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Book ReviewsFortune Is a Woman |
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Book: Fortune Is a Woman
Written by: Elizabeth Adler |
Publisher: MacMillan Publishing Company.
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5
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Fortune doesn't favor this novel...
Rating:
3 / 5
Elizabeth Adler comes out with another book that misses the mark, but not by much. Better than "Property of a Lady", but not as good as "Leonie", "Peach" or "The Rich Shall Inherit", "Fortune is a Woman" is a stereotypical woman's book. It's "Fried Green Tomatoes" on opium. Francie Harrison is the neglected and abused daughter of a San Franciso millionare, who is the epitome of cold evil. At 18, she is finally free from his abuse, and a saintly waiter takes her in. We can guess what will eventually happen to him. This saintly waiter has a sister, Annie Aysgarth, who is treated like a servant by her distant father. The waiter also has a "best friend" who is bisexual, and murderously jealous. Eventually, the 1906 earthquake happens, and Francie's life is shaken upside down. She meets an enigmatic Chinese man named Lai Tsin, and together, they start a business empire that brings them both riches, while Annie makes her fortune and becomes Francie's best friend. Years later, Francie's hotheaded brother makes trouble for her, and the scene is set for revenge, blackmail, and murder. After all this has occured, Lysandra's story is told, and we see her struggle with her role as a powerful businesswoman who has fallen in love with a tempermental artist. She goes in search of her grandfather's "secret", and then she discovers a wild, improbable story of survival. It's too unbelievable to recommend. Too many men are portrayed as monsterous.
Outstanding Tale of Strong Women
Rating:
5 / 5
When it comes to multi-generational novels featuring strong women protagonists, Elizabeth Adler excels. In this particular novel, she also exposes the reader to a different culture and language as the story moves between Hong Kong and San Francisco's China Town as well as Nob Hill.
Francesca Harrison is the abused daughter of a wealthy San Francisco banker and Annie Aysgarth is an English woman searching for her runaway brother. They meet in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake of 1906 that rocked San Francisco. They are befriended by Lai Tsin, another earthquake victim, and the three form a lifelong friendship that takes them into the 1960's by way of overwhelming tragedies and glamorous triumphs.
This book revolves around strong women who refuse to be destroyed by what fate deals them but create their own fortune, both personal and financial, in a riveting rags-to-riches tale told as only Elizabeth Adler can.
Well-drawn secondary characters, plot twists aplenty, and an amazing ending that will totally shock you combine to make this a must-read novel for fans of women's fiction.
The best book I've ever read in my life
Rating:
5 / 5
I've read so... many books in different languages , but this book was something else. Awsome .
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