Island Beneath the Sea: A Novel

By Isabel Allende

The New York Times bestselling author of The House of the Spirits and A Long Petal of the Sea tells the story of one unforgettable woman—a slave and concubine determined to take control of her own destiny—in this sweeping historical novel that moves from the sugar plantations of Saint-Domingue to the lavish parlors of New Orleans at the turn of the 19th century 

“Allende is a master storyteller at the peak of her powers.”—Los Angeles Times

The daughter of an African mother she never knew and a white sailor, Zarité—known as Tété—was born a slave on the island of Saint-Domingue. Growing up amid brutality and fear, Tété found solace in the traditional rhythms of African drums and the mysteries of voodoo.

Her life changes when twenty-year-old Toulouse Valmorain arrives on the island in 1770 to run his father’s plantation, Saint Lazare. Overwhelmed by the challenges of his responsibilities and trapped in a painful marriage, Valmorain turns to his teenaged slave Tété, who becomes his most important confidant. The indelible bond they share will connect them across four tumultuous decades and ultimately define their lives. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jun 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9780063049642

Isabel Allende

Born in Peru and raised in Chile, Isabel Allende is the author of nine novels, including Inès of My Soul,Daughter of Fortune, and Portrait in Sepia. She has also written a collection of stories, four memoirs, and a trilogy of children's novels. Her books have been translated into more than twenty-seven languages and have become bestsellers across four continents. In 2004 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Isabel Allende lives in California.

Reviews for Island Beneath the Sea

[pegswaney · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

story of slaves in St. Dominica and Haiti. House slave that saved master and son. Free black cortesan also throughout the story.

[joanne53 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great story on the history of slavery on the plantations in Haiti and in the Louisiana Territory in the late 18th century by one of my favorite authors.

[schmechi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Allende erzählt die Geschichte der schwarzen Sklavin Zarité und ihrem Streben nach Freiheit. Allende hat einen wunderbaren Roman geschaffen, der sich neben ihren bekannteren Werken keineswegs zu verstecken braucht. Allende erzählt eine große (Familien-)geschichte mit liebevoll in Szene gesetzten Hauptfiguren, blumigen Situationsbeschreibungen und einem äußerst fesselnden Handlungsstrang. Auch wenn Allende jedes Klischee bedient, driftet der Roman nie ins Kitschige oder Banale ab.Nebenbei bringt Allende den Lesern auch die überaus spannende Geschichte der Karibik im ausgehenden 18. Jahrhundert und im beginnenden 19. Jahrhundert näher. So erleben die Hauptfiguren die Sklavenaufstände in der französischen Kolonie Saint-Domingue, die haitianische Revolution, den Louisiana-Purchase und die Staatswerdung der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika.

[carolee888 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I know that I am definitely in the minority when rating this audio book. I liked it better than The Japanese Lover but not enough to read more of what Isabel Allende has written. This audio book had a different reader, S. Epatha Merkelson and I think that she did much better. What did I not like about this story? The style just got on my nerves. I usually love historical fiction but the writing style made it difficult for me to plow through those 14 CDs. Her voice seemed too impersonal for me. Also, the content included more sexually explicit scenes than I am used to. What I did like is historically correct stories of slavery and customs in Haiti and Louisiana. Before listening to this book, I was unaware of the Code Noir that was adopted in Louisiana. I was ignorant of the code put out by France. In some ways it was a kinder slavery than in the other states but it was still evil slavery. I also liked the information of the slave uprisings in Haiti and learning about some of the African customs. I did learn more history but I would prefer the experience of slavery being told with more passion and fervor and less physically explicit.

[alliebadger · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully written story that is crafted superbly. I love Allende and was pleased to discover that while this novel does encompass the full life story of every character in the book, it didn't lose focus (like some of her other books occasionally do). I would have given it five stars except for one aspect of the ending. I get it, I just didn't care for it. Otherwise, definitely an engrossing and sweeping tale.

[hemlokgang · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Very disappointed! It was like sitting through a boring history lesson. The lack of depth to the characters seemed so unlike what I expect in a novel by Allende, and overall it felt pedantic.

[mamzel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Zarité (Tété) was a mulatto who was sold to a Frenchman in Saint-Domingue at the age of nine. We follow her life as a concubine, nanny, mother, and learn to appreciate her power and patience as she waits for the day she can be reunited with a son taken from her at birth, and live as a free woman with her daughter. She gains a promise of freedom when she helps her owner escape death at the hands of revolting slaves but still had to wait for years until legalized by a judge. Tété suffered daily at the hands of her owner and his second wife who was jealous of her. She made friends with a woman who taught her how to use local plants to fight off disease and infection and became known for her skill. What made her life bearable were the children; her own daughter and her master's son.Except for chapters written from Tété's point of view, the rest is the omniscient narrator so the reader has a clear view of everyone's loves, faults, envies, jealousies, etc. Haiti (known then as Saint-Domingue) had a dark history and the fight for emancipation was bloody and drawn out. A very satisfying historical fiction with vivid characters and fascinating settings.

[maryreinert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The setting of the sugar plantations in early Haiti became very real as did early New Orleans. I felt the characters were honestly drawn and believable. Obviously the author has done her research on the historical events of the time. My only complaint was that there were a few too many times when coincidence played too large a part. What are the chances of meeting up with "long lost" lovers, sons, daughters after many years and many miles. However, that did not take away from an engrossing read. Another good read from Allende.

[janerawoof · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enthralling story of Haiti, in the late 18th and early 19th century, through the story of a white sugar plantation owner, his family and slaves. Through the eyes of a slave woman, Zarite, we witness the sweeping changes slave rebellions bring. We also witness life in French New Orleans when they flee the island, and the changes the Louisiana Purchase bring about to that society. Such historical figures as Toussaint Louverture and Jean Lafitte populate this book. Through it run elements of voodooism and how the people of color mix it with Catholic beliefs.Highly recommended.

[britt84 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book tells the story of Zarité, a slave who grows up on Haiti and during the slave rebellion stays with her owner to take care of his children. She travels with him to Cuba and later to America. In America she finally gets her freedom, but her past still haunts her.I really loved this book. Allende has a great talent for telling historical stories. Her characters are lifelike and you soon grow attached to them and get very involved in their lives. The descriptions of the areas are great and really give you an idea of what life was like at that time.One thing I really liked about this novel was how Allende shows the different viewpoints and manages to really give you some idea of how the slave-owners felt and thought. For me it is hard to imagine, but I do think these owners generally didn't view their slaves as 'human' and this book gives a good insight into what it might have been like to be a slave-owner in those days; especially Toulouse, who starts out with great ideals but ends bitter and cruel, is a character who really comes to life, even if he's not a 'nice guy'.Though the story in itself is quite sad, and many bad things happen to Zarité and other slaves, it is also a positive story. It shows courage and strength and love, and shows how even in bad situations people can still find joy. Aside from the slave owners and the white people who look down on the slaves, there are also people who are genuinely concerned for the well being of the slaves and support them in their quest for freedom.

[debs4jc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A vivid portrayal of life in Haiti and New Orleans during the late 1700's. One of the principal characters is Zarite--a mulatto slave who becomes the "property" of Toulouse Valmorain--a Frenchman who travels to Haiti to take charge of the family's plantation. Revolutions, uprisings, illnesses, and religious beliefs all shape the story Zarite (or Tete as she is called) struggles to gain the freedom to pursue her own happiness in a world where all the cards are stacked against her, while her master struggles to gain financial wealth and an heir to pass it onto. Whether it is voodoo, God, or Karma the characters will "reap what they sow" in the end. What made this story resonate with me were the vivid descriptions of the traditional African beliefs (their so called "voodoo") which were not only portrayed in action but also in the thoughts and deeds of the characters. It also illustrated the far reaching effects of the French Revolution and the philosophies about the freedom of all men that were circulating the globe at that time. For those who enjoy history and books with vivid characters and descriptions this would be a great choice.

[mojomomma_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of Zarite, known as Tete. A slave born in Saint-Domingue, now Haiti, Tete is a house slave on a sugar plantation. In exchange for saving her master from the slave uprising, she demands her freedom and that of her daughter, who was fathered by her master. Tied to the her master by the love of his child, she stays with him as they eventually escape to Cuba and then New Orlenas. I loved the history tied up in this story, especially the atmosphere of turn of the 19th century New Orleans. I thought the translations were a bit stilted in places, though. You'll like this if you like Allende's other stories of strong woman fighting to be free of male domination.

[rascalstar · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Engaging storytelling here will keep a reader/listener moving forward. I like this author but suspect this particular book isn't her most popular, so I'll read some of her others. The reader of this audio book did a fine job, especially with the many French names and words. A decades-long saga of a remarkable slave woman and her master and all the other people in their lives, this book gives the reader a slice of history in both Haiti and New Orleans in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The author paints mind pictures with vivid details. The book might be a 5 for some, but I felt it wasn't quite there.

[maryqueenofscotts · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love her writing and the way she incorporates history with intricacies of relationships is incredible in this book! Allende is surprising in her stories especially this one on the life of a slave and the relationships she encounters.

[nickelini · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A work of historical fiction that follows the life of Tete, a slave, and her owner Toulouse Valmorain. The first half of the book is set in what is now Haiti, in the late 1700s and the time leading up to the Haitian Revolution and slave rebellion, and the second half is after they escape to New Orleans. I studied the Haitian slave rebellion at university and it's a fascinating episode in history. I would have liked to have seen a bit more about it in the book, rather than just these characters who are in the periphery and flee fairly early on. This novel was an easy read, but it took me a whole month to get through it as I'd get bored and wander off to do something else or fall asleep. Rating: Island Beneath the Sea is one of those books that readers rate much higher than the critics. I'm with the critics on this one -- it's a good book, but not great. Recommended for: readers who like straight-forward historical fiction and readers who want to learn about the Haitian Revolution. For some reason, Isabel Allende books always end up with "magic realism" tags on LT, which drives me nuts. None of the 4 Allende books I've read have had any magic realism. So if you're one of those people who avoids MR, don't shy away from her writing. Yes, House of the Spirits is a key MR text, but that doesn't mean everything she writes is magic realism. Sheesh! (stepping off my soap box now).

[lauriebrown54 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While this novel lacks the magicalness of some of Allende’s books, it’s a powerful story about one of the world’s great abominations: slavery, and it’s effects on one woman in particular, Zarite called Tete. Toulouse Valmoriain arrives in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) as a 20 year old with the idea of seeing his ailing father, getting the sugar plantation on it’s feet again, and then going back to civilized France. But the plantation takes constant attention, so he stays. The child Tete is bought to be his first wife’s personal slave, which is an easier life for a slave than working in the fields. But Tete is prey to the same dangers as all slaves, of abuse, rape, threats of sale or death. Her life may be easier than some because of her intelligence and her luck in ending up with valued slaves who take her under their wings, but it’s still a miserable, hard life. She longs for freedom, even though the chances of obtaining it are slim. Many of the whites are almost caricatures in their evilness as slaveholders, especially Valmorain’s second wife who carries a whip in her hand at all times. But people like her really existed, as did men like Valmorain, who lives with a clear conscience despite raping Tete when she is 11 and taking her first child away from her immediately. To him- and to most of the whites- she is not fully human and thus her feelings need not be taken into account. They are less than animals, because most of those slave owners would have taken care of their horse or dog better than they did these fellow human beings. Thankfully, there are a few exceptions. A few whites exist in this story who feel that slavery is a horrible thing. Allende achieves a good balance of good and evil; while the atmosphere is oppressive, things aren’t’ completely bleak for Tete. Through the years of Tete’s slavery, the story moves from Saint-Domingue and the slave rebellion, to Cuba, to New Orleans, which is sold to the United States during the novel. Allende has done serious research for this book, and it shows. While not my favorite of Allende’s books- I was enraged by so many of the characters too much of the time- it’s a good one. It’s a very memorable novel.

[darwa-3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story of the intertwined lives of a slave born in Saint-Domingue (Haiti) and the wealthy plantation owner who buys her when she is still a child. The Haitian Revolution and the reality of of the refugees new lives in New Orleans were illustrated with great detail. I loved both the historical storyline of the novel and the fabulous character development.

[janismack · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Interesting story of the slaves of Haiti and New Orleans. The main character, Zarité, had and incredible journey. We follow her family and her Maitre over a 50 year span.

[tabascofromgudreads · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

First of all, I have to say I listened to the audiobook in Italian, read by an actress who unfortunately did a terrible job. She read the whole thing with a tone of amused delight, which is the farthest she could possibly go from the horrific ugliness described in this book. So, please bear with me.

It's not that I didn't like the story. It's the combination writer / italian reader that I really, really didn't like.

As for the book itself, I am fascinated by the history of Haiti, but Allende's characters meant less than nothing to me. Look at the book cover - you see how impersonal, flat and bi-dimensional that drawing of a girl's face looks? That's exactly how Allende's characters come across in the book: they feel fake, as if they were talking stereotypes, marionettes, who never once become truly alive.

I could never empathize with anyone. The only true feeling that I could sense throughout the novel was boredom. And perhaps that of being a victim of cruelty... question mark?

In other words: ok, the bare bones of this story are extremely unpleasant. Fine, but at least give me some damn adventure or thrills. Nothing at all, only a bit at the end, too late to save the book. Another writer, like for example Ken Follett, while sparing nothing of the violence and ugliness, would have written the story in a totally different way, providing that true conflict, dynamism and excitement that this book is totally lacking.

So when i think of Allende I now have this image of an old lady sitting in her neatly organized living room and droning on about this boring story, told with bitterness and a hint of sadistic pleasure, while seeping her tea. Her style is called "magic realism" because in the middle of an ornate, poetic and elegant descritpion she will use the word "shit" instead of feces. How magic! She is of course speaking in Spanish, and she has a crazy Italian translator next to her who translates every sentence for me with a spirited smile on her face, as if it was the highest form of poetry she has ever heard.

Right. Not good.

[ariesblue · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

best i have read to isabel allende
i was reading it and hoping it will never end....
u live with all the characters in this novel ,feel they are alive..
happy for their joy,depressed for their sadness...
TETE the main character what awonderful woman have all this passion
all that love ,forgiveness,extraordinary spirit ,tolerent ,that ask for help from the priest as well as her african Gods ..

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Audiobook performed by S. Epatha Merkerson.In a bit of a departure from her usual emphasis on Hispano-American history, Allende gives us a story of an 18th-century slave in French-occupied Saint-Domingue (later to become Haiti). We follow Zarité from her childhood through age forty, from Guinea to Saint-Domingue to Cuba and on to New Orleans. Allende populates the novel with a wide variety of characters: Zarité’s French master and plantation owner Toulouse Valmorain; the free quadroon Violette Boisier who entertains a wide variety of gentlemen callers, chiefly Valmorain and the French military officer Etienne Relais; Valmorain’s Cuban wife Eugenia Garcia de Solars who is mother to his heir, Maurice; the local doctor Parmentier who is married to a mulatta woman Adele but keeps a separate house from that of his family; and a host of other characters too numerous to mention specifically. Allende is more than up to the task of relating the historical events that frame this family drama. The time frame of the novel is 1770 to 1810, and we witness the slave rebellion that results in the French abandoning Saint-Domingue to the rebel leaders who will ultimately name it Haiti. As the French leave their plantations and the island for safe haven they migrate to the French colony in New Orleans. But just as they feel settled, Napoleon sells a large tract of land to the United States in what we know as the Louisiana Purchase. Against this backdrop of national and international upheaval, we have the family drama of Valmorain, his slave, Zarité, and their children. I loved Zarité. She’s intelligent, resourceful, courageous, adaptable and wily. A keen observer and a good judge of character, she makes alliances and bides her time, acting when it is most advantageous to her and her family. And she needs every bit of these skills to navigate the dangerous relationships with Valmorains two wives; the mentally unstable Eugenia, and the cruel Hortense. Violette is also a richly drawn character – willful, intelligent, confident, loyal and loving. She has made the best of her situation and with the aid of her loyal servant Loula she will ensure the success of her family and those she holds dear. None of the men in her life are a match for her. S. Epatha Merkerson does a fantastic job of voicing the audiobook. She gives each character a sufficiently unique voice that it is easy to follow the dialogue. But I particularly love the way in which she brings Zarité and Violette to life. These are two strong women, and Merkerson excels in interpreting their characters.

[thelostentwife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm not unfamiliar with sweeping sagas or stories of slaves - but I am unfamiliar with many of the events that were taking place around the time period of this story. I'm not sure what made me interested in picking it up, but whatever it was.. I'm glad it did.Island Beneath the Sea was the perfect book at the perfect time. I didn't feel like reading something off my bookshelf, or something of the genre's I'm most comfortable in and I wanted something with depth, substance and grit to it and I got that in this book. I found Isabel Allende's writing to be musical and the story flowed in such an easy manner I always felt compelled to pick it back up, but never felt as if it was holding me in its grip either.Tete and the surrounding cast of characters were filled with life, character and easily inspired sympathy. I found myself cheering her on and completely absorbed in her life, which was even further aided by the switching from third-person to Tete's point of view.For historical novel fans, this is a book that is definitely out of the norm for the genre, but one that is just as fascinating, even though it doesn't involve famous names or royalty.

[meganelise1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love love LOVE this book! Beautifully written as all of Allende's books.

[jjaylynny · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating history of what is now Haiti; I loved the first part with more of the historical detail and Tete's early life; as with many epics of this kind I tired of the story by the end. Some of the characters in the last part of the book were not well layered.

[amandacb_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Normally, I love Isabel Allende's works -- most of her novels I consider a "tour de force," and I consider them "epic" as well. However, perhaps the beginning of "Island Beneath the Sea" was too vague, too reminescent of freshman-level abstract poetry for me to fully embrace the ideas. I was put off by the beginning and thus unable to give the novel a chance.

[tracycampbell-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Based on true historical events surrounding the time of revolution in what is now known as Haiti, this book is beautifully written. I found the characters well-rounded and the integration of historical events into a fictional story was well done, providing information and insight into the historical past without coming across as a textbook lecture. It is, at times, very difficult to read; the passages describing the inhumane and brutal treatment of the slaves are truly heartbreaking, but are, unfortunately, a reminder of a cruel and terrible truth in our history.

[froxgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This novel, told by Tete, an enslaved woman of Haiti and Louisiana, is filled with graphic detail about the Haitian revolution and of the lives of women in the Caribbean - drudgery and finery, depending on desirability as a sexual partner or a sugar cane cutter, or both. It's also about the privilege enabled by that "one drop" of white blood, and by the impact of geopolitics on both regions. Tete is sold as a child and ends up being raped by Toulouse Valmorain, a planter from France, at age 11. She has two children by him and also becomes the lover of Gambo, an African lieutenant to Toussaint L'Overture, founder of modern Haiti. The reader is not spared the brutality of sugar cane harvesting in the inhospitable climate, and the suicides and death from overwork that result. There's a perfect balance here between the political and the family lives of Tete and Violette, a courtesan, and how indebted Valmorain is to both for his life and those of his children. There's only a tiny modicum of peace and justice for the heroic Tete, and Allende leaves the reader wondering about the fate of the four children under her care at the close of the book.

[fiercebunny · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

When I pick up an Isabel Allende novel I bring certain expectations with me and even though Island Beneath the Sea met many of them, in some aspects I feel that Allende missed the mark. While still beautiful, this is not my favorite of her novels. Island Beneath the Sea is written in Allende's amazing prose style, which creates vivid images and intense settings, it is as beautiful as Monet's Water Lilies at Giverny, but it is also written in a style which can be frustrating to the reader. Like Monet, Allende's style is unquestionably beautiful, but not for everyone. While reading Island Beneath the Sea, I often found myself enjoying lovely sentences but being frustrated by the repetition of information and felt as if Allende was overly concerned with her reader's understanding exactly what she was describing. It often seemed to me that she either simplified the descriptions or repeated them until her readers couldn't miss the meaning. The story line throughout Island Beneath the Sea is also beautiful and well constructed. Isabel Allende's talents here are obvious, but again it seemed too straightforward and predictable to come to a satisfying conclusion. There is no denying the beauty of this book, but it is not the strongest novel from this wonderful writer. Nonetheless, I have been haunted by the world which Allende describes. This is the perfect time for this novel and the connection to the Haitian history that runs throughout can help connect readers to the current situation in Haiti. Isabel Allende is a compassionate and beautiful writer, she has obviously researched this novel and includes details which lend to the credibility of the story and world. Her craft is unquestionably lovely, but this particular story I found difficult to connect to and frustrating to read. I would recommend many of her other novels including Of Love and Shadows, The House of the Spirits and Zorro, before I would recommend Island Beneath the Sea.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I listened to this book as a download from my library. It is the story of a young slave girl, Zarite, in Haiti who is bought to be a lady's maid to the Cuban wife of a plantation owner. The wife goes steadily mad but does produce one male heir for her husband. Before the time the wife becomes pregnant the husband takes the slave girl (Tete as she is called) to his bed. Tete has a son as well but he is taken away from her by the master. Tete raises Maurice, the legitimate son, and when she also has a daughter she is allowed to keep her because by that time the wife is completely mad. The two children grow up together. While they are still young there are slave uprisings and the master has to flee the island. Tete is instrumental in saving the family and she is promised she will be freed because of this. Eventually they end up in New Orleans. Tete does win her freedom and that of her daughter. However, their lives are still entangled with that of her former master.This book didn't grab me as much as some of Allende's other books have. Perhaps because I felt that the story shared a lot with The Book of Negroes which I really loved. But there is some interesting history here and some really strong women characters.

[pamdierickx · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing historical fiction of Haiti and the slave uprising.