Starting over on a new continent, they face trial after trial, but they will also find joy as they patiently await the day when they might go home.

Together with two thousand other refugees, Roser and Victor embark on the SS Winnipeg, a ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda, to Chile: “the long petal of sea and wine and snow.” As unlikely partners, the couple embraces exile as the rest of Europe erupts in world war. In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage neither of them desires. Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love. 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. In the late 1930s, civil war grips Spain. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Esquire Also, don’t forget to read my book recommendations below the questions! For these reasons and many more, I deeply recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in historical fiction, love stories, and the journey of hope and belonging.īelow you will find my discussion guide for A Long Petal of the Sea, the detailed synopsis of the book, as well as fifteen book club questions you can use with your book clubs.

USA Today called it a page-turning story rich with history and surprising subplots that keeps the novel unpredictable to the end, and also a reminder that these issues are made up of individuals and their love stories. The novel has also been praised for its relevance to current issues of war, displacement, and the immigrant experience. It has also been named one of the best books of the year by various publications. The novel has received positive reviews, with The New York Times Book Review praising it as one of the most richly imagined portrayals of the Spanish Civil War to date and one of the strongest and most affecting works in Allende’s long career. The novel is set in the late 1930s and spans several years, following the couple as they navigate their new lives in exile and their hope of returning home. Book club questions for “ A Long Petal of the Sea” by Isabel Allende explore the themes of hope, exile, and belonging through the story of two characters, Roser and Victor, who are forced to flee Spain during the civil war and embark on a journey to Chile.

A long petal of the sea