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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780425168707
ISBN number: 0425168700
Label: Berkley Trade
Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: December 01, 1999
Publishing house: Berkley Trade
Release Date: December 13, 1999
Sale Popularity Level: 332687
Studio: Berkley Trade
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
This novel from the bestselling author of Practical Magic and Turtle Moon tells the story of two women--one young, unmarried, and far from home as she awaits the birth of her very first child, the other a mother who lost her daughter long ago...
'One of the best novels to come out of the United States in a decade.'-- Annie Dillard
'An intimate, lovely novel' (People) from the New York Times bestselling author of Here on Earth.
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Rated by buyers 
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I have read nearly all of Alice Hoffman's books, so I admit that I'm an adamant fan. She writes in such descriptive prose that it could easily be converted to poetry. At this point, this is my favorite Alice Hoffman work.
This is a story about a 25 year old, Rae, and her reluctant 44 year old friend, Lila. Rae has wasted her life with a man who is self-centered and obnoxious. Now she is alone and pregnant. Rae meets Lila at a local restaurant, where she is telling people their fortune as seen in their tea leaves. She sees a terrifying fortune in Rae's cup. But is it really Rae's fortune that she sees? Thus begins the story of these two women.
The story is full of tragedy and triumph. It is written so beautifully that it's worthy reading for the prose alone. If you only read one Alice Hoffman book, this should be the one.
Rated by buyers 
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I'm also a big Alice Hoffman fan & was looking forward to reading this particularly as my daughter is currently carrying my second granddaughter- I was even looking forward to recommending it to her but after slogging my way thru this depressing mess I pitched it into the "book trade bag" for the 2nd hand shop and warned her against it.No expectant mom should read this!
Lila goes insane & no one manages to notice or get her help. Rae finally finds her own strength and then we are left with the impression that she gives it up again "just like that" when the "man" comes back into her life--- while she's in labor after he has deserted and robbed her in the very first few weeks of the pregnancy!
I never found any reason to sympathize w. these women except for the appalling treatment of Lila during her delivery and the incredible stupidity of barely-more-than-a-child- Raes' obsession w. a completely selfish, boorish & abusive male. Why Hoffman didn't add beatings into Raes' portion of the tale seems like oversight on her part because Rae is definitely a victim of abuse!
Lila is herself abusive to her sweet loving husband but we're given the excuse of growing incipient insanity for her part. Altho' Hoffman doesn't call it insanity but aims to invite the image of mystical conjuring ("thoughts are things")BWAH!
I actually found this novel to be insulting to the intelligence. I was utterly repulsed by Lilas' selfishness and self absorbed cruelty (even with mental illness as an "excuse" given toward the end).
I felt a bit more sympthetic toward Rae because she was at least able to care about a stray dog and was young enough to have the excuse of inexperience. But ALL motherhood in this tale was portrayed with horrors! Then at the end when it seemed we might have some semblence of rational relationship or at least the blossoming of genuine Motherhood and new life we are left hanging and (in my case) completely disgusted with Rae going back to her abuser--feeling sorry for HIM like all abused women tend to do between the beating times--getting in Jessups truck just like she did when beginning her lonesome sad saga. The ending was truly a disappointing endeavor at a cliff-hanger-- I wish all the characters would just jump off that cliff.
Disappointing ending/ depressing read-- had to start another book right away to get the taste of this one out of my mind.
Hoffman IS a good writer & I usually enjoy her greatly-- but her writing couldn't overcome this STORY. Sheesh!
Rated by buyers 
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Alice Hoffman writes so beautifully, even of tragedy and deep sadness, exposing raw emotions and mystical feelings of her characters. I have very mixed feelings about this book - on one hand, the author's amazing talent makes a strong impression. This was a story of loneliness and I'm left with a rather empty sense of wondering what happened after I read the final page, as the story seemed to end rather abruptly without neatly tying up many loose ends. Every book I read these days seems to be about dysfunctional families and abusive/controlling men....I think I need to find more upbeat and hopeful reading material.
Rated by buyers -
This is the fourth of Alice Hoffman's books that I have read in recent months, and I found Fortune's Daughter to be a beautifully written portrayal of two women coping with longing, loss, and letting go. Unlike many novels where romances drive the plotline, in Fortune's Daughter, the central relationships are between mothers and daughters -- real mothers, both through birth and adoption, and surrogates chosen by lonely young women in need of support. Hoffman's judicious use of magical realism heightens the emotions and vividly expresses the inner life of her characters. Highly recommended.
Rated by buyers -
When I very first started reading the book I did not know what to expect but I felt the book got worse as I read more and more. I found the book to be quite depressing none the less. The story is about a young woman named Rae and a fortune teller name Lila. Rae had run away from home and an early age with her boyfriend Jessup. When Rae tells Jessup that she is pregnant he decides that he is not ready to be a father and leaves his pregnant girlfriend so he can pursue his job in the movies. Lila the other character is a tea leaf fortune teller who had a rough time growing up. She became pregnant at an early age by her boyfriend who like Jessup left her. She did not tell her parents she was pregnant until her mother found out when Lila's water broke. Lila's parents would not even take her to the hospital because they were too ashamed of her and called Lila's cousin who was a nurse to help with the pregnancy. Lila's parents made Lila give up the baby for adoption and after that Lila fell in to depression. Lila is sent to her aunts to live with and meets her future husband Richard. These two women cross paths and build a relationship. Rae reminded Lila of how she was at that age, young, unmarried, and pregnant. Rae becomes depressed and ends up hurting her marriage because she is in search of her lost child. She hallucinates that she sees her daughter and so she has somewhat of an invisible daughter she believes is there. The end left me kind of disappointed because I wanted to know more of what would happen to these two women. I think Alice Hoffman writes in great detail and has a nice descriptive artistic flow to her writing. I still honestly found the book to be depressing because of Rae's dysfunctional relationship with Jessup and then Lila's depressive attitude. Details of Lila's labor I found were quite graphic and painful for me as the reader. Even her depressing incident of slitting her wrists was very disturbing. I would not recommend this book unless someone really is interested in disturbing and depressing stories or into fortune telling then you may enjoy it.
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