Rating: Summary: Lovely Review: I loved it! Isabel Allende has a style all her own and it's delightful. She is able to create a world which then engulfs you. I have become a fan. After reading this I went to the bookstore to find another of her's and accidentally came across a book that Ms Allende has written a beautiful endorsment for titled Seductive Poison. It is a memoir which I ordered from Amazon and have found that it is as she says: written with passion and reads like a thriller. I look forward to more from Ms Allende and hope Daughter of Fortune is made into a movie. The author should have a cameo role. Besides being a great writer she is beautiful.
Rating: Summary: Daughter of Fortune, more of the same. Review: If you consider Isabel Allende one of the best southamerican writers that just shows how little you must know about our literature because Ms.Allende is maybe the most widely read of our authors, but she is a very limited one. She always writes about the same thing:herself, and Daughter of Fortune is no exception. Daughter of Fortune is the story of a spirited young woman who defy all the rules of her time by following her heart. Sounds familiar? You might have read "The House of the Spirits" and "Of Love and Shadows", in her last novel she sets the time in the XIX century; the place in her homeland, Chile; and a set of characters, where the father is always missing. Eliza is raised by a spinster and her bachelor brother. Her origins are unknown but still she is treated as a "seƱorita"; she falls in love with a wild horse and doesn't think twice in leaving everything that is dear to her for what she thinks is the love of her life. Not very original but fun to read because Ms.Allende knows how to write about herself, it gets complicated in the second part of the book when our heroine arrives to a gold rush California, with only a chinese man for a friend, then is when the book turns to be a boring pastiche, just like The Infinite Plan. Maybe its because when Ms.Allende dares to go outside of her world, she always gets lost. If you want to read her best book, read Paula.
Rating: Summary: Good reading... Review: I enjoyed reading the book. I thought the characters were interesting and well developed. The plot was sort of fantastic, but if I wanted reality, I'd read non-fiction. I liked the way it all came together at the end. Not exactly "happily ever after", but congruent. I rather liked the writer's blending of cultures and characters in the "new" land. It was a colorful story and an enjoyable read. I would recommend it to others.
Rating: Summary: Couldn't stop reading! Review: Allende's Daughter of Fortune traces the life of a young girl born an orphan but raised by a rich Chilean family with whom she finds love and training but not true contentment. Eliza's adoptive family teach her how to be a young lady, dress her beautifully and even produce an impressive dowry for her, yet they ultimately neglect her soul. When a young man employed by her uncle named Joaquin shows up at her home one day, she finds herself a true victim of love at first sight. She begins to exist solely in the hope that she might see him again and a vigorous affair ensues. When Joaquin announces that he intends to go to California, Eliza follows a month after his departure. There she searches for him for over three years under disguise. Allend portrays her difficulties as she pursues her lover and the woman she becomes as a result. Although somewhat unrealistic at times, Daughter of Fortune is a well-written, gripping book.
Rating: Summary: great! Review: I just really loved this book.Such strong yet endearing people, set against this vast panorama. It's really a good read .Allende is about the best author writing today. along with Tawni O'dell's "Back roads" and Asher Brauner's "love songs of the tone deaf" this is the best fiction I've read in ages
Rating: Summary: Daughter of Fortune Review: Absolutely wonderful - one of the best! Wonderful protagonists. So good I miss them all already. I will read it again and again.
Rating: Summary: a well-constructed adventure Review: Allende takes us on a journey that ties together several cultures in unique settings. Almost as good as Houses of the Spirits.
Rating: Summary: Allende's First Disappointment Review: Usually a big fan of Allende, I have been known to rave about her books for months after reading them because of the compelling stories and the lovely prose. This time something did not click. It is neither charming/captivating nor interesting. I may not be able to finish this one. It is a pity Oprah did not catch on to Allende when Paula was published.
Rating: Summary: Great piece of history Review: I've read other books by Isabel Allende and although this one is not my favorite I really enjoyed it. It is really interesting to understand how Callifornia developed after it became a US territory and how so many different cultures came together to build the city of San Francisco and the bay area. Also important to bring out is that in only one book you are able to learn about four different cultures and a specific point in time. Last but not least, what I didn't like was the reasons and desicions of some of the characters (after all, I don't have to agree)
Rating: Summary: AUDIO REVIEW -- COULD EVEN BE BETTER THAN THE BOOK Review: Blair Brown's reading of Allende's Daughter of Fortune is absolutely superb. I'm always amazed when a reader takes on the task of making an audiotape of a book that is replete with many different accents. Blair's interpretation is a delight but be prepared to spend a lot of time listening to this unabridged version -- many, many cassettes included. It's definitely worth it though.
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