Daughter of Fortune - Isabel Allende
Me and a friend decided through our love of books and writing we would start our very own book club so to speak. I will be moving away soon and it is our way of keeping in contact. She took a list of 25 books every girl should read and bought me the first two as my leaving/birthday present. The first one is Daughter of Fortune, it is set in the 1800's and the first chapter is well all about the daughter Eliza, I thought I would struggle to get into this book but actually it is far better written than I imagined. I'm not normally into these kind of books but I am going in with an open mind. I have learnt a little about Eliza at the moment she was left on the doorstep of an English family in Cuba and no one can seem to decide how she was there. Every frowns upon Indian roots and that's about all I've established so far.
After finishing the second chapter it seems that Isabel Allendre likes introducing her characters. This one was all about an Englishman Jacob Todd who comes to Chille he spends his time with the Sommers (the family that took in Eliza) and he becomes fascinated by Rose Sommers. Although I am all for learning the background I have only just started the third chapter and it seems this is once again introducing characters.
So I have just finished part one and I feel as though I have only just finished being introduced to the characters. If I'm totally honest not 100% sure where this book is going and I feel there is going to be some surprises in store for me. As this book is based in the 1800's I am reading all about the lives of people pushing the boundaries for this time period, a woman who doesn't want to marry. Stolen love that is forbidden. Virginity being given which is not something that was done at this time. There are a few sexual encounters however Allende keeps them extremely tasteful and mysterious. After finishing the first part I am now enthralled in the book. It is written beautifully and I can appreciate a good book when I read it. I am now in 1848-1849 and looking forward to reading where this story takes Eliza and her lover.
Me and a friend decided through our love of books and writing we would start our very own book club so to speak. I will be moving away soon and it is our way of keeping in contact. She took a list of 25 books every girl should read and bought me the first two as my leaving/birthday present. The first one is Daughter of Fortune, it is set in the 1800's and the first chapter is well all about the daughter Eliza, I thought I would struggle to get into this book but actually it is far better written than I imagined. I'm not normally into these kind of books but I am going in with an open mind. I have learnt a little about Eliza at the moment she was left on the doorstep of an English family in Cuba and no one can seem to decide how she was there. Every frowns upon Indian roots and that's about all I've established so far.
After finishing the second chapter it seems that Isabel Allendre likes introducing her characters. This one was all about an Englishman Jacob Todd who comes to Chille he spends his time with the Sommers (the family that took in Eliza) and he becomes fascinated by Rose Sommers. Although I am all for learning the background I have only just started the third chapter and it seems this is once again introducing characters.
So I have just finished part one and I feel as though I have only just finished being introduced to the characters. If I'm totally honest not 100% sure where this book is going and I feel there is going to be some surprises in store for me. As this book is based in the 1800's I am reading all about the lives of people pushing the boundaries for this time period, a woman who doesn't want to marry. Stolen love that is forbidden. Virginity being given which is not something that was done at this time. There are a few sexual encounters however Allende keeps them extremely tasteful and mysterious. After finishing the first part I am now enthralled in the book. It is written beautifully and I can appreciate a good book when I read it. I am now in 1848-1849 and looking forward to reading where this story takes Eliza and her lover.
The next few chapters seem to based around Tai Chi'en and how he meets and helps Eliza get to her destination of California to follow her lover after he gets the Gold Fever, she has a miscarriage on the voyage and Tai has to care for her with the help of a whore who was also on the boat.
So I have now finished the book and I was not that impressed by the ending. Eliza spends her journey staying in a brothel helping out waiting for her lover to appear.... However he doesn't show and Tai shows instead. There is a bandit Jacques Murieta which Eliza thinks is her lover... The ending is underwhelming Murieta is hung and Tai and Eliza seem to have a connection and it ends.
The book is a good read I suppose but it is not one that I would read again.
5/10
5/10
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