After this i will look for more of Isabel Allende's books
344736
Thoroughly good reading and enlightening about history of Haiti.
Well written. The author has written many other books i recommend reading.
Isabel Allende
4635048
Daughter of Fortune,  by Isabel Allende, is a novel set in the time of the California Gold Rush that tells the story of a young woman's journey across the Pacific.
 Eliza Sommers was left on the doorstep of a prominent British family in Chile, and was raised to be a "lady". Eliza has to put up with all the boundaries set for women in the 19th century. She is brought up believing that her main goal in life should be to arrange a good marriage, and to please her future husband.
 Her life turns upside down when a young, intense  store clerk named Joaquin woos her, and they fall madly in love. After a brief but passionate love affair, Joaquin sets off on a boat to follow the sudden gold craze that has swept South America.
 Eliza, pregnant with Joaquin's child, determines to follow her lover nad try to find him in California. She makes it overseas with the help of her future best friend, a Chinese doctor named Tao. She continues to chase after the faintest chance of finding her lover, traveling with various traveling bands, including a group of prostitutes.
 In California, Eliza's unending quest to meet up with her lover eventually leads her to finding out who she really is. In this new place, she can establish herself and build up a good reputation, despite the fact that she is a woman.
 I thought Daughter of Fortune was a wonderful book. Allende's writing style is very descriptive and thorough, and is rich with detail. At times, however, she is a little too thorough and I got bored with what was happening. Luckily, there were plenty of exciting moments to make up for the dull ones..
 The reader can tell how mcuh research went into making this book good. I found it fascinating that it began in Valparaiso, Chile, and described that place so well, and also went on to describe California and China. I learned many things about the cultures of these places, and also about the Gold Rush time period. It was difficult for women to express their individuality back then, and Allende has created a female protagonist whose search to find her own identity in that society makes it all the more believable.
 Contrary to what most of the reviews say, I like the way the story ends. I do not think it is abrupt. If the author had gone on to further describe the relationship between Tao and Eliza, the book would have had to have been much longer, and it is quite long as it is. Its length, actually, is the main thing I didn't like about the book. I struggled through the first hundred pages or so, but in the end, the slow pace was worth it.
 I highly recommend this book, and though it seems to be geared more towards women, I think anyone would enjoy it.
965645
The best thing about this book is a fictional peek into the Latin American culture. It was nice to see things from a different point of view. I admired Maribel's character the most because she is not what she first appears at the beginning of the novel. I really couldn't get into Daphne's character not liking her attitude at the beginning. Granted she did gradually change throughout the book. Overall a good cultural experience. The difference in this book would tempt me to read this author again.
1999068
I selected this book mainly because I like mysteries, frequently enjoy authors from over the pond and really liked the title. I was a bit put off by the fact that the author had penned a "No. 1 Ladies Detective Series" assuming that his style might be too dear for me. In mysteries I enjoy cozy but not cute. I need not have worried this book is far from a lightweight effort.

Isabel Dalhousie is a moral philosopher and she owns and edits the Review of Applied Ethics.  She lives in Scotland with her significant other Jamie (a handsome younger man) and their son, Charlie. Isabel is a woman of a certain age who believes in living an examined life. From time to time she uses her gift for observation to help solve mysteries. In this book she is asked to determine whether there is substance to the charges penned in an anonymous note. These charges concern one of the three candidates for the position of Head Master at a boy's school. Isabel must determine not only if the charges are credible but also which of the candidates is the subject of the allegations. Much of the novel focuses on Isabel's ruminations on the various characters we meet and the impact these people have on Isabel's perspective. I fear I am making this sound much duller than it is, but I do want to stress that this is a quiet thoughtful story far more than it is a detective novel. Those with a taste for Robert Parker should look elsewhere but those who enjoy the marvelous Louise Penny might give this a try. I do wish there had been a bit more of the mysterious in the mystery but was quite pleased to discover this author nonetheless.

This book is a worthy effort by a very good author.
4936871
Keeps reader interested in plot; misses Allende's usual richness in descriptions; characters are not completely developed.
389881
I loved this book, even though I was initially a bit sceptical about it, as it just seemed too modern and rooted in everyday reality, compared to most other works by Isabel Allende. However, this is a great read, Maya is a strong character with a distinct voice that is both that of a young, in some ways, nave girl and that of a grown woman that has seen a lot from life and able to give wisdom to others. It starts off a bit slow and initially I did find Maya a bit annoying and acting somewhat like a spoilt brat, but as her past is slowly revealed you can't help but really feel for her and once you know how she hit rock bottom, you do appreciate how far she has come.
Overall, a great book that contains everything you would expect from an Allende novel - deep, believable characters, a little bit of magic in the everyday, strong, unique women at the centre stage, a story of love and above all this - Chile.
4975411
Though I enjoyed these stories which are rich in ideas, and the use of magic realism to some extent, I always had the feeling that I would enjoy them more if I could read them in their original language - Spanish.

Still, because Julio Corta'zar is a very famous Argentinian author I am glad to have an opportunity to read him.
343330
Isabel Allende is the author of over a dozen novels. She has a distinct writing style, one that I enjoy, and she frequently spices her novels with magic realism, a kind of near-poetic representation of an event which is impossible but which captures the event. She does so only sparingly in this historical fiction. This novel is based on fact, the life and adventures of In&eacute;s Su&aacute;rez. She was a Spanish conquistador. A conquistador is the title given to leaders of the Spanish conquest of the New World  America, Mexico, Peru, Chile, etc  in the sixteenth century. The title is related to the word conqueror. Su&aacute;rez was born in Palencia, Extremadura, Spain in 1507. She came to the Americas around 1537 when she was about thirty years of age. It is generally assumed that she was in search of her husband Juan de Malaga, an adventurer, who had left Spain to serve in the New World with the oft-vicious Pizarro brothers. This is the position that Allende takes.
 Suarez arrived in Lima in 1538. She participated in the conquest of Chile with Pedro de Valdivia who she came to love dearly. She successfully defending Santiago against a Mapuche attack in 1541.
The novel is filled with many events such as the mistreatment of women, rapes, blaiming the rape on the woman, pious sex  while covered up, considering natives savages, butchering them, the natives fabricating a story about El Dorado to get the invades moving away from them, the sack of Rome, the Spanish monarch taking a fifth of all the plundered wealth stolen from native, strange native medicines, and much more.
1352479
This is a great memoir for Isabel Allende fans.  A wonderful tribute to her daughter.
438227
While the plot seemed more simple and contrived than what we usually get from Isabel Allende, I loved the characters and her prose. I couldn't put it down, which is unusual for me.  She is a novelist who always delivers!
2013583
This is a very engaging story. Very clever stuff let me tell you! It reads a bit like an a short American Isabella Allende novel. Not bad! Gold-Diggers?
2831963
See my commments for the other novels by Halina Grave. It would be nice if there were Spanish translations to that meine Frau could read them.
138157
In the manner of magical realism, but not as magical.  The historical subtext is always near the surface. Allende's writing is more accessible and compelling than the more famous Colombian.
685344
Disappointing.....I usually love isabel allende..
4473336
Las Hechizadas was a wonderful read. The entire story was very engaging and beautifully written. There were so many aspects of it that felt like a Gabriel Garcia Marquez story. I loved the re-telling of the family history and its importance. I loved how tradition played such an important role in the plot of this story. Fantastic and interesting read. If you like anything by Isabel Allende, you will like this book.
2886758
I was thrilled at the length and depth of this ebook and was interested in her two others that were previewed.
4412693
The House of the Spirits is a beautifully written book, set in the home of a wealthy Chilean family, the Trueba's. The book follows their family through many ups and downs throughout the lives of three different generations, focusing specifically on one special woman, Clara, and her powerful and loving husband, Esteban, and their family and friends.
 The plot of this book is a very dramatic, capturing one. Its almost like a soap opera the way that one bad thing after another seems to happen to some of the characters. It begins with a young Esteban- before his days of political power and wealth, falling in love with the mute Clara De Valle. Clara is a special woman in that she is clairvoyant, and is capable of things such as telekinesis and necromancy. Esteban is a selfish and materialistic man who focuses his life on getting what he thinks will make him happy, only to find that material items cant do that. They have three children, twin boys Jaime and Nicholas, and a daughter Blanca. When Blanca has a secret and forbidden love affair with a man of an inappropriate class, she surprises her parents with a granddaughter, who quickly becomes close with her grandfather Esteban, and changes their family forever.
 The author of this book, Isabel Allende, writes in a very rhythmic and smooth way to tell this story. Allende uses a light and playful tone to convey the nature of the families relationships, and to make the reader feel as if they are reading about their own family. The tone brings out sympathy from the reader as well, so that the reader will take the events lightheartedly and as if they were happening to one of the readers own family members.
 The setting of this book is a very interesting and, in my opinion, a unique one. Although it is never mentioned in the book, it is known that this book takes place in Chile, sometime in the 1900s. The setting is very important to the plot of the book, because Esteban becomes a politician during the time of the Chilean socialist revolution and conservationist counterrevolution.
 To conclude, this book was a very well written take on the life of a wealthy Chilean family living in a tough political time, with a dramatic and mystic twist.