Island Beneath the Sea

A Novel

By: Isabel Allende

Narrated by: S. Epatha Merkerson

Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Born a slave on the island of Saint-Domingue, Zarit - known as Tt - is the daughter of an African mother she never knew and one of the white sailors who brought her into bondage. Though her childhood is one of brutality and fear, Tt finds solace in the traditional rhythms of African drums and in the voodoo loas she discovers through her fellow slaves.

When 20-year-old Toulouse Valmorain arrives on the island in 1770, its with powdered wigs in his baggage and dreams of financial success in his mind. But running his fathers plantation, Saint Lazare, is neither glamorous nor easy. It will be eight years before he brings home a bride - but marriage, too, proves more difficult than he imagined. And Valmorain remains dependent on the services of his teenaged slave.

Spanning four decades, Island Beneath the Sea is the moving story of the intertwined lives of Tt and Valmorain, and of one woman's determination to find love amid loss, to offer humanity though her own has been battered, and to forge her own identity in the cruellest of circumstances.

©2010 Isabel Allende (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"In a many-faceted plot, Allende animates irresistible characters authentic in their emotional turmoil and pragmatic adaptability. She also captures the racial, sexual, and entrepreneurial dynamics of each society in sensuous detail while masterfully dramatizing the psychic wounds of slavery. Sexually explicit, Allende is grace incarnate in her evocations of the spiritual energy that still sustains the beleaguered people of Haiti and New Orleans." ( Booklist)

Enjoyable Read

I have to agree that halfway through the book I wasn't sure I was going to finish it. It started out strong, but I got lost somewhere through the confusion of the politics in the Caribbean. However, I was so interested to find out if Tete would ever see her Gambo again and if she would ever find out what happened to her first son that I kept on going and was very happy that I did. A wonderful story, beautifully written.

Couldn't put it down!

As usual, no disappointment here. Terribly compelling, historically informative and beautifully told! The narrator reads beautifully! My only disappointment is that it's over.

Another amazing story from Allende

It may have been easier to read than listen due to the French names and some sounding similar, but other than that she captured me from the beginning!

As always with Allende, a masterpiece

I was not enthralled as quickly with this book as I was with “Eva Luna” or “The House of Spirits”, but I grew to love it just as much. Once in a while there’s a character I wish was real and Zarité is one of them.

AMAZING Story

what an amazing storyteller, could not wait to hear it all. I am sure this was a true story for so many who suffered, my heart goes out to those souls.

Humanity and Inhumanity

A fascinating view into slavery layers, nuances, so personal. Reader needs better Spanish pronunciation.

Too violent

I liked the overall book however it was very violent at times. The author did her thorough research about the history of Haiti, however, I was uncomfortable with parts of the story.

Isabel Allende never disappoints

I have loved everything I have ever ready by Isabel Allende. I wish Audible had more of her work in audio form. S. Epatha Merkerson was wonderful as the narrator. Like all Allende's story her beautifully strong and enduring female characters are the stars of the story. Truly an artist.

Outstanding! Typical Isabel Allende.

What did you love best about Island Beneath the Sea?

Historically plausible, in this case meaning brutal.

What other book might you compare Island Beneath the Sea to and why?

Another of her books, Zorro. But Zorro had a lot of light-hearted chapters, whereas there is nothing light-hearted about the treatment of Haitian slaves by the French in the 1700's.

Fantastic window into Haitian history and beyond

This book carried me away to another time and other cultures

I will never forget it

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