Eva Luna

First published in Spanish in 1987, Eva Luna is a novel written by celebrated Chilean writer Isabel Allende and later translated into English by Margaret Sayers Peden the following year. The story is set in an unnamed South American country believed to be an amalgamation of Chile and Venezuela. The eponymous Eva Luna narrates the epic story of her life against a backdrop inspired by the sociopolitical changes in South America from the mid-1940s to the 1980s.

Isabel Allende is an internationally bestselling Spanish-language author who has written 26 books and won, among other awards, the 2010 Chilean National Book Prize and the 2014 Presidential Medal of Freedom. She is known for her use of magical realism in narratives that center on women and incorporate the geopolitical and sociopolitical history of South America. Eva Luna received the American Book Award in 1989.

This guide uses the 2015 eBook by Washington Square Press.

Content Warning: This study guide contains mentions of abuse, including sexual abuse, pedophilia, and child abuse. It also contains descriptions of death by suicide and incest.

Plot Summary

The novel begins with Eva Luna telling the story of her mother’s childhood.