SOURCE: "Unusual Characters Pursue Their Dreams," in The Christian Science Monitor, June 10, 1993, p. 14.

Rubin is an American critic. In the following review of The Infinite Plan, he argues that the novel "is ambitious in scope, but merely competent in execution."

The Infinite Plan is Isabel Allende's fifth novel and her first to be set in the United States, where she now lives. The Chilean-born journalist and author received considerable attention for her previous books, The House of the Spirits, Of Love and Shadows, Eva Luna, and The Stories of Eva Luna, which found their way onto the bestseller lists.

Allende writes with passion and conviction, but her work has yet to demonstrate the consistent level of originality and craftsmanship that distinguishes consummate artist from aspiring author.

Her new novel, as its title suggests, is ambitious in scope, but merely competent in execution: a large canvas, filled with characters...