Let's eat Grandpa!

For August, I’m participating in Read My Own Books Month, hosted by Michelle at That’s What She Read. 

This book is the first this month that doesn’t qualify for Read My Own Books Month. And I was so close!

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende

Narrator: Blair Brown
Source: Sacramento Library
Recommended: by my SIL Alicia
Finished: 8/24/11
Rating: 8 out of 10
Publisher: Harper Audio
Pages: 432 (print version)
Published: 1999

Synopsis (from School Library Journal): An orphan raised in Valparaiso, Chile, by a Victorian spinster and her rigid brother, vivacious young Eliza Sommers follows her lover to California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Entering a rough-and-tumble world of new arrivals driven mad by gold fever, Eliza moves in a society of single men and prostitutes with the help of her good friend and savior, the Chinese doctor Tao Chi’en. California opens the door to a new life of freedom and independence to the young Chilean, and her search for her elusive lover gradually turns into another kind of journey. By the time she finally hears news of him, Eliza must decide who her true love really is.

Overall Impression: 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 gold country (gold was discovered just up the hill from me) meant that I already had a lot of background for a novel set during the Gold Rush (students in the Sacramento area go gold panning in school…or at least we did…not sure what kids do these days during budget cuts). I loved that so much of this book took place under my feet, and as I drove through Sacramento, I found myself wondering what it looked like 150 years ago, when it was full of prospectors and prostitutes. My city of a million people started out a very different place.

As much as I enjoyed it, Daughter of Fortune wasn’t perfect. It had one of the most abrupt endings that I can ever remember in a book — I thought the CD skipped or I missed something. I was brushing loose ends out of my way for the rest of the day. Not that I need everything wrap up neatly into a nice little package, but I thought there was far too much left undone. Or maybe there is a sequel I’m unaware of? I also wished the main character spent more time finding herself than her love.

Narration: Blair Brown did an incredible job of capturing half a dozen different accents, and bringing the sights and sounds of Chile and California to life.

Positives: Gorgeous writing — Allende’s ability to create setting is something every writer should strive for.

Negatives: The ending. It ended so abruptly that I thought I’d missed a CD.

Other books I’ve read by Isabel Allende: none

Other books I’ve listened to narrated by Blair Brown: none

Other blogger opinions:

Books Like Breathing: “Writers should really take a good look at Isabel Allende’s books to learn how to write a good description.”

Book Maven’s Blog: Ultimately, at the end of the novel, I felt it was an okay book. Not great. I didn’t necessarily feel as though I’d wasted my time. But I wasn’t nearly as excited about it as I had been when I first opened the book.”

Books for Breakfast: “Allende has such an enormous grasp of historical events, places, and people, and she blends them seamlessly into her narrative.”