Lovers at the Museum

A Short Story

By: Isabel Allende, Isabel Allende - translator

Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wind Knows My Name comes a mesmerizing tale of two passionate souls who share one magical night that defies all rational explanation.

Love, be it wild or tender, often defies logic. In fact, at times, the only rationale behind the instant connection of two souls is plain magic.

Bibiña Aranda, runaway bride, wakes up in the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao still wearing her wedding dress, draped in the loving arms of a naked man whose name she doesn’t know. She and the man with no clothes, Indar Zubieta, attempt to explain to the authorities how they got there. It’s a story of love at first sight and experience beyond compare, one that involves a dreamlike journey through the museum.

But the lovers’ transcendent night bears no resemblance to the crude one Detective Larramendi attempts to reconstruct. And no amount of fantastical descriptions can convince the irritated inspector of the truth.

Allende’s dreamy short story has the power to transport readers in any language, leaving them to ponder the wonders of love long after the story’s over.

©2001, 2024 by Isabel Allende. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Translation © 2024 by Isabel Allende. Previously published as Los Amantes del Guggenheim by Círculo de Lectores in Spain in 2001. Translated from Spanish by Isabel Allende. First published in English by Amazon Original Stories in 2024.

Critic reviews

“Nicholas Boulton delights in this story of passionate lovers.… Boulton speaks brusquely as Detective Larramendi separately interviews the couple, who both offer the same explanation. Boulton uses pacing to deliver Isabel Allende's wry humor. As the woman, Bibiña, Boulton gushes with earnestness; as her lover, Indar, he conveys similar honesty but with a matter-of-factness that belies the fantastic nature of the couple's excuse. Despite his crusty nature, Detective Larramendi cannot help being captivated by the magically implausible story that the lovers tell. Neither will listeners.”—AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner

A delightful short story

Amusing fantasy tale, with a few good laughs too, best thing though was that it was performed by my very favourite narrator.

Loved this

Delightful and charming as only the beautiful amazing Isabel Allende could present❤️’ I’ve been a fan from the beginning.

Meh

Beautiful narration of an unremarkable story. Maybe I am just not the audience for this type of story.

Fairy story

Excellent performance by the narrator. I began the story with no idea what to expect. As it ended, I realized that it was like a tale from Mythology, but there was not one doubt in my mind that the couple truly loved each other and would be happy ever after. Loved it!

hilarious

don't read anything about it; just jump in and enjoy. excellent narration makes the characters come alive.