[reviews]

Portrait in Sepia is both an intimate examination of the inner lives of a woman and her family and a large canvas across which many people parade and on which momentous events are played out. Its romantic elements—which are to be found in its language as well as it sentiments—are counterbalanced by its shrewd, uncompromising view of those people and events…Portrait in Sepia is the best book Allende has published in the United States since her splendid first novel of nearly two decades ago, The House of the Spirits.”
—Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World

Portrait in Sepia tightens the weave of a multigenerational fantasy as complete and inspiring as the real world it parallels…Allende’s enchanting historical universe keeps expanding and Portrait in Sepia is a new galactic jewel.”
Chicago Tribune

“Rich and complex…Allende exercises her supreme storytelling abilities…a grand installment in an already impressive repertoire.”
Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Complex, intriguing, ambitious…it’s Allende’s remarkable flair for character that makes it all come alive.”
Kirkus Reviews

“Isabel Allende has once again created a riveting saga…Portrait in Sepia is rich with color and emotion and packed with intriguing characters. With this novel Allende proves that, as a master storyteller, she’s still at the top of her game.”
San Francisco Chronicle

“A polished, charming…tale.”
Library Journal

Portrait in Sepia is rich with color and emotion and packed with intriguing characters.”
San Francisco Chronicle

“A storyteller of resounding wit and gusto…Portrait is allusive, sensuous, often blisteringly atmospheric and turbulent with secrets and self-discovery…[it] moves, thrills and delights.”
The Miami Herald

“This fast paced novel [is] delivered in…reverberant prose.”
The Boston Globe

“A vision…rich in tones, shadows and light…Allende’s eloquently layered descriptions breathe life into her characters.”
People

“Allende’s imagination is a spectacle unto itself—she infects her readers with her own colossal dreams.”
Book magazine

“Spectacular story-telling…the author’s elaborate skill in weaving intimate emotional detail into the broad canvas of history is in fantastic display.”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution