hiltzmoore's review against another edition
3.0
This was an odd book in that I loved the writing itself, it was beautiful and lyrical, but I wasn't really a fan of the plot and how it developed. There wasn't a lot of resolution to the key plot points. It was like the author was planning on a sequel when clearly, there is no sequel happening. Frustrating because I do love this author.
bcgg's review against another edition
4.0
Isabel Allende is so great at weaving stories of unique people. Daughter of Fortune is an exceptional example of this. Another of Allende's novels that will be revisited often in the future for me.
laviskrg's review against another edition
5.0
I cannot love Isabel Allende enough. She is simply amazing and her characters are among the most memorable in literature. Not to mention, her female characters are strong, loving, emotionally complex heroines. I see many readers complain about the lameness of the chicks who are supposed to be female leads in YA crap. If you are starved for a positive example of female strength and awesomeness, read Allende. Mature, historically accurate, romantic literature at its best, combining realism, fiction, love and magic as only a South American writer could. On with the review.
"Daughter of Fortune" is the second book in the trilogy begun by "House of the Spirits", but the setting is completely different. This is, I believe, more of a conceptual trilogy, and not an actual continuation of the same story. Not a milking of the cash cow. I love "House of the Spiris" more. It is, in terms of story and epicness, closer to my soul than "Daughter of Fortune", but it is merely a matter of perspective and preference. The characters and the story are different in "Daughter of Fortune", and I adore it for being different than its predecessor, because it is its own story and has its own purpose.
This is a story about love, obsession, the vision-changing journey of a lifetime, loss and freedom. It is not the saga of a family, but the saga of one woman who leaves a life of comfort and wealth behind in her desperate search for her lover. In the background? One has come to expect greatness from Allende and she ALWAYS delivers. The gold rush and the founding of San Francisco. Wow, just wow. Not only can one truly learn historical elements from her books, but the way in which she writes makes everything beyond godlike in terms of beauty, realism. Her books are always a feast for all the senses.
Eliza Sommers is extremely likable. One cannot help but root for her from the first moment in which she is introduced. She is the result of a mixture of races and cultures, but she never becomes a stereotype. She is a vivid, intelligent, stubborn young woman who goes through so much suffering and pain, and who only comes out stronger at the end. Does she find her love? I will not spoil the ending, nor the story, but she definitely finds two elements which are far more important: freedom and herself.
For those who complain that there is no cultural diversity in the books of today: read this. You have British, Chilean, Mexicans, Americans and Chinese mixing together in an explosion of culture, language and ideologies. From Valparaiso you will sail to San Francisco, from Canton and Shanghai to Chile. Also, you will ride from a mere camp of gold-crazed Argonauts to Chinese ghettos filled with brothels and exotic spices, and you will traverse the great unknown looking for the love that Eliza cannot exist without.
There aren't enough books like this one so cherish its existence. I recommend it to all who appreciate proper literature, to all who love adventure and romance, spiced with loss and struggle.
"Daughter of Fortune" is the second book in the trilogy begun by "House of the Spirits", but the setting is completely different. This is, I believe, more of a conceptual trilogy, and not an actual continuation of the same story. Not a milking of the cash cow. I love "House of the Spiris" more. It is, in terms of story and epicness, closer to my soul than "Daughter of Fortune", but it is merely a matter of perspective and preference. The characters and the story are different in "Daughter of Fortune", and I adore it for being different than its predecessor, because it is its own story and has its own purpose.
This is a story about love, obsession, the vision-changing journey of a lifetime, loss and freedom. It is not the saga of a family, but the saga of one woman who leaves a life of comfort and wealth behind in her desperate search for her lover. In the background? One has come to expect greatness from Allende and she ALWAYS delivers. The gold rush and the founding of San Francisco. Wow, just wow. Not only can one truly learn historical elements from her books, but the way in which she writes makes everything beyond godlike in terms of beauty, realism. Her books are always a feast for all the senses.
Eliza Sommers is extremely likable. One cannot help but root for her from the first moment in which she is introduced. She is the result of a mixture of races and cultures, but she never becomes a stereotype. She is a vivid, intelligent, stubborn young woman who goes through so much suffering and pain, and who only comes out stronger at the end. Does she find her love? I will not spoil the ending, nor the story, but she definitely finds two elements which are far more important: freedom and herself.
For those who complain that there is no cultural diversity in the books of today: read this. You have British, Chilean, Mexicans, Americans and Chinese mixing together in an explosion of culture, language and ideologies. From Valparaiso you will sail to San Francisco, from Canton and Shanghai to Chile. Also, you will ride from a mere camp of gold-crazed Argonauts to Chinese ghettos filled with brothels and exotic spices, and you will traverse the great unknown looking for the love that Eliza cannot exist without.
There aren't enough books like this one so cherish its existence. I recommend it to all who appreciate proper literature, to all who love adventure and romance, spiced with loss and struggle.
sarai_te's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shannonjorgenfelt's review against another edition
5.0
I read this while on exchange in Valparaiso, Chile (where the book takes place), and I'm from San Francisco , so it was a lot of fun to read.
Spoiler
(where the characters end up)skullkrusherr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cereuslyrico's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderfully spun yarn of love and loss. Our main character struggles against the world to find her place in it, moulding her own through pure stubbornness and fire.
zordrac's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0