Seeking romance, adventure and a little bit of intrigue? Search no further. For
readers who relish the thought of women breaking out of traditional roles of mother,
daughter and wife, DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE by Isabel Allende fits the bill.
A novel that reads like the combined diaries of several characters, DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE
delves into the lives of Eliza, Tao Chi'en, Miss Rose, a small cluster of well-healed
Englishmen living in Chile, and the influx of gold-seekers sailing to California. Using a
heavy wand of foreshadowing, author Isabel Allende taunts readers with information and
unravels several subplots as she weaves intertwined tales of love, lust, mystery and
adventure.
Once again tapping into her well of fantasy, Allende will delight readers with DAUGHTER OF
FORTUNE, a 399-page novel that spans several generations and dispels even more traditions
and social mores. An author whose books fit most conveniently in the romance genre,
Allende's style stretches beyond any one definition. The author recalls many of the themes
found in HOUSE OF SPIRITS and EVA LUNA in this new work, which introduces readers to
characters who continue to inhabit the imagination well after the last page has been
turned. In DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE, Allende stretches beyond her familiar Latin American
homeland to the coasts of California, though the first few chapters are rich with
descriptions of Chilean soil, thunderous storms and cantankerous tempers.
A book filled with memories, dreams and fears, DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE will leave readers with
the pain of confinement, the longing of unrequited love and the release of long-desired
freedom. Time and again, it trumpets the triumphs of the spirit, which cannot be daunted
by circumstance.
Exploring the human mind and the social confines that so frequently restrict it, Allende
presents three heroines of different stature who readers will find daring, independent and
successfully rebellious. The connection between these women, who are in most ways worlds
apart, is their thirst for adventure, a willingness to sacrifice everything for love and
the strength of their wills. During a time when women were considered to be of little
significance, with the exception of bearing children and running households smoothly,
Allende draws characters who spring to life and quickly establish themselves as the
centers of their universe.
In DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE, readers will disappear into a time when the gold rush made
headlines, and a young woman disguised as a Chilean boy rode silently among bandits,
thieves and prostitutes in a land miles from her home to reunite herself with a man
thought to be the love of her life. Fantasy and fiction once again unite as Allende
crosses cultural and political boundaries to bring readers DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE.
--- Reviewed by Heather Grimshaw, freelance writer and editor, Acquisitions
Editor for Pearl Street Publishing and nonfiction editor for Many Mountains Moving, a
literary journal of diverse contemporary voices.
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