Of love and shadows

In Isabel Allende's own words, *Of Love and Shadows* "is the story of a woman and a man who loved each other to the full, thereby escaping an ordinary tale. I have carried it in my memory, taking care that time would not wear it away, and only now can I finally tell it. I will do so for them, and for others who entrusted me with their lives so that the wind would not erase them..." Written during her exile in Venezuela, the love between Irene and Francisco is a passionate plea in defense of faith in human freedom and dignity. It was Allende's second great success after *The House of the Spirits.*