Daughter of Fortune

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Daughter of Fortune
Author Isabel Allende
Original title Hija de La Fortuna
Translator Margaret Sayers Peden
Country United States
Language Spanish
Genre(s) Novel
Publisher HarperCollins
Publication date 1999
Media type Print (Hardcover)
Pages 399
ISBN ISBN 0-06-019492-8 (hardback edition)

Daughter of Fortune (original Spanish title Hija de la fortuna) is a novel by Isabel Allende, and was chosen as an Oprah's Book Club selection in February of 2000.

Contents

[edit] Plot summary

This takes place in 1840s Chile. Eliza Sommers is a young Chilean girl raised and educated by English Anglican siblings Rose and Jeremy Sommers, and their sailor brother John Sommers, who were colonists living in the port of Valparaiso, ever since they found her on their doorstep, and taught in the art of cooking by the Mapuche Indian Mama Fresia. Over most of Part 1, we read about her origins and upbringing, and her maturity. After listening to a story Miss Rose told her about her first love, Eliza falls in love with Joaquin Andieta, a young Chilean man who was concerned about his mother, living in poverty. The young couple have an affair, ultimately resulting in Eliza getting pregnant. Soon, news of gold being discovered in California reaches Chile, and Joaquin goes out to California in search of a fortune. Wanting to follow her lover, Eliza goes to California, with the help of her Chinese zhong yi friend, Tao Chi'en, in the bowels of a ship headed by a Dutch Lutheran captain, Vincent Katz.

In the beginning of Part 2, we read about Tao's past, from his early life in poverty, to his apprenticeship to a master acupuncturist, and his ill-fated marriage to Lin, a young and pretty, but frail girl who dies after a brief marriage. Lin's spirit later comes in to help her widowed husband at crucial points for Tao in later parts of the book. During the journey to California, Eliza, due to her pregnancy, is frail and sick, and later suffers a miscarriage. As soon as Eliza and Tao set foot in San Francisco, due to there being all men, Eliza wears a Chinese boy's cheongsam. Eliza sets up a successful Chilean restaurant, and Tao becomes a successful zhong yi. Tao, after seeing the greed and brothels in San Francisco, loses most of his faith in America. Eliza then sets on her journey to find Joaquin, using a male cowboy's disguise and the moniker Elias Andieta, and claiming to be Joaquin's brother. Meanwhile in Valparaiso, Rose and Jeremy are shocked to find that Eliza has disappeared. When John comes and asks about her whereabouts, Rose reveals a well-kept, shocking secret about him: John is Eliza's father, having had her with an unnamed Chilean woman. Having the feeling that his daughter went to California, John sets sail for San Francisco.

Part 3 finds Eliza broke after still trying to search for Joaquin,she occasionly sends letters to Tao describing what she sees in her journey. Although she has fallen out of love with Joaquin,she cannot stop journeying. In an outskirt town,Eliza meets up with Joe Bonecrusher's travelling caraven of prostitutes and ends up travelling with them as cook and piano player. The members of the caravan believe Eliza to be a homosexual man,a disguise which she takes up much to the frustration of Babalu,the caravan's bodyguard. Eliza stays with the group during the winter as they settle in a small town. During this time,Tao moves to San Francisco to save up money to move back to China. He surprises himself when he realises he misses Eliza's company and is consuled when he begins receiving her letters. John Sommers in his search for Eliza,comes across Jacob Todd,an old suitor of Rose's who is now a journalist known as Jacob Freemont. Freemont promises that he will look out for any sign of Eliza. Freemont writes articles about the famous bandit Joaquin Murieta,whose description matches Eliza's lover. Tao comes and finds Eliza at Joe Bonecrusher's and Eliza comes back to San Francisco with him. They set up a network to help young Chinese prostitutes escape and rehabilitate with the help of friends. Eventually Jacob Freemont is able to pass word to the Sommers that Eliza is alive,who was previously thought dead. Tao and Eliza live together and eventually form a relationship. At the end of the novel,Joaquin Murieta is shot dead and his preserved head is showcased in San Francisco. Eliza and Tao go to see if the man was really Joaquin Andieta.

[edit] Main Characters

 Please help improve this section by expanding it.
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[edit] Eliza Sommers

Eliza Sommers is a headstrong, half Chilean, half English girl abandoned at birth at the home of the Sommers. She is adopted and raised in part by Rose Sommers and also by Mama Fresia, the Sommers' servant and cook. She has an excellent sense of smell and a very detailed and accurate memory.

[edit] Rose Sommers

Incredibly beautiful, Rose Sommers never married after an affair at a young age with an opera singer ended. She has raised Eliza as her own, as though she did not wish to marry she wanted children.

[edit] Jeremy Sommers

Jeremy is the oldest of the Sommers. He is solid and stern, taking care to never show emotion. Jeremy and Rose live together under unspoken conditions where she takes care of the house and he provides necessities.

[edit] John Sommers

John is a captain of a ship and later a steamboat carrying supplies to California. He is a free-spirit and the "loosest" of the Sommers, enjoying good drinks and women. He travels to many places and brings back gifts for Rose and Elia, after she is born.

[edit] Mama Fresia

Mama Fresia is the cook for the Sommers. Nobody pays much attention to her except for Eliza who benefits from her cooking skills as well as superstitions. Eventually Mama Fresia helps Eliza run away and then disappears herself.

[edit] Tao Chi'en

Tao Chi'en is a cook working at John Sommers ship. Once he has been dismissed from the captain's duty, Eliza comes to him to ask for him to help her follow her lover Joaqín Andieta to California. Tao Chi'en smuggles Eliza aboard the ship and keeps her there for the rest of the journey. He takes care of her when she suffers from a miscarriage and saves her life. The two remain friends for life.

[edit] Joaquin Andieta

Joaquin is a young man who works for Jeremy Sommers, though is not known by name by him. He spends time with Jacob Todd talking about philosophy and freedom. He is a loyal and hard worker, trying his best to bring his mother into a better life. Joaquin meets Eliza when delivering something to the Sommers' house. They meet multiple times to talk which leads to an affair. When Joaquin is struck by gold fever he steals money and heads for California.

[edit] Jacob Todd/Freemont

Jacob is brought to Chile by a bet that he couldn't sell a specific number of Bibles in 3 months. Once he arrives he is distracted by the resisting Rose Sommers and lives off of money the local church gives him for his "mission work". Once he is unveiled as a fraud, Jacob takes off with what' left of his reputation. He ends up in California working as a journalist, though no more honest, and becomes famous for his pieces, especially those on the elusive bandit Joaquin Murieta.

[edit] Minor Characters

[edit] Joe Bonecrusher's Girls

[edit] Joaquin Murieta

[edit] Themes & Issues

 Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.