From the New York Times bestselling author of The House of the Spirits, Isabelle Allende, comes a passionate tale of one young woman’s quest to save her lover set against the chaos of the 1849 California Gold Rush. Orphaned at birth, Eliza Sommers is raised in the British colony of Valparaíso, Chile, by the well-intentioned Victorian spinster Miss Rose and her more rigid brother Jeremy. Just as … Victorian spinster Miss Rose and her more rigid brother Jeremy. Just as she meets and falls in love with the wildly inappropriate Joaquín Andieta, a lowly clerk who works for Jeremy, gold is discovered in the hills of northern California. By 1849, Chileans of every stripe have fallen prey to feverish dreams of wealth. Joaquín takes off for San Francisco to seek his fortune, and Eliza, pregnant with his child, decides to follow him.
As Eliza embarks on her perilous journey north in the hold of a ship and arrives in the rough-and-tumble world of San Francisco, she must navigate a society dominated by greedy men. But Eliza soon catches on with the help of her natural spirit and a good friend, the Chinese doctor Tao Chi’en. What began as a search for love ends up as the conquest of personal freedom.
A marvel of storytelling, Daughter of Fortune confirms once again Isabel Allende’s extraordinary gift for fiction and her place as one of the world’s leading writers.
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I loved this book. Isabel Allende, truly, never fails to inspire. As I discovered her writing I felt, truly, a entire new world open up that I had yet seen in my lifetime. Her writing is so nuanced and wonderful, nearly poetic.
Liked it a lot and would recommend.
Highly Recommend
I loved this book, Isabel Allende never fails to inspire. Her writing is so rich and wonderful, almost poetic.
This the GOAT.
Too much telling of events without enough character development through dialogue! It felt like my students’ typical story telling: the character went here, then did this, then did that, blah blah blah. Where is the character-driven plot?
Fascinating characters. plot, and historical backdrop. One is quickly and happily swept along with the characters and immersed in the plot…..
This is a wonderful well-written historical fiction that begins in the British community of Chili, a culture I knew nothing about until I read this book. Set in the mid-1800’s we are taken back to a time where women are subjected to disturbing means in order to survive. Our discussion revolved around the strong women characters, the challenges they had to face and the life-threatening diseases they had to overcome.
Eliza, a young woman who was abandoned at birth and raised by a spinster named Rose and her brother Jeremy, enters womanhood and finds what she believes to be her true love. Pregnant with his child, she risks her life to follow him to San Francisco where he hopes to strike it rich by gold mining. But her journey is not easy and death is near.
This book had so many interesting facts about many different cultures which enhanced the story immensely. It was not only a great historical romance but a good history lesson too.
Having lived in the gold rush town of Sonora, I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the book and loved learning many aspects of the gold rush era that took place in California.
There were a lot of facts to process in the book. The chapters were long and the book is almost four hundred pages. For me, it took a while to read, mainly because It was a book I could easily put down and return to at a later time. Others in the group felt the same way. We all felt the ending was abrupt and left some unanswered questions, which was disappointing after investing so much time into the book.
One of my favorites by this author!
Absolutely brilliant scenic imagery!
I loved it! A great plot, memorable characters, really fantastic historical fiction. Superb writing, a treat to read. I had to add a new shelf, “Romance,” to my digital library, as that really is the core of the story. I’ll read more from Isabel Allende. Recommended.
Just a great story with historical background
historical
Light reading but entertaining.
Allende is a wonderful author. I love all,of her books.
This was just OK. The story was unusual but odd.
Always a good read
I like sagas and this qualifies. The characters are well developed and the period well researched
Great writer, historical novel.
This book made me what to know all about these characters lives. I wish she could have gotten together with her Dad and her Aunt after they finally admitted who she was.