From the Chilean author best known for her novel, The House of Spirits, Isabel Allende  depicts the damaging obstacles Maya Vidal undergoes that distance her from her family in her newest novel Maya’s Notebook. Allende beautifully establishes a relationship between Maya and Manuel Arias that contributes to Maya’s development as an adult. Unlike Allende’s other well known novels, Maya’s Notebook, is not influenced by magic realism. However in this novel, it is obvious Allende used her life experiences in the life of Maya with the story of Maya’s abandonment that pertains to Allende’s own abandonment she experienced in her lifetime.

In Maya’s Notebook, we witness her uplifting maturity development due to the help of others. Her grandmother sends her to Arias so she is excluded from the drugs and alcohol that ridded her past after the devastating death of her role model and grandfather, Popo, and as others help her, she helps them. Arias becomes Maya’s new father figure in Chile and helps her recover from the heartbreak of being dumped. “That backpacker did you a favor-he gave you the opportunity to get to know yourself better” (285). After this wonderful insight, Maya is able to convince Arias that his old age is not “a good enough reason to avoid love” (314). Their developing relationship warms the heart after what seems like the never ending series of horrible events Maya endures. Allende’s captivating novel, so different from her others, plucks on the heartstrings of its readers and leaves us viewing the world in a new light.

Another novel of Allende’s is, City of the Beasts. Thrown into his grandmother’s exotic lifestyle, Alex Cold is forced to overcome his immaturity and learn to become one with the world in a way that we all can relate to. Although its audience is designed for young adults, City of the Beast is an action packed fantasy novel that anyone can appreciate. Isabel Allende’s first attempt at a young adult trilogy is a serious success that catches the attention of all it’s readers.

Cold faces thrilling adventures when forced into an unforgettable expedition with a group of photographers and researchers to find “the Beast” that is roaming the Amazon while also keeping their distance from the native Indians who reside in total isolation from the modern world. At the beginning of this expedition, Cold’’s picky eating lifestyle makes the experience a challenge as he refuses to eat the monkey meat the rest of the crew is eating. However, as the book progresses we see Cold overcoming his petulance and ultimately maturing. “Alex, who up till then had refused to taste pirarucú, anteater, toucan, monkey, or tapir, was struck with a sudden curiosity to know how that enormous water snake would taste” (139). Also in the expedition, Cold meets Nadia, the guide’s daughter, who together meet the natives and uncover the mysteries of the Amazon in an exciting turn of events.

In City of the Beasts, Allende introduces a not so ordinary world to its readers that fuses fantasy with modern ideas. Cold’s coming of age throughout the novel inspires its readers and provides lifelong messages for it’s audience. City of the Beasts is a novel one can hardly put down. Readers can continue their journey with Cold and Nadia in Kingdom of the Golden Dragon and Forest of the Pygmies.

Allende’s novels appeal to a variety of audiences. Her novel’s teach appropriate messages to her audiences as well. Allende’s most recent novel that was released May 2015, Japanese Lover, is about a love affair and has been given incredible reviews. Allende is an incredibly important, yet underappreciate author that has been writing professionally since 1967.