| Portrait in Sepia | |
| Title Orig: | Retrato en Sepia |
| Translator: | Margaret Sayers Peden |
| Author: | Isabel Allende |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | Spanish |
| Publisher: | HarperCollins |
| Release Date: | 2000 |
| Media Type: | Print (hardcover) |
| Oclc: | 457154398 |
| Preceded By: | Daughter of Fortune |
Portrait in Sepia (Spanish; Castilian: Retrato en Sepia) is a 2000 novel by Isabel Allende. The novel can be thought of a sequel to Allende's Daughter of Fortune as it follows Eliza Sommers' granddaughter - Aurora del Valle.
Portrait in Sepia is the sequel to Daughter of Fortune and follows the story of Aurora del Valle, the granddaughter of Eliza Sommers (Hija de la fortuna). The daughter of Lynn Sommers (the daughter of Eliza and Tao Chi'en) and Matías Rodríguez de Santa Cruz (son of Paulina del Valle and Feliciano Rodríguez de Santa Cruz) has no memory of the first five years of her life. She has recurring nightmares of men in black pyjamas looming around her and losing the grip on the hand of someone beloved.
Lynn died giving birth to Aurora, known also by her Chinese name Lai Ming, in Chinatown, San Francisco, while Aurora's biological father never acknowledged that he had a child until the end of his life; he died a slow and agonizing death of syphilis. After Lynn's death, Aurora's maternal grandparents raised her until the death of Tao Chi'en. After these events, Eliza approaches Paulina to raise Aurora while Eliza goes to China to bury Tao's body. Paulina makes Eliza agree to cut all contact with Aurora so that she will not become too attached to the girl only to have her taken away later on in life. So, Paulina del Valle tries to hide Aurora's true origins. Nevertheless, when Aurora talks to her real father, Matías, he tells the truth about her past. In this first part, the writer also describes the War of the Pacific in which Severo del Valle is involved as a soldier. The description of the war is very cruel; this can be seen in the scene where Severo del Valle loses his leg to gangrene.
The second part is about the transition of Aurora's childhood into adulthood. She learns to be a photographer and becomes an expert artist in the field of photography. The family moves from San Francisco to Chile and Frederick Williams becomes Paulina's husband, so that he will be accepted in Chilean society. Everyone there sees him as a true English lord, but no one knows that his origins are not noble. Allende also describes a civil war which affects them directly, as well as the way in which Paulina del Valle endlessly creates new businesses such as growing French wine and selling cheese, in Chile. The Del Valle family then travels to Europe because Paulina has a tumor and needs an operation. The operation is successful and Paulina becomes healthy and strong once more. She is more than 70 years old, but does not show signs of being tired, ill or soft; she imposes her will on her body and thus continues to rule the family as a matriarch.
Thus, the novel is divided into three parts plus an epilogue. The first part describes Aurora's infancy and family members, and in the second part, Aurora's life comes more into play. The third part is where Aurora grows up, becoming a photographer, marrying Diego Domínguez and eventually leaving him. She takes a lover, Dr. Ivan Radovic, and their relationship is explained more fully in the epilogue.
In the end, the mystery of Tao Chi'en's death is revealed and it plays an important role.[1]
Major themes are historical descriptions of two wars and the role of a woman in Chile. The novel has many feminist reflections; thoughts that Isabel Allende herself has accepted, she shares. Paulina del Valle is seen as the ultimate feminist, a woman who rules in a world of men. She helps poor women using her wealth through charitable organizations. No one would ever try to pass on her and everyone obeys her, even her two husbands. She is very conservative and rules the family with gloves of steel, as a matriarch. Her force is a big contrast to Frederick Williams' calm and peace of mind.
War and history are important in this novel; Allende has confided she always does thorough historical research for her novels for accuracy. Also, she describes the ultra-conservative characteristics of Chilean society at that time.
The other important theme is love, although it is only seen in the third part of the novel. Allende seems to describe love in a non-romantic manner.