the infinite plan book review

• ADMIN AREA MY BOOKSHELF MY DASHBOARD MY PROFILE SIGN OUT SIGN IN

THE INFINITE PLAN

by Isabel Allende & translated by Margaret Sayers Peden ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1993

The first North America-set novel by Allende (The Stories of Eva Luna, 1991, etc.) begins with a beguiling freshness that rapidly degenerates into boring leftist commentary-cum-melodrama— in a plot that goes on and on until it mercifully fizzles out in platitudes. Long-troubled Gregory Reeves, who's never been able to regain the security of his early childhood (cutely recalled now in the form of a confession to a novelist), is the son of Charles Reeves, the ``Doctor of Sciences,'' who travels around the country in a brightly decorated truck—along with wife Nora, a Jewish refugee; helper Olga, a Russian; daughter Julia and son Gregory—revealing the secret of life: The Infinite Plan he's discovered. This idyll ends when Charles becomes ill, and the family moves into the L.A. barrio home of Pedro Morales, a Chicano follower of ``The Plan.'' When the father recovers, they move to a run-down cottage—but for the rest of Gregory's life, the Morales family, especially daughter Carmen, will be an anchor for Gregory. Reality soon begins ``irreparably to deteriorate,'' and though a friendly librarian leaves him money to go to Berkeley, ambitious and hard-working Gregory is unhappy. He graduates from law school; serves in Vietnam; moves to San Francisco; makes two disastrous marriages; fathers two troubled children; and earns and loses a great deal of money. Meanwhile, the decades whirl by as ``revolution in the streets [is] replaced by the plague of conformism'' and characters in equally extravagant subplots finally enjoy their own happy endings. Only Gregory has to wait for the novelist to save him, assuring Gregory ``that everyone carries a plan inside, but it's a faded map that's hard to read and that's why we wander round so and sometimes get lost.'' Potentially original characters, denied their own voices as the writer does the telling, are ultimately overwhelmed by sentimental and overwrought gush. (First printing of 100,000)

Pub Date: May 1, 1993

ISBN: 0060924985

Page Count: 400

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1993

LITERARY FICTION

Share your opinion of this book

More by Isabel Allende

BOOK REVIEW

by Isabel Allende ; translated by Frances Riddle

by Isabel Allende

THINGS FALL APART

by Chinua Achebe ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 23, 1958

This book sings with the terrible silence of dead civilizations in which once there was valor.

Written with quiet dignity that builds to a climax of tragic force, this book about the dissolution of an African tribe, its traditions, and values, represents a welcome departure from the familiar "Me, white brother" genre.

Written by a Nigerian African trained in missionary schools, this novel tells quietly the story of a brave man, Okonkwo, whose life has absolute validity in terms of his culture, and who exercises his prerogative as a warrior, father, and husband with unflinching single mindedness. But into the complex Nigerian village filters the teachings of strangers, teachings so alien to the tribe, that resistance is impossible. One must distinguish a force to be able to oppose it, and to most, the talk of Christian salvation is no more than the babbling of incoherent children. Still, with his guns and persistence, the white man, amoeba-like, gradually absorbs the native culture and in despair, Okonkwo, unable to withstand the corrosion of what he, alone, understands to be the life force of his people, hangs himself. In the formlessness of the dying culture, it is the missionary who takes note of the event, reminding himself to give Okonkwo's gesture a line or two in his work, The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger .

Pub Date: Jan. 23, 1958

ISBN: 0385474547

Page Count: 207

Publisher: McDowell, Obolensky

Review Posted Online: April 23, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1958

More by Chinua Achebe

by Chinua Achebe

THE SECRET HISTORY

by Donna Tartt ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 16, 1992

The Brat Pack meets The Bacchae in this precious, way-too-long, and utterly unsuspenseful town-and-gown murder tale. A bunch of ever-so-mandarin college kids in a small Vermont school are the eager epigones of an aloof classics professor, and in their exclusivity and snobbishness and eagerness to please their teacher, they are moved to try to enact Dionysian frenzies in the woods. During the only one that actually comes off, a local farmer happens upon them—and they kill him. But the death isn't ruled a murder—and might never have been if one of the gang—a cadging sybarite named Bunny Corcoran—hadn't shown signs of cracking under the secret's weight. And so he too is dispatched. The narrator, a blank-slate Californian named Richard Pepen chronicles the coverup. But if you're thinking remorse-drama, conscience masque, or even semi-trashy who'll-break-first? page-turner, forget it: This is a straight gee-whiz, first-to-have-ever-noticed college novel—"Hampden College, as a body, was always strangely prone to hysteria. Whether from isolation, malice, or simple boredom, people there were far more credulous and excitable than educated people are generally thought to be, and this hermetic, overheated atmosphere made it a thriving black petri dish of melodrama and distortion." First-novelist Tartt goes muzzy when she has to describe human confrontations (the murder, or sex, or even the ping-ponging of fear), and is much more comfortable in transcribing aimless dorm-room paranoia or the TV shows that the malefactors anesthetize themselves with as fate ticks down. By telegraphing the murders, Tartt wants us to be continually horrified at these kids—while inviting us to semi-enjoy their manneristic fetishes and refined tastes. This ersatz-Fitzgerald mix of moralizing and mirror-looking (Jay McInerney shook and poured the shaker first) is very 80's—and in Tartt's strenuous version already seems dated, formulaic. Les Nerds du Mal—and about as deep (if not nearly as involving) as a TV movie.

Pub Date: Sept. 16, 1992

ISBN: 1400031702

Page Count: 592

Publisher: Knopf

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1992

More by Donna Tartt

by Donna Tartt

More About This Book

SEEN & HEARD

• Discover Books Fiction Thriller & Suspense Mystery & Detective Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Nonfiction Biography & Memoir Teens & Young Adult Children's
• News & Features Bestsellers Book Lists Profiles Perspectives Awards Seen & Heard Book to Screen Kirkus TV videos In the News
• Kirkus Prize Winners & Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Kirkus Prize Judges
• Magazine Current Issue All Issues Manage My Subscription Subscribe
• Writers’ Center Hire a Professional Book Editor Get Your Book Reviewed Advertise Your Book Launch a Pro Connect Author Page Learn About The Book Industry
• More Kirkus Diversity Collections Kirkus Pro Connect My Account/Login
• About Kirkus History Our Team Contest FAQ Press Center Info For Publishers
• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Reprints, Permission & Excerpting Policy

© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Popular in this Genre

Hey there, book lover.

We’re glad you found a book that interests you!

Please select an existing bookshelf

Create a new bookshelf.

We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!

Please sign up to continue.

It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!

Already have an account? Log in.

Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.

Almost there!

• Industry Professional

Welcome Back!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

Contact us: 1-800-316-9361 or email [email protected].

Don’t fret. We’ll find you.

Magazine Subscribers ( How to Find Your Reader Number )

If You’ve Purchased Author Services

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up.

• Sign in / Join
• Portuguese (Brazil)
• Portuguese (Portugal)

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Current Discussions

Popular covers.

Melvil Decimal System (DDC)

Lc classification.

The Infinite Plan

Isabel allende. harpercollins publishers, $23 (380pp) isbn 978-0-06-017016-5.

Reviewed on: 05/03/1993

Genre: Fiction

Compact Disc - 978-1-0941-5881-5

MP3 CD - 978-1-0941-5882-2

Open Ebook - 528 pages - 978-0-06-304967-3

Other - 528 pages - 978-0-06-225439-9

Paperback - 528 pages - 978-0-06-302176-1

• Apple Books
• Barnes & Noble

More By and About this Author chevron_right

Featured Fiction Reviews

• Top Rated Books
• Top Club Picks This Week
• BOOK CLUB INSIDER
• New Releases
• Now in Paperback
• Reese Witherspoon Book Club
• Oprah's Book Club
• Read with Jenna
• Amazon Best Books
• People Picks
• Entertainment Weekly Picks
• Vogue Recommends
• Skimm Reads
• From Page to Screen

Member Login

Forgot your login/password?

BKMT READING GUIDES

The Infinite Plan: A Novel by Isabel Allende

In The Infinite Plan, critically acclaimed, bestselling author Isabel Allende weaves a vivid and engrossing tale of one man's search for love and his struggle to come to terms with a childhood of poverty and neglect. It is the story of Gregory Reeves and his hard journey from L.A.'s ...

Introduction

In The Infinite Plan , critically acclaimed, bestselling author Isabel Allende weaves a vivid and engrossing tale of one man's search for love and his struggle to come to terms with a childhood of poverty and neglect. It is the story of Gregory Reeves and his hard journey from L.A.'s Hispanic barrio to the killing fields of Vietnam to the frenetic world of a San Francisco lawyer. Along the way, he loses himself in an illusory and wrongheaded quest, and only by circling back to his roots can he find what he is missing and what he wants more than anything in life.

Editorial Review

Discussion questions, notes from the author to the bookclub, book club recommendations.

Recommended to book clubs by 0 of 0 members.

Member Reviews

Book Club HQ to over 88,000+ book clubs and ready to welcome yours.

Get Top Club Picks Delivered Weekly

• Contact Info
• For Authors & Publishers
• Privacy Notice
• Randy Susan Meyers
• Anna Quindlen
• AUTHORS & PUBLISHERS
• Feature your book on BookMovement!

© 2003 - 2024 BookMovement, LLC. All rights reserved.

The infinite plan

By isabel allende.

• ★ ★ ★ 3.00 ·
• 12 Want to read
• 2 Currently reading
• 3 Have read

Preview Book

My Reading Lists:

Use this Work

Create a new list

My book notes.

My private notes about this edition:

Check nearby libraries

• Library.link

Buy this book

Story of Gregory Reeves's search for love and his attempt to reconcile his past which included poverty, neglect, war, and abusive relationships with his current strivings for success and peace of mind.

Previews available in: Spanish Italian English French German Dutch

Showing 10 featured editions. View all 60 editions?

Add another edition?

Book Details

Edition notes, classifications, the physical object, source records, first sentence.

"Iban por los caminos del oeste sin prisa y sin rumbo obligatorio, cambiando la ruta de acuerdo al capricho de un instante, al signo premonitorio de una bandada de pajaros, a la tentacion de un nombre desconocido."

Community Reviews (0)

• Created April 1, 2008
• 21 revisions

Wikipedia citation

Copy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help?

• Kindle Store
• Kindle eBooks
• Literature & Fiction

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $29.13 $29.13

Save: $16.14 $16.14 (55%)

Buy for others

Buying and sending ebooks to others.

• Select quantity
• Buy and send eBooks
• Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

The Infinite Plan: A Novel Kindle Edition

“Allende is one of the most important novelists to emerge from Latin America in the past decade.”— Boston Globe

An enthralling tale of one man's search for love and his struggle to contend with the pain and deprivation that shaped him.

Born in the Hispanic barrio of Los Angeles, Gregory Reeves grew up in poverty, survived the killing fields of Vietnam, and is now a lawyer in San Francisco. Though he has successfully survived this hard journey, Gregory’s life has suddenly gone off the rails thanks to an illusory and wrongheaded quest that has left him feeling lost and listless. To find what he is missing and what his heart truly wants, he must return to his roots. Only by excavating the past can he see the way to his future.  

• Print length 530 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publisher HarperVia
• Publication date April 15, 2014
• File size 850 KB
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
• See all details

Customers who bought this item also bought

Editorial Reviews

From publishers weekly, from library journal, from kirkus reviews, from the back cover.

In The Infinite Plan , critically acclaimed, bestselling author Isabel Allende weaves a vivid and engrossing tale of one man's search for love and his struggle to come to terms with a childhood of poverty and neglect. It is the story of Gregory Reeves and his hard journey from L.A.'s Hispanic barrio to the killing fields of Vietnam to the frenetic world of a San Francisco lawyer. Along the way, he loses himself in an illusory and wrongheaded quest, and only by circling back to his roots can he find what he is missing and what he wants more than anything in life.

About the Author

Isabel Allende is the author of twelve works of fiction, including the New York Times bestsellers Maya’s Notebook, Island Beneath the Sea, Inés of My Soul, Daughter of Fortune , and a novel that has become a world-renowned classic, T he House of the Spirits . Born in Peru and raised in Chile, she lives in California.

Product details

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00I7UYB96
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperVia; Reissue edition (April 15, 2014)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 15, 2014
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 850 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 530 pages
• Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0063021765
• #982 in Asian American Literature & Fiction
• #1,803 in Romance Literary Fiction
• #2,587 in U.S. Historical Fiction

About the author

Isabel allende.

Isabel Allende is one of the most widely read authors in the world, having sold more than seventy-seven million books. Born in Peru and raised in Chile, Isabel won worldwide acclaim in 1982 with the publication of her first novel, The House of the Spirits. Since then, she has authored more than twenty-six bestselling and critically acclaimed books, including Daughter of Fortune, Island Beneath the Sea, Paula, and The Wind Knows My Name.

In 1996, following the death of her daughter, Paula, Allende established a charitable foundation in her honor. The foundation has awarded grants to more than one hundred nonprofits worldwide, delivering life-changing care to hundreds of thousands of women and girls.

In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded Allende the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, and in 2018 she received the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation. Allende lives in California.

Products related to this item

Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 55% 28% 11% 4% 3% 55%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 55% 28% 11% 4% 3% 28%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 55% 28% 11% 4% 3% 11%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 55% 28% 11% 4% 3% 4%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 55% 28% 11% 4% 3% 3%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers find the storyline intriguing and captivating. They also describe the reading experience as good and the writing level as great. However, some customers feel the characters are unbelievable and the story is too long.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the storyline intriguing, captivating, and metaphoric. They also say the author is a master of writing.

"...these biographies appealing because they formed a coherent and cogent narrative ...." Read more

"...and the reflection sometimes necessary to know it-- with a narrative that never drags and sometimes enthralls. Wonderful writing...." Read more

"Love this author, but character was no believable and the story was too long for me !" Read more

"An interesting story but too many words. Page fillers, descriptive paragraphs that go on and on. I was glad when it was finished...." Read more

Customers find the book a good read.

"...Isabel Allende has written a book that is well worth reading . I learnt as much about myself as I did about the human condition...." Read more

" Good read . An interesting story but slow at times." Read more

"If you enjoy this author, this book is wonderful ! If you are unfamiliar with her, I highly recommend all of novels." Read more

"...This novel was a bit different from her usual work but quite enjoyable ." Read more

Customers find the writing level of the book great. They also say the narration never slows down, and the author unwraps and exposes her characters little by little.

"...Her narration never slows down and she unwraps and exposes her characters little by little. Her characters are the story." Read more

"Although still written well , like all of her books, I did not care for The Infinite Plan...." Read more

"...found myself scanning many of the pages because there was just way too much detail . The plot?..." Read more

"... Wonderful writing . Truly great story telling." Read more

Customers find the characters in the book unbelievable.

"Love this author, but character was no believable and the story was too long for me!" Read more

"Marginal story line that drags on and on. Main character lacks charisma so you don't really care about what happens to him...." Read more

" Unnecessary characters , superfluous descriptions and an unfinished plot make this a huge disappointment...." Read more

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

Report an issue

• About Amazon
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell products on Amazon
• Sell on Amazon Business
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Become an Affiliate
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Host an Amazon Hub
• › See More Make Money with Us
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Amazon and COVID-19
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices

• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices