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- Women's fiction - |
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Daughter of Fortune |
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D aughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende, translated by Margaret Sayers Peden Harpercollins 399 pages, 1999 ISBN 006019491X Reviewed by Andrea Collare Read another review by Nancy Duncan Discovered as an infant at a doorstep, Eliza Sommers is adopted by a wealthy English family prospering in Chile. Raised equally by the smothering but well meaning lady of the house, and the family's colorful and more practical Chilean "servant" as her 2nd mamasita, Eliza develops an ethnically varied education in her view of the world. Weaned in a time and land where women are but glorified servants to their male counterparts, Eliza breaks out of her cocoon to escape to America during the gold rush, not in search of gold but on the trail of her lover. The beginning of her voyage nearly ends in disaster when she is saved by a Chinese healer, Tao Chi’en, who is destined to remain as Eliza’s eye in the hurricane of her life. Profoundly affected by the people that enter and leave her life, the goal of her adventure changes over time. An obstute observer with a curious nature, she quickly adjusts to her new environment with bravery. Eliza conquers the art of independence and realizes her calling in the melting pot of America. Isabel Allende was able to capture a vivid slice of history by unfolding, not only the American experience during the gold rush, but also the toils of all walks of life that were affected. Allende dug so deeply into the experience that it is hard to believe she is not a reincarnate of the characters that lived during this tumultuous time. This is a captivating, passionate story of coming of age. I enjoyed being taken to this uncivilized world in the safety of Allende’s pages and was able to develop a new appreciation for the hardships that our ancestors endured. |
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