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Portrait in Sepia

Isabel Allende,

Margaret Sayers Peden (Translator)

Start date: January 1, 2021

Finish date: February 28, 2021

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Mar 29, 2016 Brina rated it really liked it

Shelves: hispanic-culture, rereads, historical-fiction, isabel-allende

Portrait in Sepia is Isabel Allende's middle book in a trilogy linking Daughter of Fortune to House of the Spirits. Sepia is the memoir of Aurora (Lai Ming) Del Valle, the granddaughter of both Paulina Del Valle and Eliza Sommers. The bulk of the story begins when Aurora is five years old, and Eliza Sommers, recently widowed, has decided to give Aurora to Paulina Del Valle to raise. Paulina ecstatic at finally having a girl to pamper agrees on the condition that Eliza no longer contacts the girl Portrait in Sepia is Isabel Allende's middle book in a trilogy linking Daughter of Fortune to House of the Spirits. Sepia is the memoir of Aurora (Lai Ming) Del Valle, the granddaughter of both Paulina Del Valle and Eliza Sommers. The bulk of the story begins when Aurora is five years old, and Eliza Sommers, recently widowed, has decided to give Aurora to Paulina Del Valle to raise. Paulina ecstatic at finally having a girl to pamper agrees on the condition that Eliza no longer contacts the girl. Within a year the Del Valles relocate from San Francisco to Santiago de Chile, creating a black hole of memories which Aurora carries for the rest of her life.

The Chile that the Del Valles return to is much like the country we know in House of the Spirits- full of political upheaval and civil wars. Here we meet Severo and Nivea Del Valle, Paulina's favorite nephew and niece and the parents of Clara the clairvoyant. Severo and Nivea already have political ambitions here, and once Aurora is grown, Nivea becomes her closest confidante. I would have liked for Allende to provide a touch more backstory to Clara and her siblings so that the bridge to House of the Spirits would have been seamless. Yet, this is Aurora's story, so we do not meet Clara, although she is born late in this book.

Paulina raises Aurora in a pampered, cultured life, allowing her to be tutored at home rather than school. At age 13 she becomes the photography apprentice to Don Juan Ribero, and Aurora quickly masters the trade. Because Paulina is two generations in the past, she feels photography will damage Aurora's marriage prospects so they embark on a two year voyage to Europe, both for Paulina's health and to find Aurora a suitable upper crust husband.

While in England, the Del Valles encounter the charming Dr Ivan Radovic. Paulina is captivated by his modern medical ideas but does not view him as "husband material" for Aurora because he is not of the upper class. Meanwhile at a societal ball Paulina finds Diego Dominguez of an old Chilean land owning family. Although his family appears backward thinking to Aurora, her grandmother practically forces them into marriage, against the better thoughts of practically everyone else concerned for Aurora's well being. In anticipation of the marriage, Aurora's black hole dreams return.

Part III focuses on Aurora's marriage to Diego Dominguez and briefly touches on Paulina setting up Severo and Nivea Del Valle in a vineyard enterprise before her death. Like in the other Allende books I've read there is a twist at the end that provides the reader with an aha moment. There is still some magical realism although not at the levels of Allende's other books, and it is still the sweeping epic I enjoy full of many beloved character; however, after Daughter of Fortune, this was a bit of a let down. The story serves as a bridge to link Eliza Sommers to Clara del Valle/ Trueba and the bridge was not seamless. Some of the writing felt forced because Clara’s story had already been written. Yet, less than stellar Allende is still among my favorite and I’m glad that I read this as it became more than a posterity read. Should I read the trilogy again, it will most definitely be in chronological order.

4 stars ...more

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Jan 12, 2017 Book Concierge rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, book-club, california, audio, library, concierge, strong-women, latino-literature, chile, foreign-literature

Audiobook narrated by Blair Brown

This is the third book Allende has written about the Del Valle family. Though it was the last published, in chronological order it falls between Daughter of Fortune and The House of the Spirits, but can easily be read as a standalone novel. The sweeping scope of this book takes us from mid 19th-century San Francisco to early 20th century Chile, and is narrated by Aurora Del Valle, a fiercely independent woman who followed her own destiny regardless of convention. ...more

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Feb 11, 2021 Samantha rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary-literature-post-1900, historical-fiction, owned, south-america

This is the second book in a three series family saga set in Chile and San Francisco during the 19th century. The book links nicely with Daughter of Fortune, picking up the story in 1862 and written through the eyes of Aurora, the grand-daughter of Paulina del Valle and Eliza Sommers. Set in three parts and speckled with Allende's signature wit, we are at first re-introduced to the two families: how Eliza met Tao Chi'en and came to live in San Francisco's China town establishing professions, bus ...more

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Dec 28, 2009 Phair rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, western-setting

Allende jumps around a lot from one pov to another & sometimes even jumps time frames so this is confusing on audio version. Very good in spots but boring and overly political in others. Many of the characters from Daughter of Fortune are mentioned but this is not a direct sequel. I was anxious for this to be over but was interested, too.

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