A Long Petal of the Sea -- Isabel Allende

<b><i>NEW YORK TIMES </i>BESTSELLER - From the author of <i>The House of the Spirits, </i>this epic novel spanning decades and crossing continents follows two young people as they flee the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in search of a place to call home.</b> <p/><b>"One of the most richly imagined portrayals of the Spanish Civil War to date, and one of the strongest and most affecting works in [Isabel Allende's] long career."--<i>The New York Times Book Review</i></b> <p/><b><b>NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY <i>Esquire </i>- <i>Good Housekeeping </i>- <i>Parade</i></b></b> <p/>In the late 1930s, civil war grips Spain. When General Franco and his Fascists succeed in overthrowing the government, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee in a treacherous journey over the mountains to the French border. Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love. In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage neither of them desires. <p/>Together with two thousand other refugees, Roser and Victor embark on the SS <i>Winnipeg, </i> a ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda, to Chile: "the long petal of sea and wine and snow." As unlikely partners, the couple embraces exile as the rest of Europe erupts in world war. Starting over on a new continent, they face trial after trial, but they will also find joy as they patiently await the day when they might go home. Thr