INÉS OF MY SOUL

Isabel Allende has crafted a compelling saga that adds to her repertoire of master storytelling. Blair Brown’s impeccable performance brings Allende’s eloquent prose to life, expressing the innermost thoughts of Inés Suarez, who is dictating her memoir. Inés reflects on her incredible journey from Spain to the founding of Santiago in the 1540s. With Pedro Valdivia, the first gobernador of the kingdom, Inés witnesses the cruelty and barbarism of the Spanish conquistadors and the native Chileans. The atrocities and brutality of the conquest are not spared in the narration, and some descriptions are not for the fainthearted. Brown’s pronunciations and accents provide authenticity to the production, but it is her talent that brings the listener into the heart of the story. The Spanish music at the beginning and close of each CD lends additional style. L.D.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 07]