El reino del dragón de oro by

Isabel Allende

1. Table of contents:

1. Work's cover

2. Table of contents

3. Author's biography

4. Book summary

5. Characters

6. Languages and techniques

7. Personal response to the plot

8. Bibliographical References

2. Author’s biography:Isabel Allende was born on 2nd August

1942 in the city of Lima, Peru. She was daughter of Francisca Llona Barros and Tomás Allende, who was the Chilean ambassador in Peru. Although he is a first cousin of Salvador Allende, president of Chile. So we can say that Salvador is an “uncle” of Isabel, which in Spain we called it second degree uncle (tío segundo).

Near 1945, Isabel’s mother breaks her married with her husband. An around 1953-1958 her mother joins with Ramón Huidobro, who realized many travels to countries, like Beirut and Bolivia. And that where Isabel studied in many privates

schools. In these schools she earn a new point of view from all the world, these will be too import in her career as writer.

She worked to the United Nations, in the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) when she was in Santiago. There she get married with Miguel Frías, in 1962. Who meet when she returned to Chile after studied in the

foreign. One year after they had a daughter, Paula, who in the future will be an inspiration to Isabel. And in 1966 she had another son, Nicolás.

Between 1964-1965, she travel around Europe, learning about its culture and people. In 1973, there was a war, in which the Chilean army arrived to the power and governed Chile. That was the reason why Isabel has to go to Venezuela, but she returned to Chile in 1988.

She is considered the most widely read Latin American novelist. With many books, that are best-sellers, and many others that had been translated in 25 languages.

3. Book summary:The book is about two stories at the same time, probably

around 1980-2000. One is about an adventure of Nadia, Alexander and Alexander’s grandmother, Kate Cold, when they travel to El

reino del dragón de oro, a small country in the Himalayan Mountains. And the other, with an adventure of Tensing and his disciple, the prince Dil Bahadur, in his Initiating Travel across the Himalayas Mountains.

All started when Kate, who was a reporter of the National Geographic magazine, invited her niece and Nadia to goes with her, in one of his travel around the world. This one was to a small country in the Himalayan Mountains. For the other side Tensing, who was a Buddhist monk, realised an Initiating Travel to the young prince of El reino del dragón de oro, Dil Bahadur. Where they are going to search for the Yetis’ Valley, an old civilization that grows in the Himalayan Mountains, but now was going down.

Then the two stories get mixed, because what was going to be an investigation travel to Nadia, Alexander and Kate. Becomes into a dangerous adventure to escape from a Mafia, who stole the statue of the golden dragon, which can predicts the future and was the soul of the people from El reino del dragón de oro. And when Nadia and Alexander were sequestrated by this Mafia, Tensing and Dil Bahadur, with the help of the Yetis, beat him and rescue them and the golden statue.

That was the reason why El reino del dragón de oro, which only admits a few of people from the rest of the world, started to admit tourists, and becomes a prosperous nation.

And about the Yetis’ Valley, it stays secret for the rest of the world, except for Tensing and Dil Bahadur, who receives many presents from them, because they save them from a genetic disease who reduces the their life.

4. Characters:Alexander: is a teenager boy, with an adventurer soul and too much courage to face dangerous situations. He looks like his grandmother. But his parents aren’t so excited with it. Alexander started to travel with his grandmother a year before , when they travel to the Amazonian’ jungle. She lives in California, near the coast in a luxury house with his parents.

Nadia: is a teenager girl, with the same age of Alexander. And she’s from the Neblina’s village, a little population in the Amazonian’ jungle. Now she is studying in the United States. She is sensitive, friendly, innocent and she has a sixth sense with animals.

Kate Cold: she is a woman who is in her mid fifties. But she has the soul as a teenager. She loves adventure, and extreme situations. She works as a journalist or reporter for the magazine National Geographic, travelling and writing her adventures in her journeys around the world.

Tensing: he is a Buddhist monk, who probably will be in his mid seventies. Although he looks old, he has agility of a monkey and the flexibility of an eel. He is very intelligent, and he always is telling reflections about the life.

Dil Bahadur: he is the prince of El reino del dragón oro, and he is the only heir. He is the disciple of Tensing, and he will learn all as he can from Tensing, to be a better governor in the future, as he father wants. He is curious, intelligent, friendly and he is always available to help.

5. Language and techniques:The author influences in: the respect for different cultures and diversity, it also

highlights a "confrontation" between the developed world or modern and the "primitive", in which the latter wins. Reiterating the exaltation of values such as solidarity, compassion, overcoming fear etc....

In this novel, Allende uses a scheme in which: the protagonists visit a different country and culture, and learn to know and appreciate, and help to keep them in the same condition in which they find them after fighting against the "progress."

The paragraphs more elaborate and important are located when the main characters went to search the Golden Dragon, through several tests that have to overcome using their gifts and personalities to come to a conclusion, that for advanced readers or with a few of intuition, is obvious, but without taking meaning or emotion.

6. Personal response to the plot:I really like this book because it mixes a lot of adventure and realistic things.

Although it has some fantasy elements, like the golden dragon statue that predicts the future or the yetis and their Valley. Also it is easy to read, it uses simple words and important ideas easy to find.

But also it has some “main ideas”, like the respect for different cultures and diversity, a "confrontation" between the developed world or modern and the "primitive" and very important values, like solidarity, compassion, overcoming fear etc...

The part, I like most, is when Tensing and Dil Bahadur found the Yetis' Valley, and they are talking with them, this part was incredible. And the author write an amusing description with all the aspects of the yetis, its skin, first impression, the manner they are....

I really like this book, and I will recommend it to all the people that, is curiosity, or want to travel to the Himalayan Mountains. Seriously, you can imagine it.

7. Bibliographical references: - Images taken from:1. 1st Himalayan landscape: http://chandratal.com/wordpress/wp-

content/uploads/2011/10/DHAULAGIRI.jpg (Accessed 26/2/2013)2. 2nd Himalayan landscape: http://chandratal.com/wordpress/wp-

content/uploads/2011/10/TUKUCHE.jpg (Accessed 26/2/2013)3. Golden dragon's statue:

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/562568565/Chinese_Brass_Dragon_Sculpture_Craft.jpg (Accessed 26/2/2013)

4. Isabel Allende nowadays: http://huelvatecas.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/isabel-allende.jpg (Accessed 28/2/2013)

5. Isabel Allende with Barack Obama: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jIa1cRyJCq4/SqEfb17emaI/AAAAAAAABqY/jbD2dV_NW5k/s400/photo_57.jpg (Accessed 28/2/2013)

6. Book cover El reino del dragón de oro: http://www.cegal.es/imagenes/marcadas/9788484/978848441207.gif (Accessed 28/2/2013)

7. Picture with the book's title: http://www.clubcultura.com/clubliteratura/clubescritores/allende/homeallende/img/dragontit.gif (Accessed 28/2/2013)

- Information taken from: 1. Allende, Isabel. El reino del dragón de oro. Barcelona, Montena, September

2003.2. Isabel Allende's Biography. Casa del Libro.

<http://www.casadellibro.com/biografia/isabel-allende/4063> (Accessed 25/2/2013)

3. Isabel Allende's Biography. Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel_Allende> (Accessed 19/2/2013)

4. Isabel Allende El Reino del Dragón de Oro. Clublectura. <http://www.clubcultura.com/clubliteratura/clubescritores/allende/homeallende/dragon_intro.htm#> (Accessed 26/2/2013)

5. Isabel Allende's Biography. Lecturalia. <http://www.lecturalia.com/autor/151/isabel-allende> (Accessed 25/2/2013)