A Swashbuckling Read
Just finished Isabel Allende's most recent novel, Zorro. Wow. What a joyous ride. Allende's story-telling skills are as sharp as ever. She has a way of taking each novel she writes and finding the right voice and style.

As one of the voices of magical realism, her first- and still greatest- novel, House of the Spirits made her a well-deserved fame. She uses magical realism differently in this book. It's the magic of Alta California and the pain of Napoleon-controlled Barcelona in the early 19th century. It's the magic of Native American spirituality, New Orleans voodoo and the justice-based underground of Spain in that era.

As usual, her story and narrative lets you forget that you are witnessing these magical events. It reads like you would expect a Zorro novel to read- entertaining and swashbuckling. Then you get to the end and you realize you have been part of the magic. You have seen and experienced many new and unique insights into life. You are grateful for it and again are reminded of the power of words in the hands of a skillful artisan.