bohorquez
01-18-2008, 06:39 PM
Review: Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende *** (3-Stars)
Synopsis by Google
An orphan raised in Valparaíso, Chile, by a Victorian spinster and her rigid brother, young, vivacious Eliza Sommers follows her lover to California during the Gold Rush of 1849. She enters a rough-and-tumble world whose newly arrived inhabitants are driven mad by gold fever. With the help of her good friend and savior, the Chinese doctor Tao Chi'en, Eliza moves freely in a society of single men and prostitutes, creating an unconventional but independent life for herself. The young Chilean's search for her elusive lover gradually turns into another kind of journey, and by the time she finally hears news of him, Eliza must decide who her true love really is.
As an avid reader of books written by Isabel Allende, I found that I am slightly disappointed with her book Daughter of Fortune. I've always appreciated Allende skills of description but find that in DoF I feel that she overemphasizes it. There were many times where I had to skip over the sections where she has written too much in detail.
The story of Eliza Sommers starts off well. It was captivating and kept me engrossed through ¾ of the book. It was a bit of a distraction when the storyline jumped from the present day to the future. For example, when Eliza and Tao Chi’en began their life in the wood hut and the story begins to demonstrate the budding love between two (nightly embraces that they both enjoyed).
As the reader I was interested in how this “love” would continue… would they be together? How does it happen? It was a disappointment to see (a couple paragraphs later) they are together recalling that moment in the hut. Here’s what I wanted some detail!
Regardless, it was a colorful tale. Way too much detail and the jumping between present and future was a bit tiresome.
Spoilers Alert! I would have loved to see how Eliza and Tao Chi’en eventually began their love affair/marriage. I would have loved to seen Eliza actually meet up with Joaquin and realize that this man she thought she loved was no longer the same person. There are so many unanswered questions that it left me wanting more. Next on the reading list is Portrait of Sepia also written by Allende. Perhaps it will answer my questions from this book!
Synopsis by Google
An orphan raised in Valparaíso, Chile, by a Victorian spinster and her rigid brother, young, vivacious Eliza Sommers follows her lover to California during the Gold Rush of 1849. She enters a rough-and-tumble world whose newly arrived inhabitants are driven mad by gold fever. With the help of her good friend and savior, the Chinese doctor Tao Chi'en, Eliza moves freely in a society of single men and prostitutes, creating an unconventional but independent life for herself. The young Chilean's search for her elusive lover gradually turns into another kind of journey, and by the time she finally hears news of him, Eliza must decide who her true love really is.
As an avid reader of books written by Isabel Allende, I found that I am slightly disappointed with her book Daughter of Fortune. I've always appreciated Allende skills of description but find that in DoF I feel that she overemphasizes it. There were many times where I had to skip over the sections where she has written too much in detail.
The story of Eliza Sommers starts off well. It was captivating and kept me engrossed through ¾ of the book. It was a bit of a distraction when the storyline jumped from the present day to the future. For example, when Eliza and Tao Chi’en began their life in the wood hut and the story begins to demonstrate the budding love between two (nightly embraces that they both enjoyed).
As the reader I was interested in how this “love” would continue… would they be together? How does it happen? It was a disappointment to see (a couple paragraphs later) they are together recalling that moment in the hut. Here’s what I wanted some detail!
Regardless, it was a colorful tale. Way too much detail and the jumping between present and future was a bit tiresome.
Spoilers Alert! I would have loved to see how Eliza and Tao Chi’en eventually began their love affair/marriage. I would have loved to seen Eliza actually meet up with Joaquin and realize that this man she thought she loved was no longer the same person. There are so many unanswered questions that it left me wanting more. Next on the reading list is Portrait of Sepia also written by Allende. Perhaps it will answer my questions from this book!