Portrait in Sepia
After reading Allende's Daughter of Fortune for a college literature course, I knew immediately that I would need to read Portrait in Sepia in order to see what happened to the characters I had become so deeply invested in. I expected a good novel but a standard sequel, and I began reading more to satisfy my own curiosity than because I expected to be particularly enthralled.What I found in Portrait in Sepia exceeded all of my expectations. This is a novel which grabs you from the first sentence and doesn't let go, dragging you into a world and a life that feels so real you could easily believe that it was a memoir rather than a novel. Aurora Del Valle radiates off the page with a spirit that is captivating and astounding, a personality which is entirely unique and all her own. Answers to questions left open-ended in Daughter of Fortune are skillfully and subtly covered, and in the end I feel as though I have just gotten to know a group of people whose story has entertained and intrigued me from the very beginning. If you are a fan of good historical fiction novels, or of good books in general, this is one I absolutely recommend (although I would recommend giving Daughter of Fortune a read first, for consistency's sake).
Rating: 4 stars
