I don't have much patience with overbearing hater-of-the-arts characters (in this case Neruda's father) but his negative influence most assuredly factors into Pablo's dual role as poet and revolutionary against injustice. His Latin American father demands sons that are macho like him. The hatchet that cuts down the dream? Mrs. Chemping bought stacks of writing paper; it was so cheap, and it went so flat in a trunk or portmanteau. I love the fact that he collects little souvenirs from nature. I could not stop reading about Neftali and his controlling, dismissive father, his childhood in the mountains of Chile, and the rest of his family: brother Rodolfo, who gives up singing to please their father, his little sister Laurita, and his loving stepmother, who tries to help him, quietly. It was the season of sales. Marvelous!

He loves to collect treasures, daydream, and write--pastimes his authoritarian father thinks are for fools.

The wondering look deepened in Cyprian's eyes as he followed his aunt; he belonged to a generation that is supposed to be over-fond of the role of mere spectator, but looking at napkins that one did not mean to buy was a pleasure beyond his comprehension. "No one uses that kind of vase nowadays," she informed Cyprian, "but they will do for presents next Christmas.". This narrative details different challenges that Neruda faced as a young boy; a strict father who pushed his own dreams on his children, sickness, and his love a writing that was constantly looked down upon by his father. Or the scythe that clears a path for another?". Beautifully designed book too. Highly recommend the audiobook! As the years pass, Neftali continues to hope that he will discover another side to his father but he is continuously disappointed, as his father remains staunch in his refusal to allow him to pursue his dreams. I could not stop reading about Neftali and his controlling, dismissive father, his childhood in the mountains of Chile, and the rest of his family: brother Rodolfo, who gives up singing to please their father, his little sister Laurita, and his loving stepmother, who tries to help him, quietly. The children love this story, even though in the beginning they thought it would be horrible, as it started like their aunt's story. Her own mother a straight-haired terror. "I didn't bring a hat," he said, "because it is such a nuisance when one is shopping; I mean it is so awkward if one meets anyone one knows and has to take one's hat off when one's hands are full of parcels.

Little episodes are strung together like beads on a string; some of them seem dreamlike, or like fairytales. ©2020 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.