Rating: 
Summary: Better Than Her Previous Effort, But Far Below Her Best
Review: I admit that I had pretty low expectations for Portrait in Sepia, especially when I learned that it was a sequel to Daughter of Fortune (which I consider one of Allende's weaker works). After reading the first 100 pages, I feared that even those low expectations wouldn't be met. These pages, which are set in San Francisco, share the same mistakes that plague Daughter of Fortune. Nowhere can this be better seen than when Allende twice describes her characters as entering "another dimension" after making love. That overblown expression, which left me rolling on the floor in laughter, made me think I was reading a camp sendup of an Allende novel. Fortunately, the book got better once the setting was moved to Chile. The characters became a little more realistic and the story became more interesting. It at first seemed that by returning the story to Chile, Allende found that emotional core which she needs to tap in order to write effectively. Yet, I soon realized that the reason why the story was better was not because she had found an emotional core. She had instead borrowed from her other books where that quality is present. For instance, the De Valle's are from The House of the Spirits. The theme of photography as a way to insure memory can be found in Of Love and Shadows, as well as in one of the stories in The Stories of Eva Luna. Using narrative to "show" a person's life can be found in Eva Luna. The result is like reading a "Greatest Hits" version of Allende's previous works. While that may sound attractive, it comes across as though she is out of ideas. Portrait in Sepia provides the reader with glimpses that show Allende is still capable of strong writing. The book contains some vivid characters, employs narrative instead of dialogue to convey the story, and occasionally utilizes effective prose to portray powerful emotion. The problem is that the book doesn't have a subject which is capable of maximizing and focusing these strengths. Until Allende finds that subject, she will continue to diminish her standing as a talented author.
Rating: 
Summary: the portrait of a pageturner
Review: I am a great fan of Isabelle Allende's ever since The House of Spirits, so I could not help loving this book who takes us back some generations before the first aclamated novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Enchanting
Review: I am an avid reader of Ms. Allende, and I have read almost all her books. This book is very special to me because I just fell in love with the storyline completely. Raw, ravishing, vibrant colors make up this book like a graceful waterfall. I love Aurora and her storytelling and how she overcame her nightmares and bringing the web of mystic roots together in unison to understand and experience the pangs of a second-love. Second to Eva Luna (which is my favorite book) I also love how MS. Allende put Tao Chi'en and Eliza SOmmers on the brink of their love story. I didn't really like daugther of fortune personally, but Portrait in Sepia is just glittery enchanting!
Rating:
Summary: Worst book by Isabel Allende
Review: I am an enthusiastic reader of Allende's books, and this has been a real disappointment. She seems to have lost her capacity to render the most intimate feelings of her characters, this book is very superficial and sometimes very dull.
If you are interested in this author, read Paula or the 2 books of Eva Luna, which are real masterpieces.
Rating: 
Summary: Beauty in the storytelling
Review: I apprecaited the storytelling aspect of Allende's work, and had to work hard in the beginning to keep all of the characters straight. Once I kept reading, I found myself turning the pages to find out what happened to Aurora, and why she had such horrible nightmares. The last part of the book begins to get more interesting.....but I wanted more in the end.
My favorite Allende book is still, Paula.
Rating:
Summary: A good story
Review: I can't tell you that this is an excellent book, but is a good book to learn something about how is the life in Latin America, are parts of the book that it doesn't have many sense, but is part of writing and making a good story, if you try to verify in all the books the parts that couldn't be true or the "big mistakes" made by the protagonists, you won't like any book. The story of the book is not a page turner but you will learn something while you read.
Rating:
Summary: A Captivating Read
Review: I did not had the benefit (or is it handicap?) of reading any of Allende's work before I read this book. I thought that this was a fantastic read, one of the best books that I have read all year. The story follows the life of Aurora de Valle, daughter of Lynn Sommers (granddaughter of Eliza Sommers, for those who have read Daughters of Fortune) and Matias De Valle. If you are looking for a book that has a definitive plot, you probably should not pick up this one. It is written in first person, memoir style, and follows the life of Aurora from her conception to the age of thirty. Though there isn't a typical "climax", there is plenty to keep you interested. The characters are very vivid, especially Paulina de Valle, Aurora's paternal grandmother. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew Paulina de Valle. This book was funny, and emotionally satistfying. I highly recommend it. In fact, I think I'll read more of her books as a consequence of picking up this one.
Rating:
Summary: Good and easy read
Review: I found this book very enjoyable, it was an easy read and even if there are facts that aren't totally accurate (as another reviewer points out) this is a novel, not a history book, so you should just relax and enjoy it! I recommend you read "Daughter of Fortune" first!! Even though you can read them independently, Daughter of Fortune precedes Portrait in Sepia.
Rating:
Summary: Painting her words
Review: I have always loved Isabel Allende, even when she was criticized that her first book was very similar to Gabriel Garcia's One Hundred Years of solitude. And as an English major she was criticized for being too " fluffy".This is a novel written in another world, the corazon de latina, where things are not measured by rationality but by blood and feeling.
It is not her originality which grasps us , it is the magical tint of her words which transport us to unknown realms which defy time and convention. I loved how she weaved characters from her first and last novel, making them a rich tapestry of complexity where we find what makes the main character so special.
We also see the inherent prejudices , the sense of loss and identity, which had begun in Allende's last novel. " Retrato en Sepia" is what it describes- magical, a bit blurry in the edges but ultimatly a most satisfying read. While it is true it doesnt have a conclusive ending, it is simply because the character, unlike Nivea or other characters stops at a relatively young age. What I also find most fascinating is that it is the first character allowed to face the world alone as a woman, giving us a glimpse into a woman's fight for independence under a male dominated regime.
Rating:
Summary: BEAUTIFUL BOOK!!
Review: I just finished reading this book, and all I can say is "WOW!" This is the first book of Isabel Allende's that I have read, and I am on my way to go read the rest of them! When I first began this book, I was not aware that Portrait in Sepia was the sequel to Daughter of Fortune; I did not find out that fact until I was already about 50 pages into it. However, by that time, I was so engrossed in this book that I didn't care that I was accidentally reading a sequel first! Nor was I lost at all because this beautifully written books fills you in on the past, or on whatever happened in Daughter of Fortune. Given that this book was translated from another language, I expected it to be dry and without detail. I was very wrong!! This book is full of detail, but not of the boring, unnecessary kind. It is pretty easy to follow, and I read it quickly. This book kept me interested from the first page to the last, and already I want to read it again!
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