I really enjoyed Isabel Allende's "Daughter of Fortune." The plot is easily predictable, with Allende giving plenty of clues as to how the story will develop, even after the last page. But the intrigue wasn't in the story line, as much as it was in the wonderful descriptions of the characters' lives. The similar beginnings of Tao's and Eliza's lives, how their societies shaped their motivation, and their experiences as outsiders in a land full of outsiders was fascinating.