Rating: 
Summary: Better than most authors, but subpar for Allende...
Review: I like Isabel Allende. And PORTRAIT IN SEPIA is a good story, well told, but sometimes I felt that Allende phoned this one it instead of really working on the characters. I agree that the grandmother is the focal point of the story . . . I'm not sure that's what Allende intended, but you couldn't help but love the domineering, overbearing, bejeweled woman who paid to have a huge bed carted by the house of her husband's lover! I wish Allende had spent more time with a few characters, rather than filling the pages with so many comings and goings. Some of the characters really intrigued me, but they almost disappeared into the plot. I'll continue to read Allende because she's very gifted. I just hope she'll take more care of her craft in the future. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Better than most authors, but subpar for Allende...
Review: I like Isabel Allende. And PORTRAIT IN SEPIA is a good story, well told, but sometimes I felt that Allende phoned this one it instead of really working on the characters. I agree that the grandmother is the focal point of the story . . . I'm not sure that's what Allende intended, but you couldn't help but love the domineering, overbearing, bejeweled woman who paid to have a huge bed carted by the house of her husband's lover! I wish Allende had spent more time with a few characters, rather than filling the pages with so many comings and goings. Some of the characters really intrigued me, but they almost disappeared into the plot. I'll continue to read Allende because she's very gifted. I just hope she'll take more care of her craft in the future. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent story
Review: Allende recounts the compelling story of the Chilean immigrant Aurora del Valle, who gradually uncovers the secrets of her strange childhood, the identity of her father, and the reason for her being haunted by recurring nightmares. As is usual for Allende, the characters are the lifeblood of a complex story, and all of them are as eccentric as they are lovable, continuously getting themselves in and out of trouble in innumerable, fascinating ways. Allende tends to treat Aurora's distant relatives with a great deal of imagination and panache, while the latter half of the book somewhat degenerates to a predictable love story. But it is still a fine novel. Read it and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable reading
Review: Although not as strong as Daughter of Fortune, this is still enjoyable reading. Allende has an easy style to her writing which makes reading a delight. The story is good and entertaining and worth the time with this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable reading
Review: Although not as strong as Daughter of Fortune, this is still enjoyable reading. Allende has an easy style to her writing which makes reading a delight. The story is good and entertaining and worth the time with this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe closer to 3 1/2 stars
Review: Although the book was the much awaited sequel to the masterpiece that is "Daughter of Fortune" it does not exactly pick up where the latter left off. It is still captivating and a pleasure to read, but as I said a little less satisfying to the senses of the reader. Still, a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful "sequel"
Review: Amazing, as are all her books. Isabel Allende is truly among the most gifted of writers. Her stories are nothing short of fascinating. Before you read PORTRAIT IN SEPIA, read DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE, which features some of the same characters and takes place earlier in time (roughly the California gold rush, 1849.) getting to know these characters is a wonderful experience, so start from the beginning.
Rating: 
Summary: Big Disappointment =(
Review: Having read House of the Spirits and Daughter of Fortune, I eagerly awaited her new novel. This was a great disappointment. I wanted to read this sequel so badly that I even bought the Spanish version and read it a year ago. When I finished that book, I thought maybe it was my Spanish language skills that had detracted from the book. It wasn't.
None of the characters were interesting enough to have a lasting effect. I couldn't sympathize with them by the end of the novel. It was also too similar to Daughter of Fortune in some ways. Overall, it was too predictable and boring.
The only reason I read until the end was because I was unwilling to believe that this was it. I was sure there had to be something memorable by the end, but there wasn't. Don't waste your money on this book.
Rating:
Summary: memory and belief
Review: I admit I haven't read a book by Allende that I haven't liked. And this story held all the tragedy and romance that I expect and love in her work. My favorite character in this book was Nivea. I loved how she just knew. And the way she believed things. And the way she loved her husband. But the best part of the story was the way love was always portrayed as something that one fights for, fights to keep. That commitment is renewed each day, that it can not be taken for granted. Love isn't easy. That's the message that I took from this book, and I very much agree with that sentiment. The best things are never easy. Aurora's passion for photography was wonderful to read about, and I related to a lot of what she felt throughout her story. Every word of her story felt like it was a struggle for her to write, and I appreciated her words. I appreciated the way she spoke of writing as that which would make the story more real. "Memory is fiction" and this is why we write our stories this way. I quite liked this story.
Rating:
Summary: memory and belief
Review: I admit I haven't read a book by Allende that I haven't liked. And this story held all the tragedy and romance that I expect and love in her work. My favorite character in this book was Nivea. I loved how she just knew. And the way she believed things. And the way she loved her husband. But the best part of the story was the way love was always portrayed as something that one fights for, fights to keep. That commitment is renewed each day, that it can not be taken for granted. Love isn't easy. That's the message that I took from this book, and I very much agree with that sentiment. The best things are never easy. Aurora's passion for photography was wonderful to read about, and I related to a lot of what she felt throughout her story. Every word of her story felt like it was a struggle for her to write, and I appreciated her words. I appreciated the way she spoke of writing as that which would make the story more real. "Memory is fiction" and this is why we write our stories this way. I quite liked this story.
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