work.