This magisterial work of historical fiction recounts the astonishing life of Iné s Suá rez, a daring Spanish conquistadora who toiled to build the nation of Chile-; and whose vital role has too often been neglected by history. <P> It is the beginning of the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and when Iné s’ s shiftless husband disappears to the New World, she uses the opportunity to search for him as an excuse to flee her stifling homeland and seek adventure. After a treacherous journey to Peru, she learns of his death in battle. She meets and begins a passionate love affair with a man who seeks only honor and glory: Pedro Valdivia, war hero and field marshal to the famed Francisco Pizarro. Together, Iné s and Valdivia will build the new city of Santiago and wage a ruthless war against the indigenous Chileans. The horrific struggle will change them forever, pulling each toward their separate destinies. <P> "Iné s of My Soul" is a work of breathtaking scope, written with the narrative brilliance and passion readers have come to expect from Isabel Allende.