As a boy, Gregory Reeves accepts the endless journeying and poverty which is his family's lot, never questioning the validity of his preacher father's philosophy of life – the Infinite Plan. But, as manhood approaches, Gregory finds himself increasingly possessed by a yearning to escape. Hankering after worldly wealth, he longs to break away from the barrio, the teeming Hispanic ghetto of downtown Los Angeles where his family has finally settled. Gregory's quest, so different from his father's takes him first to the killing fields of Vietnam, and thence to law school from where he pitches headlong into a hedonistic pursuit of the American Dream…

"Isabel Allende's 'The Infinite Plan' should be read in a joyous gulp, then again with increasing delight. Her prose is rich and magical, her characters vivid. She mixes violence and horror, love and humour, with more than a touch of genius."
MARY WESLEY

"Devotees of Allende's 'The House of the Spirits'will rejoice to find again in her new novel the magical storyteller's touch that transforms life into a compelling emotional adventure, leaving one breathless. 'The Infinite Plan'is her first to be set outside Latin America – in California where she now lives – but many of its characters abound in Latin American fervour. A hopeful, warm hearted, absorbing novel, affirming life and love but not flinching from exploring the pain that inevitably accompanies both."
DAILY MAIL

Reviews

‘The characters both convince and fascinate. The sense of place is stunning. Lyrical and passionate, Allende describes with equal vividness women preparing a feast in a slum back yard, a small town breathless in the heat of summer, or a battalion slaughtered by night on a mountainside. Allende’s writing is supremely elegant.’ Independent on Sunday

‘Devotees of Allende’s The House of the Spirits will rejoice to find again in her new novel the magical storyteller’s touch that transforms life into a compelling emotional adventure, leaving one breathless. A hopeful, warm-hearted, absorbing novel.’ Daily Mail