Karin J. (gringa76) reviewed Portrait in Sepia (Daughter of Fortune, Bk 2) on + 48 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Loved this book! So beautifully written...it gave me insight into the characters and the time period when it took place. A+ book!
Helpful Score: 2
A great book. Took me longer to read than other books because the descriptive intricate writing I did not want to miss, but a moving story about a woman finding her origins in the late 1880's all the way up to the early 1900's. Also has some good historical fiction/nonfiction about Chilé and Chinatown in the late 1880's. Not a book I would normally read, but read after good reviews here and would recommend again!
Helpful Score: 2
A wonderful book, intelligently written, about the lives and secrets of a nineteenth century family. It takes you from San Francisco's Chinatown, to the turmoli of political unrest and civil war in Chile.
Helpful Score: 2
A book with generations of wonderful characters. My book discussion group loved it and it has become one of our favorites so far!
Terri M. (ManitouBlue) reviewed Portrait in Sepia (Daughter of Fortune, Bk 2) on + 110 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
What a wonderful story! The characters are rich and well defined. Don't miss it!
Helpful Score: 1
Great book that slowly unravels childhood mysteries, both good and bad, in nineteenth century San Francisco where Chilean, British, and Chinese backgrounds comingle in the protaganist's family history.
Excellent book! I read it in a week or so.
I loved this book. It is a continuation of a story that begins in Allende's "Daughter of Fortune". (Although each can be read separately)
Great story that takes you around the world in travel and adventure.
Great story that takes you around the world in travel and adventure.
JoAnn G. (bookwoman28) reviewed Portrait in Sepia (Daughter of Fortune, Bk 2) on + 166 more book reviews
This historical novel by acclaimed author Isabel Allende is a continuation of the late 19th century tale begun in 'Daughter of Fortune." A novel of memory and family secrets; a young woman raised in privilege by an ambitious grandmother, but bedeviled by nightmares from her earliest childhood, of which she has no memory.
I could hardly put this down. It's a wonderful story and easy read.
Great for latina studies.
Shannon C. (Shannon) reviewed Portrait in Sepia (Daughter of Fortune, Bk 2) on + 61 more book reviews
Sequel to "Daughter of Fortune." I enjoyed this book as much as the first one.
Years ago I read House of Spirits by Allende and enjoyed it. I was very disappointed in Portrait in Sepia. The author was lazy and careless in many details throughout the book. Disappointing.
Karen S. (MKSbooklady) reviewed Portrait in Sepia (Daughter of Fortune, Bk 2) on + 983 more book reviews
Another well loved book I couldn't get into. Three days, less than 100 pages. I gave up. Couldn't see where this was going.
Catherine C. (c-squared) reviewed Portrait in Sepia (Daughter of Fortune, Bk 2) on + 181 more book reviews
I realized about halfway through this book that I'd read it before. I thought it was a third book in a series when really it was the second. I thought the beginning seemed so familiar because maybe it was overlapping some of the same story from the second book. Finally I got to a point where it was just too familiar. While I basically enjoyed the read, it wasn't great enough to stick in my memory the first time, warranting only 3 stars.
Nadine (23dollars) -
PORTRAIT IN SEPIA was the August 2013 pick in my online book club, The Reading Cove.
Aurora del Valle's narrative was as dull as a portrait in sepia is colorless.
This is my second novel by Isabel Allende. I attempted to read DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE and gave up on it - the writing style just wasn't for me. And the same is true for this quasi-sequel. The first few pages were all about a bed being shipped from Florence!
I found the narrative dull, rambling and completely disengaging for me. I could not find any interest in following Aurora's life story. It was much too bland and flavorlessly told. DNF.
Aurora del Valle's narrative was as dull as a portrait in sepia is colorless.
This is my second novel by Isabel Allende. I attempted to read DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE and gave up on it - the writing style just wasn't for me. And the same is true for this quasi-sequel. The first few pages were all about a bed being shipped from Florence!
I found the narrative dull, rambling and completely disengaging for me. I could not find any interest in following Aurora's life story. It was much too bland and flavorlessly told. DNF.
Vintage Allende. She is a good story-teller
Alexandra B. (abutorac) reviewed Portrait in Sepia (Daughter of Fortune, Bk 2) on + 10 more book reviews
In 19th century Chile, Aurora del Valle suffers a brutal trauma that erases all recollections of the first five years of her life. Raised by her regal grandmother Paulina del Valle, Aurora grows up in a priviledged environment, but is tormented by horrible nightmares. When she is forced to recognize her betrayal at the hands of the man she loves, and to cope with the resulting solitude, she explores the mystery of her past.
