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Haha. Hsieh's right. Allende and Garcia Marquez are actually the same author. You know how old hispanic women look like men sometimes, 'cause they are so ugly? Well, I think that's how Allende pulled it off, writing more books under the alias "Gabriel Garcia Marquez". She figured that if she wrote under a man's name, she'd get more attention. She was right. While Garcia Marquez made "top marks" receiving numerous awards for his works (most importantly the Nobel Prize for Chronicle), Allende only had mild success with HOS.
It is a bit too similar, isn't it? I mean, both novels have anti-religion, blood and gore, sex, and lazy people...not to mention the anti-perverted men bastard theme, which really gives away the Allende/Marquez union. Allende is feminist...is Marquez? He sure seems to be.
Ah well. I still think Chronicle was pretty good. Anything that doesn't more than one middle-aged Irish woman whirling away like Colin Mockery to "Dancing in the Dark" sang by Frank Sinatra is good enough for me.