Ines of My Soul: A Novel

A passionate tale of love, freedom, and conquest from the New York Times bestselling author of The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende.

Born into a poor family in Spain, Inés Suárez, finds herself condemned to a life of poverty without opportunity as a lowly seamstress. But it's the sixteenth century, the beginning of the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Struck by the same restless hope and opportunism, Inés uses her shiftless husband's disappearance to Peru as an excuse to embark on her own adventure. After learning of her husband's death in battle, she meets the fiery war hero, Pedro de Valdivia and begins a love that not only changes her life but the course of history.

Based on the real historical events that founded Chile, Allende takes us on a whirlwind adventure of love and loss seen through the eyes of a daring, complicated woman who fought for freedom.  

Born into a poor family in Spain, Inés, a seamstress, finds herself condemned to a life of hard work without reward or hope for the future. It is the sixteenth century, the beginning of the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and when her shiftless husband disappears to the New World, Inés uses the opportunity to search for him as an excuse to flee her stifling homeland and seek adventure. After her treacherous journey takes her to Peru, she learns that her husband has died in battle. Soon she begins a fiery love affair with a man who will change the course of her life: Pedro de Valdivia, war hero and field marshal to the famed Francisco Pizarro.

Valdivia's dream is to succeed where other Spaniards have failed: to become the conquerer of Chile. The natives of Chile are fearsome warriors, and the land is rumored to be barren of gold, but this suits Valdivia, who seeks only honor and glory. Together the lovers Inés Suárez and Pedro de Valdivia will build the new city of Santiago, and they will wage a bloody, ruthless war against the indigenous Chileans—the fierce local Indians led by the chief Michimalonko, and the even fiercer Mapuche from the south. The horrific struggle will change them forever, pulling each of them toward their separate destinies.

Inés of My Soul is a work of breathtaking scope: meticulously researched, it engagingly dramatizes the known events of Inés Suárez's life, crafting them into a novel full of the narrative brilliance and passion readers have come to expect from Isabel Allende.

“Wonderfully crafted . . . Allende gives Zorro the feel of a folk or fairy tale with her ability to draw readers in, hold their attention and keep the story moving at an exciting pace.” - USA Today

“A master storyteller.” - San Francisco Chronicle

“Allende projects a woman’s point of view with confidence, control, and an expansive definition of romance as a fact of life.” - Time magazine

“Allende is a genius.” - Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Vivid and convincing….” - Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post

“Meticulously researched.” - Library Journal

“A powerfully evocative narrative...Allende is at her best here.” - Newsweek

“Solid and well-constructed...Ines is rescued by Allende from history’s dust bin.” - San Francisco Chronicle

“Might be Allende’s best novel, better even than THE HOUSE OF SPIRITS.” - Boston Globe

“Allende has given [Ines] an instantly appealing voice...even the most unpliable reader will be hooked.” - Minneapolis Star Tribune

“A thourough and unflinching account…Allende...keeps the pages turning. It’s a joy to see Ines triumph.” - Rocky Mountain News

“Allende is a master storyteller at the peak of her powers, as she demonstrates in her latest novel.” - Los Angeles Times

“Allende crafts a swift, thrilling epic, packed with fierce battles and passionate romance.” - Publishers Weekly

“Brilliant…A beautifully crafted work by one of the finest writers of our time.” - Providence Journal

“Vivid…Allende’s reach is broad…Allende succeeds in resurrecting a woman from history and endowing her with the gravitas of a hero.” - New York Times Book Review

“Allende’s imagination delivers the enchantment. . . . This is one work Allende fans should not miss.” - Miami Herald

“Compelling...a complex and truly rich tale” - Baltimore Sun

“Well-grounded...As always, Allende focuses on the story.” - Atlantic Monthly

“Allende excels at immersing her readers in the sights, sounds, smells and even flavors of an era. . . . Allende is a voluptuously visceral novelist. . . . Ines Suarez was a woman of great power, and Isabel Allende has honored her with an equally powerful novel ” - Sunday Oregonian

“Allende is a master storyteller at the peak of her powers, as she demonstrates in her latest novel . . . we must remind ourselves, over and over again, that it is Isabel Allende and not Ines Suarez who put these words to paper.” - Los Angeles Times

“Allende always delivers. This time it’s with an enchanting historical fiction about Chile.” - American Way

“Allende…has written her surest work since THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS.” - USA Today

“engrossing…Fans of Allende’s earlier novels will…find enjoyment in INES OF MY SOUL.” - Christian Science Monitor

“earthy and ironic.” - New York Times

“A colorful and clear-eyed portrait of a woman and a country. . . . Allende creates a riveting journey through a disturbing chapter of South American history.” - Chicago Sun-Times

“Riveting...A colorful and clear-eyed portrait...Suarez’s story is so fabulous and life-affirming…that it simply captivates” - Chicago Sun-Times

“Thrilling epic...the memoir she ascribes to Ines promotes a more democratic view of how the New World was settled.” - Philadelphia Inquirer

“Thoroughly researched…a colorful, entertaining tale of the hardscrabble adventures and desperate deeds of some of our hemisphere’s first Europeans” - Elle

“Ines of My Soul is a powerful novel...[Ines] is, in Allende’s skilled hands, a wholly human character.” - Charlotte Observer

“An elegant work of historical fiction.” - Wichita Eagle

“Ines of My Soul is an absorbing and illuminating book.” - The Globe and Mail

“Surely one of the most graceful and yet haunting writers alive.” - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Possesses the eyes, ears, mind, heart and pluck to manufacture generous and feisty fiction.” - Miami Herald

“Allende’s keen intelligence and lively prose keep readers wishing for more.” - San Diego Union-Tribune

“Fiction about the conquistador experience…can’t possibly get better” - Booklist (starred review)