Daughter Of Fortune

Daughter of Fortune, first published in Spanish in 1998 (Hija de la fortuna), is the fifth novel by celebrated Latin American writer Isabel Allende. The winner of multiple awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and Chile’s National Literature Prize, Allende created this work of historical fiction, in part, to explore the impact of feminism on her own life. Daughter of Fortune tells the story of a young woman, Eliza Sommers, and her odyssey of self-discovery as she travels from Valparaíso, Chile, to Gold Rush-era California in the 19th century. The English-language edition of Daughter of Fortune, published in 1999, was translated by Margaret Sayers Peden. A sequel, Portrait in Sepia (2000), traces the life of Eliza’s granddaughter. Other works by Allende include A Long Petal of the Sea, Violeta, and The Wind Knows My Name.

Plot Summary

Eliza’s origins are shrouded in mystery. She was abandoned as a baby on the doorstep of the home of Jeremy and Rose Sommers in Valparaíso, Chile, in 1832. Brought up by Rose, a spinster, and Rose’s merchant brother, Jeremy, who immigrated to Chile from England, Eliza learns two different stories about her ancestry.