Latin American fiction?

[SantanaLopez]

I swear I just posted this and it's disappeared, sorry if you see this somewhere else.

I've recently (re)read Love in the Time of Cholera and Like Water for Chocolate. I love One Hundred Days of Solitude.

Any other recommendations?

Isabel Allende's novels?

I like the short stories of Mario Vargas Llosa.
Neruda's poems really are great in Spanish (not sure how they translate, though). Similar for Octavio Paz.

Ernesto Sabato is maybe an acquired taste, but I did finish the books I've read by him.

I managed one short volume by Roberto Bolano but am not sure I would tackle another.

This book was a best seller & written by an old family friend. It is a good read in English.

I've just read Severina by Rodrigo Rey Rosa, a Gautemalan writer. I'd not come across him before, but having recently read some Gabriel Garcia Marquez novels I thought I'd try it. Quite short, more of a novella, but enjoyable.

I second Isabelle Allende - House of The Spirits.

Isabelle Allende is great - her kids novels are great too.

It's not books of stories - but check out Pablo Neruda too - poet, and he makes me cry!

Francisco Goldman is good too - The Long Night Of White Chickens.

I read it in Guatemala and it was pretty much perfect!

Allende
Borges

Thanks

Allende gets another vote from me.

Goldman's book (non fiction) Who Killed Bishop Gerardi is fantastic.

I might just have to order The Long Night of White Chickens from the library.

Borges, definitely.

Manueline Puig, Kiss of the Spiderwoman

Which Allende do you all recommend to start with please?

I recommend House of the Spirits. I read it exactly 20 years ago! I must re-read.

Try the Maqroll el Gaviero books by Alvaro Mutis. They're not magic realist but very good reads all the same.

Louis de Berniere's magic realism series (of 3) is amazing! Features The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman. My favourite books of all time. Before he got all popular with Captain Corelli.

Lilly - was just a out suggest the de Bernieres books. They are brilliant. Señor Vivo and the Coco Lord was my favourite. It made me laugh so hard even though there were such terrible things going on.

Allende's non-fiction = excellent. 'Paula' is sublime but her one about Chile is good too, 'My Invented Country.' Her novels are okay but a bit samey - House of Spirits one of the better ones,