Rating: 
Summary: initially promising, ultimately disappointing
Review: Having heard much positive buzz about the writer, Isabel Allende, I was interested in reading Daughter of Fortune. Although the book proved initially promising, the odd combination of so many rather hastily developed characters passing through deeply personal, stirring crises, had the effect of alienating me emotionally from the story. Set in Chile during the latter half of the nineteenth century, one plot after another is introduced, quite skillfully at first, but as the story progresses to California, the reader is left to chase (and care) about a ball of yarn that has grown to massive proportions and is rolling down the hill with an alarming lack of direction. It almost seems like the author herself grew weary of tracking the individual plots of her characters and abruptly abandoned several with implausible resolutions. Another technique that I found slightly disconcerting was her habit of foreshadowing details that diffused my interest in the story as it unfolded. Since most reactions to this book have been overwhelmingly positive, I feel like the class nerd for making so many negative comments. All I can say is that perhaps my expectations were inflated by all the hype I had heard regarding Allende. I did enjoy her description of Chile and the obvious research that went into depicting the social structure and certain world events of that time, but my overall impression is that the story ultimately breaks down and I found myself finishing it more out of a sense of duty (and faint hope that it would redeem itself) than one of genuine interest.
Rating: 
Summary: BRAVO!
Review: Isabel Allende, strikes an immediate chord to a family 'putting on airs' yet, within the house having its problems. It hit home for me and will most likely hit home for many others because we know of families that seem perfect.... and often we find out much later what was truly happening.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating characters
Review: What a wonderful book! Complex characters deal with the clash of cultures in Chile and California. I see from reading the comments of others that one person's fascination with rich background and character development is another's frustration with boring details. The comments are interesting to read. However, the comments from Kirkus Reviews bother me. Not only is the review a spoiler, written like an essay by a junior high student who thinks a review is a retelling of the entire plot, but it contains factual errors (Jeremy Sommers was not a sea captain; Joaquin's name is misspelled, for example) and is barely literate. I'm VERY glad that I did not read this review before I finished the very enjoyable Daughter of Fortune.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautifully Written Historical Novel
Review: Daughter of Fortune was the first Allende book I have read, and I feel certain it will not be the last. I thought it was a beautifully written book and enjoyed it very much. The book begins in Chile, with the mysterious finidng of young Eliza in a soap box. The book progresses to detail Eliza's growing up, falling in love, and traveling to California to try and find her lover. I found the book even more interesting once Eliza moved to California. The detail concerning the early days of the Gold Rush was well-done. I won't reveal the ending, but I think that it teaches an important lesson about how people fall in love, providing a stark contrast from the headlong infatuations of early adolescence to a more mature love that develops from friendship and shared experiences.
Rating:
Summary: I didn't want it to end!
Review: This historical fiction combines descriptive and evocative prose, a wonderfully rich and complex story line and an exotic and often cruel setting. This is the first book I've read by the author and I am now ready for more. Although it drags at times and you wish the characters would come together more often to interact, I didn't want the book to end. I am hoping for a sequel where these interesting lives can continue on. My view is that this book only scratches the surface of these complex characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Drags on & on with little plot or resolution
Review: I read this book as a book club selection. I could barely finish it. The author carries the adventure through California long enough for boredom to set in. I enjoy a much faster paced book. Also, it was unrealistic that a woman would be able to interact so closely with so many people without anyone detecting she was a woman. Come on.
Rating:
Summary: Not her best work
Review: I am a big fan of Allende's work and was more than a little disappointed by this book. The story was, for the most part, interesting and well-written, but there were chapters and chapters that I felt like I was just wading through to finally finish the book. I think that the story line really picked up in the last half of the book. Unfortunately, I had to slog through the first half to get there. The book isn't terrible. It's just not great. So read some other work of Allende's -- The House of the Spirits, Of Love and Shadows, The Stories of Eva Luna -- and you will have a more satisfying experience.
Rating:
Summary: another brillant Isabel Allende book!
Review: As a fan of Isabel Allende,I enjoyed Daughter of Fortune as much as her 'House of Spirits' In the book,she takes you to Chile of 1830'ies ,then China again the same times and then California of 1850'ies.The story is captivating,the description of the countries,societies (how much changed since then!)and peoples are excellent.Although I read the book when I was down with flu,I enjoyed it very much and it helped me to recover sooner. I heartily recommend the book for the ones who enjoys the stories with a rich cultural and historical background and wish the talented author a long life with more books to come!.
Rating:
Summary: beautiful writing, disappointing plot
Review: In Daughter of Fortune, Ms Allende's writing is as beautiful as always, and the storyline in which the historical and the mystical are interthwined is enchanting. However, the ending is abrupt, and leaves one with the feeling that either the author did not have the time (or the courage) to finish the plot, or that the last several chapters got lost on the way to the publisher! Sure something must be left to the reader's imagination, but building up the plot and then not delivering a culmination is very disappointing. Isabel Allende is one of my favorite authors and I have read all of her books. I only wish I knew Spanish so that I can read the originals, although I find the English translations by M.S. Peden excellent. I give four stars to Daughter of Fortune because I am comparing the book to everything else that gets published, and I believe that Isabel Allende is one of the most original and tallented contemporary writers. However, compared only to Ms. Allende's other books, Daughter of Fortune would get two stars, with Eva Luna, House of the Spirits and Paula fetching five shining stars each. Interesting that Ms. Allende's other novel set in the US, The Infinite Plan, was also quite disappointing in terms of development of the plot and the characters. It seems to me that the author is still not completely confident how her style and stories will flourish on US soil.
Rating:
Summary: a good historical novel
Review: I have very mixed feelings regarding Isabel Allende's Daughter of Fortune. It took me a very long time to get into the novel, although I found the characters interesting and the writing beautiful. Maybe it was because the hook of a woman following her lover is not an intriguing one for me. While I found young Eliza Sommers to be an interesting character, I had no patience with her when she fell in love. The second half of the story was very interesting to me> I liked the historical detail about China, life at sea and especially California during the gold rush. I am very fond of historical novels and thought this was well done. I didn't find this to be a novel of much depth or insight, which isn't a real concern for me, because I read more for entertainment than enlightenment. It was a good historical novel.
| 
