Island Beneath the Sea: A Novel Audiobook

" This was an intense book. A story of Haiti's roots in the 18th century, interwoven with the political happenings of the time. But most of all, it is a story of a mother whose essence of life is her children. "

" I like the literary myticism of Latin American writers. Although this was more historical fiction it still had the feel of the mystical. "

" I'm so glad I forced myself past the first half of this book, where it felt like absolutely nothing was happening, to the second half- which was like it was written by a whole different person. The writing, always beautiful, seemed to finally mesh with the characters to make things happen, and the end by far saved the beginning. All in all, I give it a 3/5. "

" I wanted to enjoy this book, but was quickly turned off by graphic scenes of sexual acts. "

" I'm sure this is a great book, but I read it during 16 hours in the air, so it unfortunately became "airplane book" rather than "literature." Really, no matter how good a book is, at about hour 8 it becomes about "please let those last 50 pages somehow have taken 2 hours to read" rather than about any interesting or compelling literary, informative, or political aspects. "

" Absolutely loved this book;great story and historical perspective. Allende has an amazing skill to make you feel like you know each one intimately. "

" A little anticlimactic - but the character Tete is wonderful. As is the 'villainy' of Valmorain... "

" As always, enchanting, provoking, and with some really interesting history thrown in. "

" I enjoyed reading a historical novel about Haiti. It was thought provoking as i look at the current situation in Haiti. "

" For the longest time, could not tell if this book was fiction or nonfiction. "

" A masterpiece that spans the live of a slave and her master over several decades in the 17th century. This is a rare historical fictitious tale that will have the reader riveted from page 1 and would highly recommend it to anyone whom is interested in this genre. "

" Very sweet book. Not the ending I wanted though! "

" Timeless portrait of vanities, foibles & other interesting assorted human hang-ups. "

" Loved it. Allende has a magical way of writing. "

" I kept looking for the other worldliness of Allende's books and never found it. It is an interesting history of Haiti and her people....it's dry. "

" Beautiful, like all of Allende's books and well worth a rereading. "

" Listened to the audiobook, and would highly recommend it. "

" So good i didn't want it to end! "

" not complicated, but a good read "

" Not as good as some of Allende's other books (Zorros, Daughter of Fortune), but still a rich story. "

" What a beautiful book. It was difficult to understand where it was going initially, but it was worth the wait. "

" Fascinating and haunting. I will never look at my sugar bowl the same again. Eye opener on race relations of the era. "

" Lovely story and good history about Haiti and New Orleans circa 1800. "

" loved it but it dragged a little mid-way "

" Per usual for Allende, interesting characters, good historical research, parts were hard to read and made me think. I enjoyed it. "

" an amazing book, full of rich characters. "

" I was an early Allende fan but now it seems she is always telling the same story using different settings and characters. This time it's New Orleans via Saint-Domingue. Slavery was a bad idea, but we already knew that. "

" Good historical fiction regarding slavery, however, it was a little slow in places "

" Her best ever! An historical fiction about the Dominican Republic. "

" About Haiti and New Orleans in the 1800s with slavery, plantation owners, rebels and the Napoleon all wrapped up in a tight story that was a joy to read "

" I like books where you get a story and you get to learn some history. i learned a lot about Haiti. "

" A rich history of Saint Dominques when ruled by Spain, France, then no one but the uprising of the slaves. A look into the life through slaves, freedom, onto New Orleans and the same there. All done with Allende's magical prose. "

" a soaring tale of life in Haiti in 1790-1800 during the revolt of the slaves. The main character - a young slave - is amazing. Loved the history, horrified by the treatment of the slaves, loved the well developed characters. "

" I learned a lot about slavery in Haiti and the United States. A must read. "