In her opulent novel, Eva Luna, Isabel Allende uses exquisite prose to describe the survival of a young Latin American woman whose powers as a storyteller bring her friendship and love, during a time of political unrest in South America. Born in the back room of the mansion where her mother is a servant, the enchanting Eva Luna defies oppression by telling stories to a series of vibrant characters. Author Biography Chilean novelist Isabel Allende was a journalist for many years. She began to write fiction in 1981. The result was the worldwide best-seller The House of the Spirits, which was followed by the equally successful Of Love and Shadows and The Stories of Eva Luna (Penguin 1991). Her first work of non-fiction, Paula, was published in 1995 and is a harrowing chronicle of the death of her daughter. Isabel Allende lives in California.