Title: Zorro (audiobook)
Author: Isabel Allende
Published: 2005
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4 of 5
Isabel Allende’s Zorro could have been titled The Making of Zorro. Rather than repeating the already-legendary exploits of Zorro, Allende tells the creative and captivating story of how Diego de la Vega became the Zorro we recognize from TV, movies, and books.
The story begins before Diego’s birth in Spanish California and travels to Spain, the Caribbean, and New Orleans as Diego grows and develops his swordsmanship and sense of right and wrong. Until this book, my exposure to the Zorro legend was limited to the Antonio Banderas films. Even with that limited background, I was able to see how carefully Allende crafted Diego’s childhood to draw direct links to already-established aspects of his adult career.
This was a very plot-driven book, with adventures and challenges moving the characters and story along. There is something here for everyone – pirates, warfare, religious conflict, damsels in distress, prison breaks, high seas adventures, disguises, duels, gypsies, and even Napoleon. It sounds frenetic – and maybe it was – but it kept my full attention through the very last word.
Diego’s development as a champion for social justice raised some interesting themes along the way, but Allende kept even those topics quite light. I would definitely recommend this as a fun and attention-grabbing book.
I would also recommend the audiobook, especially for a road trip. A good portion of the book revolves around Diego’s travels, so it would be a perfect compliment to a long car ride. The narrator, Blair Brown, is one of my favorites and she did an excellent job with this novel.
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Don’t take my word for it. Check out what others are saying about Zorro:
Blogcritics – Book Review: Isabel Allende’s Zorro
Brie – Isabelle Allende’s El Zorro: A Book Review
The Guardian – Behind the Mask
The Independent – Zorro: the Novel, by Isabel Allende, trans Margaret Sayers Peden
MostlyFiction Book Reviews – “Zorro”
This sounds like it’s worth reading when I’m looking for some adventure with a bit of substance. Thanks for the review!