Library Journal Review
This blockbuster of a historical novel by Chilean writer Allende (House ofSpirits) captures the adventure of 19th-century Chile and California while presenting colorful and energetic characters. In Valparaiso, Chile, an English colony, siblings Rose and Jeremy Sommers adopt Eliza, an orphan left at their door. They hope to raise her to be a marriageable, upper-class English lady, but at 16 she falls in love with a destitute, would-be revolutionary who, after getting Eliza pregnant, leaves for California to search for gold. The headstrong Eliza follows him, miscarries, and meets Tao Chi'en, a Chinese physician who nurses her back to health. In America, Eliza spends years searching for her lover, at times disguised as a man, supporting herself with odd jobs, including as a piano player in a traveling brothel. Allende has woven a colorful, complex story around family conflict, romantic love, and history. A number of minor players flesh out the narrative. Blair Brown reads with clarity and warmth, even if a little understated for some of the more flamboyant characters. Recommended for all libraries.--Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.