Do you have a favorite character in Zorro? At library discussions of the book, people agreed that most of Allende's characters in the novel are likable in spite of their faults. The one exception was Rafael Moncada, the man with whom Diego duels (over Moncada's insults to Bernardo) and who competes with Diego for the attentions of Juliana. As one participant said, a novel like this one needs a pure villain, if only to make the hero appear all the more heroic.

Isabel, people felt, was a girl ahead of her time, and far more interesting than her sister, Juliana.

Even Eulalia, who believes that everyone has "his place" in society (and hers is at the top), is appealing to me. With her business trading in chocolates, her material wealth, and her corpulence, she is an amusing caricature of a lady of leisure, spending her time pampering herself and eating bonbons.

What do you think of Tomas de Romeu, Isabel and Juliana's father and a man with progressive if sometimes hypocritical ideas? To post your comments, click on the Comments button below this paragraph.