A review by wildmountainjane
Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende

3.0

I liked this book. Allende's writing is beautiful and her characters are fascinating. It didn't quite live up to its predecessor in my mind, partly because of personal preference (I really enjoyed the historical setting of the gold rush and didn't know enough about Chile's history to be engaged with her historical sidebars on the same level) and partly because the main characters and their stories lacked the depth and passion of the ones featured in Daughter of Fortune. Aurora's story mirrors Eliza's in many ways, but I never identified with her the way I did with Eliza, and it seemed things just happened to her, rather than her being a driving force in her own fate. Paulina felt like a completely different character who was called Paulina del Valle simply to keep us in the same world of characters. I did love Frederick and her relationship with him. Overall, a lovely and easy read that just doesn't pack the same punch as some of Allende's other stories.