Like thousands of other newcomers, and like her Chinese friend Tao Chi'en, she is thrust into a melting pot of unfamiliar languages and customs.
Cloaking her identity-and her sex-she must carve out a new life for herself by whatever means possible. Like Valparaso, San Francisco is a major port into which foreigners stream daily. When Joaqun leaves Eliza in hopes of striking it rich in California, she is determined to follow him there, risking every comfort and certainty she has ever known.Īllende's portrait of California illustrates the chaos and excitement of the Gold Rush-the promise of wealth, and of a new world. Meanwhile, in America, gold has been discovered in the hills of northern California, and by 1849, everyone is swept up in the promise of the Gold Rush.
But Eliza's feelings for Joaqun, a young, penniless revolutionary, are all-consuming. So when Eliza exhibits the signs of a first love, the women in her life come to her "rescue," certain that this adolescent passion will lead to trouble. She is not even sure how she arrived at the Sommers household-only that she is lucky enough to be cared for, educated, and even loved by her adopted family. An orphan of unknown heritage, Eliza is raised in the British colony of Valparaso, Chile, by the Victorian spinster Rose Sommers and her brother Jeremy. Born into a 19th-century society that values birthright above character, Eliza Sommers is at a startling disadvantage. Can we control our own destinies? What does it take to change the course of our lives so that we may pursue our dreams? And how do we know that our decisions are the right ones, especially if we hurt others or ourselves in the process? These are the questions posed by Isabel Allende's fascinating story of bravery and passion, of a young woman's incredible journey from one world to another, from innocence to wisdom.
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