Frolic Log Week 31: Magical Realism
I can't stop thinking about this book
This week, instead of curating five Airbnbs in some heavenly corner of the Earth, I was guided by a higher power to seek out properties that brought to life a place I had only envisioned in my mind’s eye. My imagination had been hard at work as I tore through Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits. As the title suggests, the story revolves around a home (in fact, two homes) where, over the span of seven decades, the lives of the Trueba family unfold. Allende’s use of magical realism seamlessly blends reality with fantasy, urging us to accept supernatural events as fact, just as the characters do, without shock or skepticism.
Early in the book, we are introduced to Tres Marias, a remote countryside property, “a vast estate in the south, a fertile valley surrounded by blue mountains.” Inside, “the hacienda had high ceilings, enormous wooden beams, and heavy clay-tiled floors that were always cool.” Throughout the story, the hacienda is rebuilt and restored as it weathers earthquakes, abandonment, and the relentless passage of time.
Before long, the patriarch yearns for a grand house for his growing family, and the narrative shifts from the countryside to the capital of Chile, Santiago. This home reflects the ambition of its owner, who, with newfound prosperity, commissions striking architecture to showcase his status and contemporary tastes. "Esteban Trueba had built it in the pompous colonial style, with thick walls and iron grillwork on the windows, a monumental structure that dominated the landscape around it." This eponymous house, where spirits come and go unannounced, holds “an air of mystery and enchantment that made it seem more like a castle from a fairy tale than a real house."
What struck me as remarkable was how these homes were personified as central figures, evolving alongside the family members, mirroring the rise and fall of their fortunes.
“The house on the corner was like a living being. It seemed to grow and change with the family, absorbing their happiness and their sorrows, reflecting the mood of its inhabitants."
Needless to say, the novel and its immensely symbolic family homes moved me so deeply that I felt compelled to bring them to life in the real world.
The sky was the limit, and Airbnb was the key.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
A historical farm outside of Buenos Aires, with a private park and forest with room for up to 12 guests. Stunning, magical, ethereal. And with that exquisite green dining room!
Tunuyan, Argentina
An estate surrounded by vineyards near the Andes mountains - exactly as I imagined the blue mountains surrounding Tres Marias. It feels like a living, breathing multi-generational kingdom.
Zipaquirá, Colombia
A colonial mansion complete with a chapel, manicured gardens, and a lake. All the reviews define it as a “magical place” where you can “feel the spirits of the ancestors of the hacienda”!
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
A sprawling villa located on a hill with a rooftop terrace overlooking the city. I discovered that San Miguel de Allende has countless mansions that could well be the setting for the screen adaptation of The House of the Spirits. It was hard to pick my favorite, but this is how I imagine the facade of the Trueba family’s city home.
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Built in a “Mexican Colonial’ style, this mansion sleeps 15 and features multiple courtyard gardens with a fountain and a pool. While it feels a little gargantuan, I respect it for its superior interiors and envy the groups who get to fill its rooms.
I’m in awe of the families who spent their lives in these grand, magnificent homes. I prefer not to question the integrity of their actions or dig too deeply into where their means came from. Some mysteries are best left untouched.