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Daughter of Fortune (Tripartite #1)

by Isabel Allende (Goodreads Author)

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 54,157 ratings · 2,026 reviews

Set in the mid-1800s, this novel follows the fortunes of Eliza Sommers, Chilean by birth but adopted by a British spinster, Rose Sommers, and her bachelor brother, Jeremy, after she is abandoned on their doorstep. As Eliza grows up, she becomes less tractable, and when she falls in love with Joachin Andieta, a clerk in Jeremy's firm, her adoptive family is horrified. They...more

Hardcover, 0 pages

Published September 1st 2000 by Turtleback Books (first published January 1st 1999)

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Apr 23, 2011 K.D. Oliveros rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: oprah, latin-american

My second Allende and it if this is bowling, this is her second strike.

The first one was last year. "Paula", Allende's memoir of her daughter who died while in coma. I liked it so much that I told myself that I will try to read all her books. Her crystal-clear prose, told in a simple straightforward fashion, is like a breath of fresh air and her stories about Chile that go back to the times even as far back as her great-great grandparents' years are so interesting that I envy her for knowing tho...more My second Allende and it if this is bowling, this is her second strike.

The first one was last year. "Paula", Allende's memoir of her daughter who died while in coma. I liked it so much that I told myself that I will try to read all her books. Her crystal-clear prose, told in a simple straightforward fashion, is like a breath of fresh air and her stories about Chile that go back to the times even as far back as her great-great grandparents' years are so interesting that I envy her for knowing those. (I only know some stories about my grandparents). Also, since the Philippines has retained some of its Spanish influences, I could relate to those superstitions, magical visions and ancient Catholic beliefs.

The story starts with Eliza Sommers as an infant left at the doorstep of a house where Jeremy and Rose Sommers, British siblings, reside. They take care of her. At 16, Eliza falls in love with a young Chilean man, Joaquin Andieta. Eliza gets pregnant and miscarriages. At about that time, Gold Rush in California (1848-1855) starts. Joaquin being so poor to take care of his ailing mother, goes to California to join the many Chileans who want to get their share of gold from that state. Eliza, left alone missing Joaquin, follows without saying goodbye to her despised (because of the scandal of her affair with Joaquin) foster "parents". What follows next is a story of her search for her love, lost in the people's frantic search for gold in California.

It is as if Eliza herself is searching for "her" gold. It is as if her love is so pure and innocent that it can be compared to the sparks and allure of gold being panned by "forty niners" from California rivers. Doubt not. This Oprah Book Club Selection of February 2000 is in itself, a gem. Allende says that Eliza's life mirrors her struggle to define the role of feminism in her life. This is because the girl infant left at the doorstep of the English siblings grew up to become a strong-willed, independent Chilean fighting for her existence under the American sky keeping that hope to find her happiness despite all odds being against her. Allende (born 1942), a Chilean-born, writes in Spanish but now lives in San Francisco. She is said to be the "the world's most widely read Spanish author". Allende's novels have been translated into over 30 languages and sold more than 56 million copies. (Source: Wiki).

Her being compared to Gabriel Garcia Marquez is not by accident. She rightfully deserves it.

With her "House of Spirits", "Eva Luna" and "Of Love and Shadows" staring at me while sitting prettily in my bookshelf, I know there will be more Allende's strikes soon.(less)

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Mar 18, 2009 Mashael Alamri rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: latin-literature, translated

من العبث أن نرمي بأنفسنا في متاهات ونحن نعرف مسبقاً بأننا هالكون لا محالة , لكن لو كان لنا قوة إلزا سوميروز قد نجد في روحنا المغامرة سبباً للمجازفة , الشخصيات التي تقدمها إزابيل لنا في حياتنا هي خليط غريب من المشاعر المتناقضة قوية رقيقة روح المغامرة مدفونة كــ كنز القراصنة في أرواحهم , أحببت إزابيل الليندي كثيراً ربما لأنها تتحدث عن شيء طالما بحثت عنه ( المغامرات ) أعلم أن الواقع بعيد مختلف عن سطور الروايات لكنها مستمدة بشكل أو بآخر من الواقع مع بعض التعديلات , الروح القوية التي تسربها إزابيل من...more

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Mar 12, 2009 Chandra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, historical-fiction, isabel-allende

The five stars may be a little misleading, but aren't all ratings really? But this one in particular is based a very personal reaction/memory. Also, I know it's not hip or smart to admit to loving an author like Isabel Allende - even worse it's a damn Oprah book! The horror! But I can't lie - this book is still special to me. It was my first time to really read Allende. I had tried House of the Spirits once and put it down in complete disgust around the second or third chapter. (I later read it...more

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Mar 18, 2008 Sammy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: b-the-good

I remember beginning to read Daughter of Fortune several years ago but for some reason put it aside and never finished it. How I was able to do that so easily, I will never know because the second time around this book ended up being difficult to put down.

Isabel Allende has created a very engaging and well-rounded character in Eliza Sommers. I found the most endearing thing about Eliza was her stubborness and her imperfections. Often that is what will draw me to a character because it makes them...more

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Jan 23, 2008 Rebecca rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of Isabel Allende and historical fiction

Shelves: historical-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I love historical fiction. I enjoyed several parts in this story, but I must say that it was not a page turner for me. I made myself finish. This book is about the power of first love. How your ideal love and your want of love can prevent you from seeing what you really had. Eliza loved her first lover Joaquin to obsession and it takes her years to realize that their love was possibly not true love after all and was sugar coated in her naive, sixteen year old mind. She is so obsessed with Joaqui...more I love historical fiction. I enjoyed several parts in this story, but I must say that it was not a page turner for me. I made myself finish. This book is about the power of first love. How your ideal love and your want of love can prevent you from seeing what you really had. Eliza loved her first lover Joaquin to obsession and it takes her years to realize that their love was possibly not true love after all and was sugar coated in her naive, sixteen year old mind. She is so obsessed with Joaquin that she about kills herself trying to get to California to find him. She travels for months on a ship originating from her home in Chile and when she gets there she spends years searching for him still! I was upset with the ending. One of my pet peeves is when I have to visualize my own happy ending. I don't always like the authors of books to leave it up to the reader to assume what happened. It depends on my mood, I suppose.

Ms. Allende does a great job of setting the scene of the time period. It is an epic journey for Eliza and for Tao. There was plenty of foreshadowing on how the story would end, but none of it was realized and there were plenty of plot points unresolved. I couldn't wait for Tao and Eliza to be together. I read so many pages about characters and plot sequences that did not interest me as much as their relationship. Relationships are the most interesting for me in any story- that is just my preference. I read the last page and I was looking for another page! I was waiting for them to run into each other's arms. A wedding? A hug? But no, they hold hands, she says, "I am free" and it's done. I was surprised at the abruptness of the ending seeing that the book is over 400 pages and she takes plenty of time describing other things that didn't really add to the story for me. In terms of the book's content, I would have to say it is practically "R" rated, at least for me. There are well described love scenes and quite a few "f-bombs." I am giving this story only two stars because it was just okay. I would have to say that I think Steinbeck is much more enjoyable and satisfying in reading about California and his fictional characters. I wonder if something was lost in the translation of this novel from Spanish to English. I have heard that magic can be lost and that it is often better to read a book in its original state. Yet, I read only English and so I'm grateful for translated books! I am glad that I got to be reminded about how crazy San Francisco was during the gold rush. How America came to be is always amazingly interesting to me. I love how the journalist in this story points out how the West would've taken centuries longer to develop if the gold rush had never happened at all. (less)

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Mar 22, 2009 Aneen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

اقتباس من الرواية
" يبدو لي أننا جميعاً جئنا نبحث عن شيء ووجدنا شيئاً آخر "

كان هذا الاقتباس هو شاهد الروايه
او بالاصح الرسالة التي أرادت ايزابيل أن توصلها لنا
من خلال روايتها هذه .. اسبوع كان كافياً ربما لأنتهي من قرائتها
لكن لن يكون كافيا للكف عن التفكير بالمغزى الاهم
من الانتهاء هو بداية التعرف على ما بحثنا عنه
لنجد أننا أضعنا الكثير قبل اكشاف أن هناك شيء آخر
كان هو سبب بحثنا منذ البدايه !

شكراً لصديقتي مشاعل لمشاركتها لي
وشكراً ايزي على التحفه الجميله

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May 10, 2012 Lona rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

هل تتحكم "أمزجتنا" في حكمنا على كتاب معين؟! .. هل القراءة تحتاج لطقوس معينة "شخصية" على كل شخص أن يُقدسها وعندما لا تتوفر عليه أن لا يقترب من أي كتاب؟! .. .. بعد قراءتي لهذه الرواية الإجابة هي "نعم" .. .. "ابنة الحظ" قرأت منها سابقاً 10 صفحات تقريباً ولم أستطع أبداً الاستمرار، والحمد لله أني أجلتها فقط ولم أحكم عليها بالإعدام، هذه المرة من الصفحة الأولى كأنني أقرأ شيء آخر ليس له علاقة بالعشر الصفحات السابقة .. .. يبدو أنني يجب أن أستأنف في حكمي على العديد من الكتب التي حكمت عليها بالإعدام

حمى الذ...more هل تتحكم "أمزجتنا" في حكمنا على كتاب معين؟! .. هل القراءة تحتاج لطقوس معينة "شخصية" على كل شخص أن يُقدسها وعندما لا تتوفر عليه أن لا يقترب من أي كتاب؟! .. .. بعد قراءتي لهذه الرواية الإجابة هي "نعم" .. .. "ابنة الحظ" قرأت منها سابقاً 10 صفحات تقريباً ولم أستطع أبداً الاستمرار، والحمد لله أني أجلتها فقط ولم أحكم عليها بالإعدام، هذه المرة من الصفحة الأولى كأنني أقرأ شيء آخر ليس له علاقة بالعشر الصفحات السابقة .. .. يبدو أنني يجب أن أستأنف في حكمي على العديد من الكتب التي حكمت عليها بالإعدام

حمى الذهب في سان فرانسيسكو سنة 1848 كان نقطة التحول في الرواية والبداية الفعلية لها (رغم أن تسلسل الأحداث بدأ من سنة 1843) فهذه المنطقة كانت كالمغناطيس، جذبت الناس من جميع البقاع: أمريكا اللاتينية ،أوروبا، الصين .. .. وكان الذهب الهاجس والمحرك لهذه الهجرة فكل شخص وجدها أرض الفرص والبدايات الجديدة ونسيان الماضي .. .. امتزجت الأعراق واللغات والعادات المختلفة ونتجت الصراعات السياسية، الاقتصادية والاجتماعية ، تطورت المدينة والبنيان و القوانين ورغم انتهاء حمى الذهب لكن المدينة بقت واستمرت وازدهرت بسبب إمكانيات وموارد أخرى ساهم الذهب في اكتشافها بطريقة غير مباشرة .. .. .. رغم أنها تبدو أحداث و حقائق جافة "فإيزابيل الليندي" أضافت الطابع الإنساني لهذه الأحداث وصاغتها لنا في رواية رائعة تصف فعلاً معنى كلمة "الواقعية السحرية" التي اتصفت بها روايات إيزابيل الليندي

تملكتني "روائح" الرواية، فلكل رواية عنوان و الرواية عنوانها " الروائح" كيف لا والشخصية الرئيسية إليثا التي تصف أنفها "بأنف الكلب" كل شخص، مكان، حدث وذكرى تُصنِّفه وتُعرِّفه لنفسها بالرائحة .. .. إليثا خرجت تبحث عن حبيبها، تاو شيين خرج يبحث عن العلم والحكمة تقاطعت بهم الطرق وتوالت الأحداث و وجدا السلام في شيء آخر .. .. .. "اقتباس":- يبدو أننا جميعاً جئنا نبحث عن شيء ووجدنا شيئاً آخر

أول قراءة لإيزابيل الليندي وبالتأكيد لن تكون الأخيرة

(less)

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Mar 31, 2010 Bader rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arabic

جو الرواية كان جميلاً جدًا برأيي وفي لحظة من اللحظات جعلني أغوص بالعمق لدرجة انتظار موعد لقائي بالكتاب مرة أخرى. البطء والتسارع بالأحداث كان جذابًا وتستحق لأجله الروابة القراءة. أضيف إلى ذلك أن التصوير والوصف في الكتاب جعلني أشاهد المقاطع وكأنها لقطات في فلم سينمائي, في كل جزء من أجزاء الرواية.
لم يعجبني بالقصة بعض الاستطرادات الوصفية في أكثر من موضع, لدرجة أني رغبت أن أقفز بعض السطور. التكرار أيضًا كان موجودًا حتى وإن اختلفت الصيغة.

النتيجة على أي حال أني تحمست لقراءة غير باولو كويليو من الكتاب ا...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Anwaar rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: latin-american

و قبل أن يصير كل شئ معلبًا ، قديمًا جدًا قبل أن يفكروا في تعليب أي شئ .. علبوا الحياة ووضعوها في كتب .

ابنة الحظ تحكي قصة فتاة تشيلية ليست تحديدًا ابنةَ حظٍ ، لكنها بشكلٍ ما أكثر اللامحظوظات حظًا ، وهنا محور الرواية ، الجمالُ اللاجميل !

تحمل الرواية بين غلافيها أربع بلدان " تشيلي و الصين و إنجلترا و أمريكا "... حفنة من النساء المجنونات الجميلات ، و الكثير من رائحة البحر ، لغات مختلفة ولهجات مختلفة و طبقات إجتماعية مختلفة و عرضًا مسرحيًا ضخمًا للتفاصيل ، للتفاصيل فقط ، و للصلات البشرية الملتفة ،...more و قبل أن يصير كل شئ معلبًا ، قديمًا جدًا قبل أن يفكروا في تعليب أي شئ .. علبوا الحياة ووضعوها في كتب .

ابنة الحظ تحكي قصة فتاة تشيلية ليست تحديدًا ابنةَ حظٍ ، لكنها بشكلٍ ما أكثر اللامحظوظات حظًا ، وهنا محور الرواية ، الجمالُ اللاجميل !

تحمل الرواية بين غلافيها أربع بلدان " تشيلي و الصين و إنجلترا و أمريكا "... حفنة من النساء المجنونات الجميلات ، و الكثير من رائحة البحر ، لغات مختلفة ولهجات مختلفة و طبقات إجتماعية مختلفة و عرضًا مسرحيًا ضخمًا للتفاصيل ، للتفاصيل فقط ، و للصلات البشرية الملتفة ، و القرارات التي تترك مفتوحة على مدار الصفحات لك، علَّك تتخذ قرارًا بشأنها قبل أن تفعل الكاتبة.

ألليندي تتناول القبح البشري ، تتحدث عن الجشع و الخسة و الظلم ، إنعدام المساواة و المعايير المزدوجة و العرقية و الكذب و الخيانة .. لكنها تتحدث عنها في سياقٍ بشري ، مما يجعلها جميلة ، لأنه يتبعها بتناقضاتها ، ليس في صيغة مثالية مملة لكن في ضرورة تفرضها محاولة رواية الواقع كما هو ببساطة مثيرة للدهشة ، و هنا نرجع إلى الجمال المنبعث من القبح ، "إرستقراطية آل سومرز المشوهة التي تلاشت عندما اختفت إليزا لتترك ورائها جمال أمومة روز الحقيقية بالإضافة إلى الحرية و الإحتمالات اللانهائية للبدء من جديد و اللاطبقية في مجتمع كاليفورنيا الجديد الهمجي".

مخيلة البعض ذاكرة بديلة ،هكذا تثبت الرواية ، كأن الكاتبة عرفتهم فردًا فردًا ، السرد سلس بهذه الطريقة ، متدفق بغير تكلف .

أدب أمريكا اللاتينية ساحر ، يتركك ممتلئًا بالضجيج بشكلٍ مُبهج (less)

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Oct 01, 2008 Mojgan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

ما در زندگی به جایی نمیرسیم...تنها مسیر را قدم می زنیم

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Feb 25, 2013 Michiyo 'jia' Fujiwara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: woman-literature, roman, novel-dewasa, realisme-magis, historical-fiction, latin-american-literature, american-literature, adventure

Buku pertama dari Isabel Allende yang aku baca.. dan aku langsung jatuh cinta!! Gila..! Bagaimana bisa..? bagaimana bisa..buat jalan cerita sebegitu kompleks begini ??!! hanya dengan baca buku ini, kita diajak untuk setidaknya setengah berkeliling dunia, lengkap dengan permasalahan yang terjadi pada masing-masing tokohnya, Allende menggambarkan dengan rinci hubungan sebab-akibat dari para tokoh-tokohnya sampai kemudian mereka saling terkait antara satu dengan yang lainnya.

Allende
Namanya terdeng...more

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Dec 16, 2011 Taliser rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed Allende's wonderful descriptive writing. It made for tough reading in Spanish, but excellent reading when I resorted to the English version. I am a sucker for an adventurous tale with a strong female protagonist and multi-cultural setting and this book provides both. The characters where were sympathetic, while also having humanizing flaws. Allende also captured the complexities of family relationships beautifully. I'd recommend it to friends.

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Sep 19, 2007 LadyM rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ironically, the strength of this book is the very thing that annoyed me by the end. Allende does an amazing job crafting complex characters and weaving their multiple stories together. Her descriptions invoke all the senses and make the reader feel like she/he is actually experiencing mid-19th century gold-crazy San Francisco. Tracing the lives of a half dozen main characters over seven years through three different countries is no easy task, and while Allende mostly handles it well, there are t...more

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Aug 09, 2007 Allison rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: general-fiction, read-in-2007

Isabella Allende writes good stories with strong female characters. Her books always have an interesting plot that reveals her Hispanic heritage. Daughter of Fortune takes the reader back to Allende’s homeland, Chile, before going to San Fransico. The book has wonderful detail, although the plot requires to much “backstory,” which often occurs at awkward times and interrupts the flow of the narrative. If you’re an Allende fan looking for a quick read, you can’t go wrong with this book. However,...more

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Jul 03, 2008 Susan Bain-schmidt rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book starts out VERY engaging and remains that way through the first 3/4. Then, very abruptly, it is as if Allende ran out of things to say, or rather, became distracted by another project. The book ends TERRIBLY! The last 1/4 is a slog to get through and, becuase the first part is so wonderful, I kept reading and thinking "surely, this will work out." But no joy. I would suggest reading it BUT don't hope for a great wrap up at the end. It is a lot like drinking a cold bottle of Coke on a h...more

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Dec 06, 2007 ANGELA rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is so intriguing- and so deliciously written...what captivating and colorful detail...i love it....maybe even a bit Dickensian...I love it...This book is so rich w detail, characters, and excitement! I love it! Its dee-lish! The main character is a spirited heroine who really engages you and makes you feel for her and her plight...the characters are all very rich and interesting and the book really teaches you alot about the history of the period California Gold Ruch 1849, and South Am...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Angel added it · review of another edition

Una novela que comienza con tintes costumbristas, coquetea con el erotismo, se pasea por la aventura y cierra con una nota romántica a más no poder.

Narrativa explícita que en ocasiones parece demasiado lenta, se mueve poco a poco y hace que la historia avance como si no quisiera, reptando para hacer que el tiempo no pase, como queriendo que Eliza no crezca porque llegará el momento en que eso será su perdición.

No es mi estilo totalmente pero hubo partes que me gustaron más que otras, o tal vez h...more

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Mar 23, 2009 Adele rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm a big fan of epics, so my first Isabel Allende read, Daughter of Fortune, was a natural choice. My mom read the paperback, sent it to my Grammy, and when I was visiting Minnesota in November, my Grammy gave it to me. Fitting. The scene is the nineteenth century (always promising) and our heroine, Eliza Sommers, is a girl without true family or place. She's adopted by some wealthy British colonists in Chile, though she herself is at least half Chilean, she's raised as a proper young British l...more

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Apr 30, 2013 Irene rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of those books that fills me with self-doubt as a reader. I can understand why this novel has received critical acclaim. The writing is technically outstanding. Allenda vividly captures the atmosphere of a variety of settings, a port city in Chile circa 1835, rural China during the Opium Wars, chaotic California gold rush settlements. Despite being drawn with broader strokes than I usually like, her characters are very interesting, even those in very minor cameo appearances. Sprinkle...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Stein rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels-historical

This book is mostly interesting for how it describes the California gold rush than for the story itself. Assuming that the author's research is correct, conditions were horrendous for miners, workers and prostitutes. It was anarchy and mayhem. Chinese family customs are also well described. I struggled with the credibility of the heroine, Eliza Sommers, living camouflaged as a boy/young man for several years immersed in a male dominated environment. Obviously she wouldn't have been able to stand...more

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Mar 22, 2013 ★Loredana★ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dieci anni. Quasi dieci anni di stagionatura, dalla data di acquisto alla data di inizio lettura… non che significhi qualcosa, intendiamoci, un libro non è come un buon vino che migliora con gli anni (e il purtroppo ci starebbe, in certi casi)… solo che aspettare dieci anni per leggere uno splendido libro si rivela un peccato, col senno di poi… ma (che ve lo dico a fare?) con i libri di Isabel Allende ci si può permettere di fare questo ed altro, io la amo, la adoro, come donna e come scrittrice...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Book Concierge rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4.5****
Audio book performed by Blair Brown.

This is an historical novel set during the mid-19th century and taking the reader from South America to China to California during the Gold Rush. The story begins in Valparaiso, Chile, where a baby is left on the doorstep of wealthy British importers. Raised as their child, Eliza Sommers is now a young lady and her family begins to screen available young men to find the perfect suitor. But Eliza has a mind of her own. She falls for a handsome, fiery cle...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Mohammad rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

ايزابيل الليندي من جديد و عالم امريكا الجنوبية في القرن التاسع عشر .. هنود المابوتشي و اوروبيين و ابنة الحظ الزا سوميريز التي هربت الي كالفورنيا هربا وراء حبيبها الشبحي تاركه الحسرة في قلب امها الروحية / خالتها مس روز الجميلة محطمة قلوب محبيها .. عالم من الخطايا و السقوط و العاطفة المستترة بين فتاة اسبانية و رجل صيني حكيم .. ميزة ايزابيل الكبري هو الحكي المتوالي .. حكاية داخل حكاية .. قدرة نسائية مهولة علي الثرثرة و التفاصيل خصوصا مع انتقال بطلة الرواية الي ارض الذهب و اليانكي في الشمال .. و الم...more ايزابيل الليندي من جديد و عالم امريكا الجنوبية في القرن التاسع عشر .. هنود المابوتشي و اوروبيين و ابنة الحظ الزا سوميريز التي هربت الي كالفورنيا هربا وراء حبيبها الشبحي تاركه الحسرة في قلب امها الروحية / خالتها مس روز الجميلة محطمة قلوب محبيها .. عالم من الخطايا و السقوط و العاطفة المستترة بين فتاة اسبانية و رجل صيني حكيم .. ميزة ايزابيل الكبري هو الحكي المتوالي .. حكاية داخل حكاية .. قدرة نسائية مهولة علي الثرثرة و التفاصيل خصوصا مع انتقال بطلة الرواية الي ارض الذهب و اليانكي في الشمال .. و المجتمع الامريكي الجشع المتعطش للمادة علي حساب كل شئ

من اعذب اجزاء الرواية هي وصف طفولة تشاو شين و شبابه في الصين و حبه لزوجته الاولي لين ذات القدم الصغيرة المحببه .. و موتها امام عينيه العاجزة عن مساعدتها ثم علاقته بروحها التي تهيم حوله بعد وفاتها

"لم يدر كم من الوقت بقى مستغرقا يستدعي و يستدعي لين ، إلى أن سمعه الطيف الرقيق أخيرا في الاتساع السحري الذي يسكنه و راح يجد الطريق إليه ببطء ، مقتربا بخفة تنهيدة ، غير مُدْرَك في أول الأمر ، ثم أكثر فأكثر تجسداً ، إلي أن أحس تاو بحضور طيفها واضحاً ، لم يشعر بلين في داخل الغرقة ، و إنما في داخل صدره ، مستقرة في منتصف قلبه الساكن . لم يفتح تاو تشين عينيه و لم يتحرك . و بقى لساعات في تلك الوضعية نفسها ، منفصلا عن جسده ، طافيا في فراغ مضئ ، بتواصل كامل معها . و عند الفجر ، عندما تأكد كلاهما من أن احدهما لن يضيع الآخر ، ودعته لين بعذوبة"

بقي ان اشير انه كعادة الادب الاسباني فلا مذاق له بدون الترجمة العبقرية الادبية لشاعر الترجمات الاسبانية صالح علماني (less)

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Jul 11, 2012 Sakura87 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autori-sudamericani, novecento, sentimentale

"Sentì di avere quell'uomo nel sangue con una certezza così antica e selvaggia che si stupì di tutto il tempo passato al suo fianco senza rendersene conto."

Eliza Sommers è una trovatella di probabile origine cilena, per sua fortuna accolta e cresciuta dalla ricca famiglia inglese composta dalla giovane Miss Rose e dall’arcigno fratello Jeremy, trapiantati a Valparaìso.
Da bambina spensierata, divisa tra la rigidità dell’educazione da signorina impartitagli dalla madre adottiva, e il surreale mond...more "Sentì di avere quell'uomo nel sangue con una certezza così antica e selvaggia che si stupì di tutto il tempo passato al suo fianco senza rendersene conto."

Eliza Sommers è una trovatella di probabile origine cilena, per sua fortuna accolta e cresciuta dalla ricca famiglia inglese composta dalla giovane Miss Rose e dall’arcigno fratello Jeremy, trapiantati a Valparaìso.
Da bambina spensierata, divisa tra la rigidità dell’educazione da signorina impartitagli dalla madre adottiva, e il surreale mondo indigeno della tata Mama Fresia, si trasforma in donna, e com’è naturale scopre ben presto l’amore nello spiantato e idealista Joaquìn Andieta. Il loro amore clandestino si consuma più e più volte nel guardaroba delle tende, finché Joaquìn non si lascia coinvolgere dalla febbre dell’oro che spinge tanti cercatori da tutto il mondo a tentare la fortuna in California, e abbandona Eliza, incinta e inconsolabile, per inseguire il sogno della facile ricchezza.
Eliza, incapace di dimenticare l’amato, riesce a convincere l’agopuntore Tao Chi’en, ex cuoco della nave dello zio John, a imbarcarla come clandestina alla volta di San Francisco, ed è qui che inizia la vera carrera de vivir della giovane, che intraprenderà una lunghissima e strenua ricerca per tutta la California, sulle orme di Joaquìn ormai ridotto a mera immagine idealizzata nella sua mente.

Non me l’aspettavo, ma mi è piaciuto parecchio. Credevo, pur non avendo letto molto, che la Allende non avesse più nulla da dire dopo la morte della figlia Paula, e in effetti La figlia della fortuna, come pure Ritratto in seppia, manca della capacità evocativa della Casa degli spiriti, pur entrambe possedendo in comune con quest’ultimo temi, luoghi (anche se il Cile, questa volta, divide la scena con i pittoreschi fondali Californiani della corsa all’oro e persino, brevemente, con le ambientazioni cinesi) e alcune comparse. Chi non ama la Allende potrà obiettare che questo romanzo è l’ennesima rifrittura degli stessi temi; vorrà dire che sono temi nelle mie corde, visto che la storia mi ha avvinta al punto da spingermi a leggerlo in breve tempo.
La narrazione è spenta, meno ‘magica’, meno empatica, ma la profondità di questi personaggi riecheggia quella delle sue precedenti opere, pur non possedendo protagonisti del calibro di Clara o Esteban, ormai diventati storici nell’immaginario degli appassionati del genere.
Eliza è un personaggio così splendido da risultare quasi irreale: appassionata nel suo amore, o almeno nella sua idea dell’amore, tenace, forte; a lei si affianca la dolcezza e la compostezza di Tao Chi’en, il suo perfetto yang. Entrambi sono indagati a fondo, e la relazione che intrecciano è di una maturità e di un equilibrio straordinari. Attorno a loro, come sempre, agisce una frotta di personaggi secondari, tutti dipinti con poche pennellate; alcuni d’essi li ritroveremo in Ritratto in seppia, che donerà anche un seguito alla storia di Eliza e Tao.
Ciò che manca principalmente in questo libro, come dicevo, più che personaggi di spicco, è la magia: gli elementi sovrannaturali o comunque tipici del realismo magico sono ben pochi, e quasi tutti limitati al solo personaggio di Tao. Stessa identica cosa avviene in Ritratto in seppia: chi ha letto la Allende ‘prima’ e ‘dopo’ non potrà che rendersi conto che qualcosa, evidentemente, s’è spezzato.(less)

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Jun 29, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 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, p...more

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May 18, 2012 ايمان rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: امتلكها

رواية من الروايات التي تأخذك في رحلة ممتعة داخل عوالم مختلفة مدهشة من أناقة اللغة الأسطورية التاريخية و في ذات الوقت نابعة من أعماق الحياة اليومية للشخوص..ازابيل الليندي نجحت ان تجعل من شخصيات روايتها ظلالا تحيا معنا مدة قراءتنا لابنة الحظ نتساءل عن خلفية الأحداث نفرح لفرحهم و نغضب لتصرفاتهم و نحلم بنفس أحلامهم..عرفتنا اللليندي في ابنة الحظ على فترة غامضة من تاريخ التشيلي و امريكا اللاتنية و كاليفورنيا قربتنا من هوس و جنون الباحثين عن احلام الترف و الغنى متبنية أسلوب سرد غريب فنجدها تهمش احيانا...more رواية من الروايات التي تأخذك في رحلة ممتعة داخل عوالم مختلفة مدهشة من أناقة اللغة الأسطورية التاريخية و في ذات الوقت نابعة من أعماق الحياة اليومية للشخوص..ازابيل الليندي نجحت ان تجعل من شخصيات روايتها ظلالا تحيا معنا مدة قراءتنا لابنة الحظ نتساءل عن خلفية الأحداث نفرح لفرحهم و نغضب لتصرفاتهم و نحلم بنفس أحلامهم..عرفتنا اللليندي في ابنة الحظ على فترة غامضة من تاريخ التشيلي و امريكا اللاتنية و كاليفورنيا قربتنا من هوس و جنون الباحثين عن احلام الترف و الغنى متبنية أسلوب سرد غريب فنجدها تهمش احيانا شخصيات لنعود و نجدها محورية في فصول أخرى و في النهاية نتذكرها جميعا كشخصيات رئيسية و محورية و ان غلب الحضور النسوي بشكل خاص رواية تجسد الأدب الواقعي اللاتيني بامتياز لكنه يبتعد عن النعقيد الذي نجده عند غارسيافأسلوب الليندي ابسط و أرق..
تحكي الرواية سيرة اليثا تبنتها عائلة سومرز و علمتها الفضائل و التقاليد المتداولة للعائلات التشيلية لكنها رفضت كل القيود و هربت باحثة عن حبيبها الذي هاجر بدوره للبحث عن حلم الثراء..رواية كل شخوصها يبحثون عن شيء و في ترحال دائم و أغلبهم وجدوا شيئا آخر يخالف تماما ما يبحثون عنه..
فكرة بسيطة الا نفقد الامل و نتشبت بالحلم فمهما جرى لا بد ان نصل الى شيء يرضينا في آخر الرحلة..رواية جميلة امنحها اربع نجمات لأسلوب السرد غير ممل و
.اللغة الأنيقة التي تحترم ذهن القارئ
رحلة ممتعة و اختاروا الرفاق فالقراءة المشتركة ممتعة و مفيدة بشكل كبير
فشكرا لمن رافقني في هذه الرحلة(less)

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Feb 09, 2012 Karo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Daughter of Fortune is a fast and pleasant read -- it's a plot-driven novel in which all things are clearly spelled out for the reader. The two protagonists of the book are likable and well-developed. There's the young Chilean woman, Eliza, who flees her adoptive home for California to follow her first love, who has been lured there by the promises of riches in the Gold Rush. Then there's Tao Chi'en, a Chinese man who is part sailor, part doctor, and part sage. The adventures of the two up and d...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Dawn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: listened-to

I picked this audio book up in desperation of anything to listen to besides the radio. I was pleasantly surprised. I very much enjoyed it. The story follows a girl named Eliza Sommers from her childhood in Chile through her escape to San Francisco and beyond. She was in love with a boy, Joaquín Andieta, and became pregnant just before he ran off to California for the gold rush in the mid-1800s. Eliza boards a ship in order to follow her elusive love and meets a Chinaman named Tao Chi’en. Tao hel...more

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Aug 31, 2011 Cori rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My SIL has been encouraging me to read Allende for years — she’s one of her favorite authors. I can see why! Allende’s grasp of historical events, her ability to bring those events to life, and the depth in her descriptive writing combine to create a very beautiful novel. While the plot was perhaps so-so, I thought her characters were fascinating, and I didn’t feel like I’d read them before (which is always nice). She also killed setting. It was like I was there.

And I kind of was. Growing up in...more

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Aug 13, 2011 Laura Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book made me realize that historical fiction is my favorite genre to read. It started off slow, but once I got into it (during the trip to and from Buffalo to visit Morgan) I couldn't put it down.

Setting: Mid-1800s Valparaiso.Chile, China, California Gold-Rush. I am intellectually stunted in the area of history. Good to learn while I read.

Main characters: Eliza, Rose/John/Jeremy Sommers, Mama Fresia, Joaquin Adieta, Tao Chi'en, Jacob Todd. Very colorful and multidimensional.

Themes: Forbid...more

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About Isabel Allende

Isabel Allende Llona is a Chilean-American novelist. Allende, who writes in the "magic realism" tradition, is considered one of the first successful women novelists in Latin America. She has written novels based in part on her own experiences, often focusing on the experiences of women, weaving myth and realism together. She has lectured and done extensive book tours and has taught literature at s...more

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“His calls for justice were lost at the mercy of the wind and human indifference.” — 14 people liked it

“She never imagined a scenario in which her love was not returned with the same depth of feeling, for to her it was impossible to believe that a love of such magnitude could have stunned only her. The most elementary logic and justice indicated that somewhere in the city he was suffering the same delicious torment.” — 9 people liked it

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