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!!Tropes present in this novel

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!!Tropes present in this novelnovel:



* ICannotSelfTerminate: [[spoiler: Tao Chi'en survives the attack by the assassins sent by TheTongsAndTriads, but he is left paralyzed and barely able to speak. He asks Eliza to withhold food and water and she cannot bring herself to do that, so she follows his instructions and {{mercy kill}}s him.]]

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* ICannotSelfTerminate: [[spoiler: Tao Chi'en survives the attack by the assassins sent by TheTongsAndTriads, TheTriadsAndTheTongs, but he is left paralyzed and barely able to speak. He asks Eliza to withhold food and water and she cannot bring herself to do that, so she follows his instructions and {{mercy kill}}s him.]]



* WidowMistreatment: Fearing this, Paulina del Valle begs her dying husband to live, promising even to stop [[SexlessMarriage locking him out of her bedroom]]. This makes him die with a smile on his lips. Her fears come true: she finds herself excluded from social and business circles, and opts to leave San Francisco and go back to Chile.

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* WidowMistreatment: Fearing this, Paulina del Valle begs her dying husband to live, promising even to stop [[SexlessMarriage locking him out of her bedroom]]. This makes him die with a smile on his lips. Her fears come true: she finds herself excluded from social and business circles, and opts to leave San Francisco and go back to Chile.Chile.
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* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: Tao Chi'en has been doing his best to rescue girls from sexual slavery in Chinatown, and it is politely tolerated. But when he gets involved with a pair of American missionaries who disrupt [[HumanTraffickers the people in charge of the business]], the tongs are outraged he involved outsiders and send out a hit on him. [[spoiler: Assassins ambush him while he is out on the street with his granddaughter, leaving him for dead.]]

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* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: Tao Chi'en has been doing his best to rescue girls from sexual slavery in Chinatown, and it is politely tolerated. But when he gets involved with a pair of American missionaries who disrupt [[HumanTraffickers the people in charge of the business]], the tongs are outraged he involved outsiders and send out a hit on him. [[spoiler: Assassins ambush him while he is out on the street with his granddaughter, leaving him for dead.]]]]
* WidowMistreatment: Fearing this, Paulina del Valle begs her dying husband to live, promising even to stop [[SexlessMarriage locking him out of her bedroom]]. This makes him die with a smile on his lips. Her fears come true: she finds herself excluded from social and business circles, and opts to leave San Francisco and go back to Chile.
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%%* BestFriendsInLaw: Aurora, despite the issues in her marriage to Diego, adores her in-laws. Doña Elvira acts like a mother to her and nurses her back to health when she falls ill with pneumonia. Adela, Diego's sister, shares the mystery novels she reads on the sly and they amuse themselves by making up their own plots. Eduardo tries to make up for his brother's aloofness.
* BritishStuffiness: Frederick Williams possesses this quality, giving the impression of being from English nobility (he does not bother to correct whoever thinks that) and making people wonder what the heck did he see in overbearing Paulina del Valle other than possibly her money. He does warm up to Paulina and Aurora.

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%%* * BestFriendsInLaw: Aurora, despite the issues in her marriage to Diego, adores her in-laws. Doña Elvira acts like a mother to her and nurses her back to health when she falls ill with pneumonia. Adela, Diego's sister, shares the mystery novels she reads on the sly and they amuse themselves by making up their own plots. Eduardo tries to make up for his brother's aloofness.
* BritishStuffiness: Frederick Williams possesses this quality, giving the impression of being from English nobility (he ([[SureLetsGoWithThat he does not bother to correct whoever thinks that) that]]) and making people wonder what the heck did he see in overbearing Paulina del Valle other than possibly her money. He does warm up to Paulina and Aurora.
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* PatientChildhoodLoveInterest: Nivea bids Severo goodbye as he sails to San Francisco to go to his aunt's. During his time in San Francisco, they maintain correspondence, and spend more time discussing issues of social justice than their relationship. She even waits for him to return from fighting in the war and ends up proposing marriage to him.
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* CalmingTea: In Aurora's own words, how she deals with awkward moments: "In our family we serve tea when a situation is slightly uncomfortable, and since I feel self-conscious almost all the time, I serve a lot of it. That beverage has the virtue of helping me steady my nerves."
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* SecondLove: Physician Iván Radovic becomes this to Aurora after she separates from Diego (divorce was not legal in Chile at the time) and at a point where she had become convinced she would never love again.
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* MarriageOfConvenience: Williams, Paulina del Valle's butler, proposes that they marry so that he can go along with her to her home country. He explains clearly that he does not intend to be a spouse in the romantic aspects and even counsels her to take the necessary precautions to keep her wealth in her name. It works; by virtue of being a man he has access to areas that are off-limits to Paulina, and being her husband improves his status. Plus, Paulina loves the idea of scandalizing whoever learns she is married to her butler.
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* BadMoodRetreat: Susana, Eduardo Dominguez's wife, is prone to depressions and headaches. She often retreats to ''her'' bedroom (which she does not share with her husband) and instructs everybody not to bother her.


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* LetThemDieHappy: Diego begs Aurora to avoid making a scandal about [[spoiler: his adulterous relationship with his brother's wife]], as it would kill his mother, Doña Elvira. Since Aurora grows to love her mother-in-law as if the woman were her own mother, she consents.
* LoveMartyr: Looking back at her marriage with Diego, Aurora has trouble believing how much she humbled herself to make him fall in love with her. [[spoiler: It was a doomed mission anyway; he is in love with his sister-in-law.]]
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* BestFriendsInLaw: Aurora, despite the issues in her marriage to Diego, adores her in-laws. Doña Elvira acts like a mother to her and nurses her back to health when she falls ill with pneumonia. Adela, Diego's sister, shares the mystery novels she reads on the sly and they amuse themselves by making up their own plots. Eduardo tries to make up for his brother's aloofness.

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* %%* BestFriendsInLaw: Aurora, despite the issues in her marriage to Diego, adores her in-laws. Doña Elvira acts like a mother to her and nurses her back to health when she falls ill with pneumonia. Adela, Diego's sister, shares the mystery novels she reads on the sly and they amuse themselves by making up their own plots. Eduardo tries to make up for his brother's aloofness.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* BestFriendsInLaw: Aurora, despite the issues in her marriage to Diego, adores her in-laws. Doña Elvira acts like a mother to her and nurses her back to health when she falls ill with pneumonia. Adela, Diego's sister, shares the mystery novels she reads on the sly and they amuse themselves by making up their own plots. Eduardo tries to make up for his brother's aloofness.
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* LukeIAmYourFather: Aurora grows up being given the runaround whenever she asks about her father. She knows Severo registered himself as her father in her birth certificate. It is not until Matías Rodriguez de la Cruz goes to Chile to spend his dying days with his family that she learns he is his father.

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* LukeIAmYourFather: Aurora grows up being given the runaround whenever she asks about her father. She knows Severo registered himself as her father in her birth certificate. It is not until Matías Rodriguez de la Cruz goes to Chile to spend his dying days with his family that she learns he is his her father.



* RollInTheHay: Where Aurora finds [[spoiler: her husband Diego and his sister's wife. When they talk later, he says he did not want to hurt Aurora, but he is crazy in love with her.]]

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* RollInTheHay: Where Aurora finds [[spoiler: her husband Diego and Susana, his sister's wife. When they talk later, he says he did not want to hurt Aurora, but he is crazy in love with her.Susana.]]
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* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Lynn falls in love with a man who seduces her as part of a bet and dumps her when he is done. When she turns out to be pregnant, he abandons her. She later [[DeathByChildbirth dies while giving birth to protagonist Aurora]].

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* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Lynn falls in love with a man Lynn's beauty attracts so many suitors to whom she is oblivious. It makes her the target of Matías, who seduces her as part of a bet and dumps her when he is done. When she turns out to be pregnant, he abandons her. She later [[DeathByChildbirth dies while giving birth to protagonist Aurora]].
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* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Lynn falls in love with a man who seduces her as part of a bet and dumps her when he is done. When she turns out to be pregnant, he abandons her. She later dies while giving birth to protagonist Aurora.

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* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Lynn falls in love with a man who seduces her as part of a bet and dumps her when he is done. When she turns out to be pregnant, he abandons her. She later [[DeathByChildbirth dies while giving birth to protagonist Aurora.Aurora]].

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** [[HumanTraffickers Ah Toy]] reappears as an antagonist to Tao Chi'en.

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** Madam [[HumanTraffickers Ah Toy]] reappears as an antagonist to Tao Chi'en.


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* TheirFirstTime: Aurora and Diego's wedding night is a big disappointment to her. Justified in that Aurora has not received proper instruction about sex, including that sex can be enjoyable for a woman, and [[spoiler: Diego is madly in love with his brother's wife]].
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* LukeIAmYourFather: Aurora grows up being given the runaround whenever she asks about her father. She knows Severo registered himself as her father in her birth certificate. It is not until Matías Rodriguez de la Cruz goes to Chile to spend his dying days with his family that she learns he is his father.

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* DeathSeeker: Severo del Valle is so devastated by Lynn's death that when he goes off to fight at Chile's war against Peru and Bolivia, he actively hopes to die. Ironically, after being wounded and having a leg amputated he sets his mind to survive.



* NotSoStoic: The only moment Williams lets his emotions show is when he is driven to tears at the sight of Paulina del Valle looking helpless and vulnerable after her surgery.

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* NotSoStoic: The only moment Williams lets his emotions show is when he loses his composure and is driven to tears at the sight of Paulina del Valle looking helpless and vulnerable after her surgery.



* PoirotSpeak: When Matias returns so he can die with his family, he has spent so much time overseas that he speaks Spanish with an odd French-English accent, and is constantly dropping phrases in French in his conversations with Aurora ("You are very young to understand these things, ma chère.") This trope is not evident in the Spanish edition, but it is in the English translation.

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* PoirotSpeak: When Matias returns so he can die with his family, he has spent so much time overseas that he speaks Spanish with an odd French-English accent, and is constantly dropping phrases in French in his conversations with Aurora ("You are very young to understand these things, ma ''ma chère.") ''") This trope is not evident in the Spanish edition, but it is in the English translation.
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* NotSoStoic: The only moment Williams lets his emotions show is when he is driven to tears at the sight of Paulina del Valle looking helpless and vulnerable after her surgery.


Added DiffLines:

* PoirotSpeak: When Matias returns so he can die with his family, he has spent so much time overseas that he speaks Spanish with an odd French-English accent, and is constantly dropping phrases in French in his conversations with Aurora ("You are very young to understand these things, ma chère.") This trope is not evident in the Spanish edition, but it is in the English translation.
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* ThemeNaming: Aurora means "dawn" in Spanish. Her Chinese name Lai-Ming means the same.

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* ThemeNaming: Aurora means "dawn" in Spanish. Her Lynne delivers her baby at dawn and names her Aurora, Spanish for "dawn". Tao Chi'en gives her the Chinese name Lai-Ming means the same.Lai-Ming[[note]]in traditional Chinese, 黎明 (Lí-Míng)[[/note]].
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* PlaguedByNightmares: Aurora has a recurring nightmare: she is walking through an unfamiliar street with somebody whose face she can’t make out holding her hand. Then they are ambushed by a band of children in black pajamas and she tries to reach for her companion's hand.
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* AnArmAndALeg: Severo del Valle returns to Chile and goes to war. He gets a leg wound that requires him to get his leg amputated [[MeatgrinderSurgery without any kind of anesthetic]]. The post-op conditions are even worse due to the overcrowding and filth.


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* HighClassCallGirl: In her prime, Amanda Lowell is a beautiful Scottish actress in San Francisco. Money is not enough for her services; charm and good manners are also necessary. She literally collects notches in her bedpost, one for every lover. Feliciano has a dalliance with her. Paulina finds out and is furious about him embarrassing her like that.


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* ThemeNaming: Aurora means "dawn" in Spanish. Her Chinese name Lai-Ming means the same.

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* BritishStuffiness: Frederick Williams possesses this quality, giving the impression of being from English nobility (he does not bother to correct whoever thinks that) and making people wonder what the heck did he see in overbearing Paulina del Valle other than possibly her money.

to:

* BritishStuffiness: Frederick Williams possesses this quality, giving the impression of being from English nobility (he does not bother to correct whoever thinks that) and making people wonder what the heck did he see in overbearing Paulina del Valle other than possibly her money. He does warm up to Paulina and Aurora.
* TheDandy: Matías, Paulina's son, cares more about his clothes being perfect that almost anything else and has no interest in business. He ends up seducing Lynn Sommers and getting her pregnant and then denies being the father. [[spoiler: Later he dies of advanced syphilis.]]



* ICannotSelfTerminate: [[spoiler: Tao Chi'en survives the attack by the assassins sent by TheTongsAndTriads, but he is left paralyzed and barely able to speak. He asks Eliza to withhold food and water and she cannot bring herself to do that, so she follows his instructions and {{mercy kill}}s him.]]



* SexlessMarriage: Aurora's marriage to Diego Dominguez becomes this, confirmed when he furnishes their bedroom with twin beds. She can't figure out why until she [[spoiler: catches him and his brother's wife having a RollInTheHay]].

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* SexlessMarriage: RollInTheHay: Where Aurora finds [[spoiler: her husband Diego and his sister's wife. When they talk later, he says he did not want to hurt Aurora, but he is crazy in love with her.]]
* SexlessMarriage:
**
Aurora's marriage to Diego Dominguez becomes this, confirmed when he furnishes their bedroom with twin beds. She can't figure out why until she [[spoiler: catches him and his brother's wife having a RollInTheHay]].RollInTheHay]].
** Paulina del Valle's marriage to Feliciano becomes this because [[WeightWoe she has gained so much weight and she cannot imagine any male would find her desirable.]] She is unaware that Feliciano does not care.



* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: Tao Chi'en has been doing his best to rescue girls from sexual slavery in Chinatown, and it is politely tolerated. But when he gets involved with a pair of American missionaries who disrupt things, [[HumanTraffickers the people in charge of the business]] send out a hit on him and [[spoiler:attack him while he is out on the street with his granddaughter, leaving him for dead.]]

to:

* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: Tao Chi'en has been doing his best to rescue girls from sexual slavery in Chinatown, and it is politely tolerated. But when he gets involved with a pair of American missionaries who disrupt things, [[HumanTraffickers the people in charge of the business]] business]], the tongs are outraged he involved outsiders and send out a hit on him and [[spoiler:attack him. [[spoiler: Assassins ambush him while he is out on the street with his granddaughter, leaving him for dead.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Lynn falls in love with a man who seduces her as part of a bet and dumps her when he is done. When she turns out to be pregnant, he abandons her. She later dies while giving birth to protagonist Aurora.

to:

* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Lynn falls in love with a man who seduces her as part of a bet and dumps her when he is done. When she turns out to be pregnant, he abandons her. She later dies while giving birth to protagonist Aurora.Aurora.
* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: Tao Chi'en has been doing his best to rescue girls from sexual slavery in Chinatown, and it is politely tolerated. But when he gets involved with a pair of American missionaries who disrupt things, [[HumanTraffickers the people in charge of the business]] send out a hit on him and [[spoiler:attack him while he is out on the street with his granddaughter, leaving him for dead.]]
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* HistoricalDomainCharacter:
** [[HumanTraffickers Ah Toy]] reappears as an antagonist to Tao Chi'en.
** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donaldina_Cameron Donaldina]] and an associate contact Tao Chi'en for his assistance in helping enslaved Chinese women and girls escape.


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* SexlessMarriage: Aurora's marriage to Diego Dominguez becomes this, confirmed when he furnishes their bedroom with twin beds. She can't figure out why until she [[spoiler: catches him and his brother's wife having a RollInTheHay]].

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* BritishStuffiness: Frederick Williams possesses this quality, giving the impression of being from English nobility (he does not bother to correct whoever thinks that) and making people wonder what the heck did he see in overbearing Paulina del Valle other than possibly her money.



* RaisedByGrandparents: Aurora is raised for the first few years of her life by her maternal grandparents. Afterwards, GrandeDame Paulina del Valle, her paternal grandmother, takes over parenting duties.

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* HiddenDepths: Frederick Williams, the perfect English butler and later consort to GrandeDame Paulina del Valle became a butler after [[spoiler: being SentencedDownUnder for stealing]] and later on learning the trade.
* TheJeeves: Williams, Paulina's butler. He is the perfect English butler and incredibly loyal to his employee: rescuing her son Matías from opium dens when necessary, and doing everything in his power to help Paulina up until the point she decides to move back to Chile. When she lets him know that she won't need the services of the perfect butler over there, he proposes going with her ''as her husband''. She actually likes the idea.
* RaisedByGrandparents: Aurora is raised for the first few years of her life by her maternal grandparents. Afterwards, GrandeDame Paulina del Valle, her paternal grandmother, takes over parenting duties.duties.
* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Lynn falls in love with a man who seduces her as part of a bet and dumps her when he is done. When she turns out to be pregnant, he abandons her. She later dies while giving birth to protagonist Aurora.
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[[quoteright:263:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portraitinsepia.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:263:]]

''Portrait in Sepia'' (In Spanish: ''Retrato en sepia'') is a 2000 novel by Chilean author Creator/IsabelAllende. It is also a sequel to her 1998 ''Literature/DaughterOfFortune''. ''Daughter'' tells the story of teenager Eliza Sommers traveling from Chile to California smack in the middle of the [[FortyNiner California Gold Rush of 1848-1855]] to search for her soulmate. In contrast, ''Portrait'' starts out by continuing the tale of Eliza and Chinese healer Tao Chi'en, but shortly thereafter switches focus to their granddaughter, Aurora "Lai-Ming" Del Valle.



!!Tropes present in this novel
* DeathByChildbirth: Lynn Sommers dies after giving birth to Aurora.
* RaisedByGrandparents: Aurora is raised for the first few years of her life by her maternal grandparents. Afterwards, GrandeDame Paulina del Valle, her paternal grandmother, takes over parenting duties.

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