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Summary: Please write a sequel to this story
Review: I enjoyed the story. The writing is lyrical and lively. It is a fast read. I always appreciate the gift Ms. Allende has for intertwining culture, history and drama. I did get caught up in the character development and their individual stories. Some of the writing made me think of The Poisonwood Bible, and some of Joy Luck Club. There were so many characters and so many things happening to them. I'm not sure if this was intentional and it was not a drawback of this book. . The characters were unique. If there is a drawback it is that I wanted to learn more about what happens to the characters. So much time was invested in describing them. I think there should be a sequel. Please tell me what happens to the characters or should I just assume they were part of the the great California past and let them all go? It would be so interesting to follow their offspring into the millenium.
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Summary: daughter of fortune
Review: First time and probably the last time I will read this author! She is the Jackie Collins of South America. Book is contrived with no real development of characters.
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Summary: Dont waste your time!
Review: This is my perspective of the book.....It started out good...then the best part is the voyage...and from there on it was a big downfall! At the end..she totally forgets about what she is looking for, and falls in love with an idiot of a character. The worst part of all is the last remark. I read it because House of Spirits had recieved so many high rankings, I decided that I should read another book of hers, but this one is awful, and It does not compel me to read her other books! This was an OVERALL HORRIBLE BOOK! DoNt WaSte yOUr TiMe!
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Summary: Excellent - could not put it down.
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed the portrayal of the family from the beginning to ending.The character Miss Rose and Eliza were spell binding and it is almost unbelievable that anyone can endure something similar to the story. I loved the history and stories of the countries involved and especially the insite to the Gold Miner's Rush. I highly recommend it to anyone that wants to get transposed to another dimension. C. Cameron Tallahassee, Florida
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Summary: A Five Star Oprah Book!
Review: Finally, a book that wasn't about some poor, put-upon girl that struggles with life. But a strong heroine who makes her own choices and lives with them. I loved this book. It was educational and entertaining and enlightening. My only complaint is that just as it was ending it seemed to be beginning. Do I smell a sequel? I would love it!
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Summary: A trip around the world
Review: As improbable as the tale of Eliza Sommers may be, it is an enjoyable read. There is enough coincidence to make credibility a stretch, but the story is told with such imagination that much can be forgiven. Allende's look into the California of gold rush days is a real history lesson. What has been mentioned only in passing in many accounts is the fact that people from literally all over the world flooded into the territory dreaming of gold. The clash of cultures and races is something I had read little about. The reality for most of the people risking all for possible riches was heartbreak and misery. It is this part of the story which rings the truest note. The author's powers of description are considerable, giving the reader a real feel for what life was like in mid-18th century China, Chile, and west coast America. What people wore, what they ate, how they spent their time are lovingly detailed. All this aside, there is a sense of distance from the characters themselves, and they never quite become physical presences. This should be a fatal flaw in a novel, but I still got something from this book.
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Summary: Hija de la Fortuna
Review: Este libro me encanto. Trata sobre prejucios sociales en los 1800's y como una jovencita por el gran amor que le tiene a su novio enfrenta un continente nuevo. Los lios y creatividad de la chica en como resolverlos son sorprendentes y divertidos.
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Summary: True to form and truly beautiful
Review: Whenever I have ever heard anybody say of a book that they could not put it down, I usually shrugged it off, thinking the speaker to be a bit too dramaic. That is however, until I came across -- purely by chance -- Isabel Allende. Daughter of Fortune continues the marvelous work of a very gifted author. A captivating story, with marvelous characters; a thing of beauty. If you have ever wanted to lose yourself in a story, then this is a book you should read. And when you finish, and your soul longs for more (as, I guarantee you, you will; Ms. Allende has a knack for getting you so into her characters and her stories that they become so much a part of you, and you actually miss them when the story is over), why not read the others in her collection, if you have not already? You will have the same feeling about each one. Yes, critics will say the story has, in a broad sense, a theme similar to all her works, but Ms. Allende here shows her true art, for in retelling that theme, she never seems to make you quite feel as if you've heard it all before. Her descriptions, both of character and scenery, always draw you in, bringing you deeper into the magical world she has created. Daughter of Fortune accomplishes that. I don't want to give anything away about it; just get the book, open it up and you will soon see what I mean. I anxiously await her next work, which based on the ending of this one, I suspect will be a continuation of the saga of Eliza and Tao Chi'en.
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Summary: what in the world happened to allende?
Review: I am a huge fan of Allende's work, and as soon as this book came out I ran to the bookstore to get it. The beginning of the book had me really excited and wanting more, and then I don't know what happened. The first reaction I had when I finished the book was anger. How can such a brilliant writer and storyteller have possibly gotten so lazy from the middle to the end of this story. If you guys want to read a brilliant story by this lady go out and buy THE HOUSE OF SPIRITS. Don't waste your money and time reading mediocre writing by an excellent writer. Buy her good stuff, and save yourself the disappointment.
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Summary: Contrived, Predictable...a waste of time
Review: Without the motivation of the book club to which I belong, I would have never read past the first chapter of this book; I already assumed (correctly) what would happen throughout the novel. Even if I had not predicted the subsequent events, I would not have been challenged--emotionally, intellectually, or otherwise--by the conflicts presented. The plot is, indeed, linear; however, it lack progression and climax. Though the plot itself is something to deride, the book's style is truly contemptible. D.O.F. is written in a tone rich in condescension and triteness. Only occaisionally did I find Allende's (or, I suppose in my case, the translator's) style to vivify her characters. Simply, her clearly contrived narrative renders disbelief of the reader; the characters are thinly developed and their decisions often unjustified. Perhaps that does not matter, though--the forced melodrama pervading the under-developed plot and characters induces intellectual nauseam and stasis. I understand that books of another language often lose meaning through translation to English. Conceding that, even, simply does not justify reading this book. Moreover, seeing D.O.F as a widely embraced, best-selling novel disheartens me and only further illustrates the attrition of our collective, national intellect. This book should make most readers shiver with disappointment and run towards the Classic Literature section of the book store...immediately.
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