Allende, Isabel

Aurora del Valle, raised in the privileged class of Chile by her grandmother, is tormented by nightmares and half-memories of events set in San Francisco's Chinatown. Disillusioned in her marriage, Aurora sets out to rediscover the missing years of her early childhood.

A fact-based novel that recounts the life of a national heroine, In?s Suarez, a daring Spanish conquistadora who toiled to build the nation of Chile.

Chilean author Isabel Allende tells her life story, describing the impact of the military coup of 1973, the violent death of her uncle, her move to the U.S., and the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as well as the influence of memory and nostalgia on her novels.