A beautifully tragically honest writing of what it is like to be a woman. And specifically a woman of color. The impacts of that are encountered when growing up and moving through life. Very powerful and highly recommended. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a short book of nonfiction, a bit like a collection of essays about Allende's opinions of and experience with feminism and life in Latin America. It's a bit of a tossed salad, not what her usual fans may be expecting.

I love Isabel Allende and was so excited to get an arc of this book. from Netgalley I appreciated Allende's perspective on feminism, especially because she grew up in Chile, where patriarchy, machismo, history, and politics differ quite a bit from the U.S. Allende discussed a number of topics, from domestic violence to healthcare to economic independence. These are all important to learn about and discuss, and I highlighted a number of passages throughout the book. That said, there were times when the book felt a bit disjointed, or where it seemed like she would explore a particular topic a bit further, but it jumped to something else. I felt like we skimmed the surface but didn't delve quite deep enough. There was a lot of information about women's struggles, and stories from Allende's life, but switching back and forth between those two formats didn't quite click with me, and I found myself wanting more. Overall, I liked this book, but didn't love it.