"Writing has defined me.... It's the lens through which I examine my presence in the world," opens Story Telling: A Writing Life. Isabel Allende (The House of the Spirits; My Name Is Emilia del Valle) has written roughly 30 books in her career and is read in more than 40 languages, but Story Telling is a singular addition to her oeuvre. Both a memoir and meditation on her writing life, this 11-part work outlines how she approaches her novels, her techniques, and the lessons she has learned about writing.
Story Telling, importantly, is neither a how-to guide nor lessons on how to create a bestselling novel. Rather, Allende is considering the power of words in society and as connections between people. Every chapter reads like a master class on studying one aspect of her writing process, demonstrating again and again the intimate care that goes into crafting a story. Wisdom on learning, on editing, and even on being willing to discard precious words abounds.
Story Telling is an impassioned defense of the labor and the art of writing, of recording the world as it could be as well as the horrors with it. Allende discusses how research underpins fiction and how writing has called her to scrutinize the world closely from many angles. Allende says: "Stories play a fundamental role in our lives and in society. They shape our reality, they define us as individuals: who we are, what we do, how we relate to each other, the ideas we have of ourselves and that others have of us." --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer