Rating: 
Summary: Interesting in a different sort of way!
Review: This is one of the few un-put-down-able books I have read with a historic setting. In the Daughter of Fortune, I found a very interesting perspective to several ideas. The gold rush, the Chinese, the Chileans, the British, the 49ers ... these were talked about in a very discriptive yet thought-provoking manner. The book centers around a woman but is not soppy by any means. Definately a book that I would recommend to anyone who likes to read about women.
Rating:
Summary: A Sweeping Historical Fic
Review: I normally avoid the "Oprah's Book Club" Selection like the plague. After seeing the Natalie Portman movie, "Where The Heart Is", there was no way I would subject myself to another woman-overcomes-horrific-adversities story. But, due to the limited selection at the tiny bookstore, I had no choice but to pick up Ms.Allende's book. I've always loved Historical fiction and this one showed some promise, despite the "Oprah" stamp of approval. Well I'm so glad I bought the book 'coz it was definitely rich in historic detail. I loved how Ms.Allende had the patience to tackle so many different cultures in this novel. She does it briefly but without sacrificing any of the rich details. An example of such would be how she captures and stimulates your imagination by coming up with the perfect metaphor for scents. I love it when a writer does that. It takes you right to the story and you almost feel one with the characters as they take in the scents of their surroundings. An example of such would be how she described a character to have "the scent of the sea" and this becomes an aphrodisiac of sorts for our heroine. I can almost feel and simulate Eliza's swooning after reading that line. And the vivid experiences of the characters are also engaing. She takes you to Chile, China, and various parts of California. It becomes quite an experience. I especially enjoyed the narrative on Tao Chi'en's background. You really come to know and understand his character. And more importantly, it breaks the stereotype that Asian Men are only good for sagely, ascetic and OLD characters. Here, we get a virile, romantic, confused but honorable Asian hero, so rarely seen in Western or Latino lits. I applaud Ms. Allende for that. The other characters though, like that of Paulina, don't really serve a specific purpose, except to show a different kind of woman in that period. I got annoyed at how she kept on popping up and somewhat convoluted the story. I wanted more of Eliza and Tao Chi'en! As for the ending, while it did wrap up some ends, I did feel as if I wanted another chapter or two. I'd fallen in love with the characters and turning the last page was almost heartbreaking. I had to reread the book again just to satisfy my craving. It was simply wonderful how Ms. Allende handled our protagonists' romance with careful delicacy and patience. When I started reading about Eliza's first love, I thought it would be another one of those awful bodice-ripper books. But as I read on, I realized the book offered more than that. It gave wonderful insights on human nature: its racist tendencies, its obsessions, its ability to realize wonderful truths when prejudices are overcome, and the patient nature of real love. Ms. Allende, if you're reading this...please, please, please, write a sequel. I miss Eliza, Tao and the rest of the gang. :)
Rating:
Summary: Sweeping tale
Review: This sweeping tale is full of adventure. Allende manages to once again write an engrossing novel featuring strong female characters overcoming obstacles and hardship. She writes richly about the hardships of immigrants seeking gold and a better life in California. Her descriptions of missionaries and British businessmen in South America clearly comment on the disparity of lifestyle betweent the employers and the employed, the white and the dark. Allende's novels tend to be fantastic, requiring suspension of disbelief on the part of the reader. Suspend that disbelief and dive in!
Rating: 
Summary: My Favorite Book
Review: Allende is an incredible author. She weaves fiction and reality seamlessly, you feel as if you have known the characters for years! Although the plots at first seem completely unlikely, Allende is so convincing that by the end of the book, the story is totally logical!
Rating: 
Summary: read something else...
Review: reading this book was a waste of time. a predictable romance novel with characters as interesting as shallow mud puddles -- was trying to walk around them the entire read. cant believe this is what is being passed off a good modern literature, her writing style reminded me of some cardboard I ate when I was a child -- I have seen more compelling sentences bill boards. now I know what I have *not* been missing by skipping best sellers -- will *not* be selecting any Oprah Book Club selections to read in the future. read bukowski, joyce, colin dexter or mary karr instead.
Rating:
Summary: Story of courage
Review: This is a story to read that will show you that with a little courage & faith, you can make it through anything. Loved the story, even though you wanted to cry & cringe for Eliza. She's a tough cookie!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent views of Valpariso, Canton, San Francisco
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this novel with its views of life in Valpariso, Canton Province, and San Francisco. I rated it four stars because of (1) (a) the constant use of "Chi'en" for the surname "Ch'ien" in Wade romanization, a horrific gaff; (1)(b) the old use of "tong", again a Wade romanization of a word pronounced "dung". We used to joke in S.F. years ago about the tong wars as people throwing tongs at each other. "Dung" is the same word as the "tong" used in "Gwo Min Tong", the Nationalist People's Party. (2) Some of the "translation" from Ms. Allende's Spanish is "transliteration" at times, as if the translator did not know the best English word to render a Spanish word. At times, the transliterated word in English does not mean what Allende's Spanish word means. One reviewer thought that Ms Allende used "strawberries" for a woman's engorged nipples; it came through as "garabanzos" in the English version, and garbanzos are beans. I thought that the ending was great. Could not ask for more. Can easily figure what happens beyond the ending, because Ms Allende telegraphed it much earlier in the novel. Loved the reference to the changeable climate in S.F., hour to hour. Enjoyed thoroughly all of the blending of information about Chinese and Anglo-American medical practices, alternative practices (accupuncture)and pharmaceuticals. Some Native American medicine is referred to in the Mother Lode. Which reminds me, there was not one reference to the "Mother Lode", which bothered me just a tad. Would have liked to know the name of the permanent Mother Lode town founded in the course of the novel. There was a later mention of "Jackson", but not clearly as the town founded by the Forty-Niners. I wonder if the S.F. journalist was based on Mark Twain. The novel does show the predominance of Cantonese dialect in S.F., yet we do have the Mandarin dialect usages and in the long obsolete Wade romanization yet.
Rating:
Summary: The "no end" story
Review: Allende's book is about an abandoned girl who was raised up by an English family living in Chile. When she grows up, she falls in love with a Chilean boy who later decides to go to California in search of gold.
The young girl then travels to San Francisco to find the boy and resume their love story.
The plot, as you see, is not very original although the end certainly is: there isn't any.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Good Literature
Review: I bought this book in an airport because I'd never read anything by Allende but saw her name enough to assume she was one of the good new writers. I also figured that since Oprah recommended her for her book club that the writing was, well, good. I don't know how much suffered in translation, but the writing was OK at best. Worse, the story reminded me of those second-rate historical novels my mom used to give me as an adolescent. For example, during a sex scene Allende actually describes the heroine's nipples as "strawberries" -- I'm not kidding. At the same time the love scenes weren't graphic enough to make it a steamy romance worth reading for the sex. Nothing for no one.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining Summer Read!
Review: At first, I didn't like Allende's lengthy, descriptive writing style. Rather than having the reader get to know the characters by way of dialogue, we have a chance at hearing the personal thoughts of each of the characters (but not as a first person narrative.) I found the story both riveting and charming. Having taken many California History Classes at CAL, I was able to truly enjoy how Allende spun both California History and Folklore into her own tale. I think it's fantastic that Allende was able to give her story a multicultural perspective--she really captured the spirit of what it means to be a Californian. As a Chinese-American, I was pleasantly surprised that Allende made it a point to describe the racism that persisted against communities of color at the time (which is rarely portrayed in most novels of the West.)
On the whole, it was a fun story!
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