Many thanks to the author, Ballantine Publishing and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
This book takes place during WWII and present day. This book had some woke undertones and it didn’t appeal to me. I suggest reading some positive reviews because this is only my own opinion.

Outraged by the US immigration policy that separates children from their parents at the border, the author has woven the story of one such fictional child into the historical context of two other children being separated from their families by state violence. This novel is thematically powerful but written with flat and sometimes rather didactic prose.

In 2019, 7 year-old Anita and her mother are fleeing violence in El Salvador but are separated at the border and Anita is put into a succession of group homes and foster homes.

In 1938, Samuel is put on a train in Vienna by his mother, along with hundreds of other Jewish children. He never sees his family again and goes into a variety of institutions in England before settling with a Quaker couple. His love of and skill at music leads him to Berkeley, CA.

Letitcia, Lety, and her father flee from El Salvador after the rest of their family is killed in the El Mozote massacre in 1981.

These three stories come together in the present day when Selena Durán, a Mexican American social worker takes on Anita’s case along with Frank Angliheri, a hotshot corporate lawyer.

There is a little of Allende’s magical realism but rather too much info dumping of facts about immigration which makes it sometimes feel less like a novel and more like a newspaper article. Still, I can’t fault the author’s passionate advocacy for immigrant children and for using her authorial skills to keep the story alive.

Thanks to Ballantine and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

THE WIND KNOWS MY NAME by Isabel Allende is a beautifully-written and thought-provoking novel that explores the lasting effects of war and immigration on children and their families. Told in the dual timelines of 1938 and 2019 in both Europe and the United States. In Vienna in 1938, six-year-old Samuel Adler would never see his father again after he disappeared during Kristallnacht. Samuel’s mother managed to get him on the last Kindertransport out of Nazi-occupied Austria to the United Kingdom. All alone and with nothing but his violin, Samuel starts a new life with the couple that takes him in and we follow his life over the next eight decades. Leticia Cordero fled her homeland of El Salvador following a brutal massacre of her entire family in their rural village. Lety is later working in the home of Samuel Adler who is now eighty-six years-old. In Arizona in 2019, seven-year-old Anita Diaz is traveling with her mother from El Salvador, seeking refuge in the United States from a potentially deadly situation in their home country. Anita, who is blind, gets separated from her mother at the border and put in a camp all alone. Social worker Selena Duran is assigned Anita’s case. With the help of a high-powered attorney in San Francisco, Selena attempts to reunite Anita with the only known family she has in the US. The lives of all these characters become intertwined in extraordinary ways that will change them forever. I found myself totally engrossed in the heart-wrenching, yet hopeful story. The tragic circumstances each character faces and the parallels between their disparate experiences are relayed with raw honesty and compassion. This is a story I will not soon forget. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

Isabel Allende writes gorgeous stories and the weaving of these 2 stories is wonderful.
The novel begins in 1938 soon after Kristallnacht in Austria, when Samuel Adler, a violin prodigy, is placed on a train and sent to England in order to escape being sent to a concentration camp by the Nazis. His immigration is difficult and he is raised by a Quaker family. He continues to study the violin and becomes part of the London Symphony Orchestra. His love for music (all forms) brings him to New Orleans - the birth of American Jazz - and he falls in love with Nadine, a wealthy debutant who is unconventional.
The second story is about 6 year old Anita Diaz and her mother Marisol, who escape El Salvador in 2020, and are separated at the border. She was shuttled through the foster care system, until her mother could obtain a permanent visa. Through the intervention of a young social worker, Selena, the two characters are brought together...any more would be a spoiler.
Allende parallels the effects of refugee immigration on the children from their aspects. Both grew up in families with close bonds, family traditions and values when lent them a sense of security. Both mothers sacrificed their family unity with the hope that their child could find a better life. Both children entered their new lives in a new country, with a different language, culture and without family. Each child copes with their losses differently, Samuel by immersing himself in his music studies; Anita by escaping to her imaginary world of Azabahar where she talks to her deceased sister, Claudia.
I loved the way the author developed the stories of the children, the sincerity of Selena, the care that Leticia provided, while bringing into consideration the challenges of the immigrants, and the dilemmas of trust and the losses that they suffered. I thought that the ending was a little too drawn out, and a few of the situations were improbable, although they did move he story along.
I received a free ARC of this book with it's gorgeous cover, from NetGalley and the publisher and the opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Vienna, 1938 - Six year old Samuel Adler is sent to the United Kingdom via a Kindertransport train along with thousands of other Jewish children from Eastern Europe.
Arizona, 2019 - Seven year old Anita Diaz and her mother board another type of train, one fleeing danger in El Salvador bound for the United States. Separated from her mother under U.S. border policy, Anita finds herself as alone in a strange country as Samuel was eight decades earlier.
Both children are refugees fleeing hostile countries in hopes of freedom and safety. As their stories unfold, they intersect in a most unlikely way.

Isabel Allende once again weaves a story of families and unforgettable characters through multiple time periods. Highlighting issues such as the Holocaust, present day violence in Central America, and US immigration and border policies, Allende shares two remarkable children and the mothers who made sacrifices to protect their children. Heartbreaking and poignant, this timely story is all you’d expect from the brilliant Isabel Allende.

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for the gifted eArc in exchange for my review.

A great storyteller is able to weave a story of a young child commencing in Vienna during WWII who is sent on one of the trains carrying children to England to fast forward to present day where a young girl in El Salvador who is fleeing to the US with her mother. At the border in Nogales, mother and daughter are separated. A sad tale for both children yet Isabel Allende has written a beautiful story of survival, resilience and friendship and family from the ashes of both their stories. I particularly liked how music played such a role in this story. A thought provoking story from the horrors of WWII and the indignity that is happening on our border with immigrants. An engrossing read for teens to adulthood on social issues and justice to all readers of general fiction who are looking for a well written story. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for an advance reader copy; this is my honest opinion.

In 1938, Samuel’s mother does the unthinkable and puts her little boy on a transport train out of Austria and promises to get him when things settle down. Sadly, she was never able to return to him. In 2019, Anita is separated from her mother at the US border as they escape a dangerous situation in El Salvador. At the migrant camp, Anita is connected with Selena as her caseworker and Frank, a rising star at a high profile law firm. Frank and Selena work tirelessly to find Anita’s mother and any other living relative of hers in the US. And that’s when Anita and Samuel meet.

Allende has wonderfully written another tale that spans the decades, connecting WWII to present day. I loved the bond between Samuel and Anita and their connection of shared loss. The author is not shy about her political stance and it is very apparent through this novel as she describes the reality of the US border migrant camps amidst the backdrop of the pandemic.

Thank you to @netgalley and @ballantinecorp for the gifted advanced readers copy.

Allende has been one of my favorite voices since I was a teenager; that remains the same today. This is another incredible story that captures so many different elements of the human condition - another win for Allende.

At 272 pages, this book feels like it could have been longer. While I normally stick to lighter fiction during the summer months, I needed to sink into something with more substance. Allende’s writing is powerful. Her words capture the horrors of WWII and the tragedies faced as a refugee, but equally give you hope as you become invested in the stories of the characters. I found myself devouring this book in just a couple sittings.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing access to a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As always, Isabel Allended writes with words sharp enough to pierce the blackest heart. I can't get enough from her. 5 stars.

Isabel Allende’s latest release brings to mind a famous quote. “History repeats itself, but in such cunning disguise that we never detect the resemblance until the
damage is done.” - Sydney J. Harris

In The Wind Knows My Name, Allende expertly intertwined multiple storylines. Each strand highlights the trauma experienced by children separated from their parents, their indomitable spirit and the sacrifices parents make in order to provide a brighter future for their children.

The Wind Knows My Name
By Isabel Allende

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Samuel Adler is five years old violin prodigy when he is forced to leave Austria in the aftermath of the Kristalnacht. He is one of thousands of children who are shipped off to Britain as part of the rescue operation known as the Kindertransport. Decades later, seven year old Anita Diaz and her mother are fleeing from El Salavado to escape a different kind of danger. Anita is separated at the US Border from her mother in the wake of Trump’s 2019 Family Separation Policy.

Allende is a master storyteller well known for pointing out historic injustices and for giving voice to the voiceless. In typical style, she doesn’t pull her punches as she draws comparisons across history from the Holocaust, to the practice of forced placement of Native American children into government boarding schools or recent US Immigration Policy. The Wind Knows My Name delivers Allende’s message clearly. Some might say it is message at the expense of more fully nuanced characters. Nevertheless, I was fully invested in discovering the final outcome of these characters, appreciated how she wove these stories together and couldn’t get to the end quick enough.

TW: genocide, family separation, femicide, rape, torture, child abuse and neglect

4.5/5

What a beautifully written story by one of my favorite authors. I loved the characters in this book especially Leticia as she played a very important part in the lives of two main characters: Samuel Adler, who as a child in 1938 Vienna is sent to England via Kindertransport, a train taking Jewish children out of Nazi-occupied Austria; and seven-year-old Anita Diaz who with her mother fled from the violence in El Salvador in 2019 and are taken into custody at the US-Mexico border while trying to enter the United States illegally. Anita is separated from her mother and is shuttled between foster homes. With the help of Selena Duran, a social worker with Magnolia Project for Refugees and Immigrants, and Frank Angileri a lawyer from San Francisco who after Selena's request agreed to represent Anita’s interests pro bono, together they attempt to help grant Anita asylum in the United States. The stories of Samuel, Leticia, and Anita are masterfully told and are heartbreaking. The ending is what I was hoping it would be, although I wish there had been a little bit more there as I felt it ended a bit abruptly. Even so, I absolutely loved this book. Once again Ms. Allende has written a most timely book with a very powerful message. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the review copy.

In I938 Vienna, in the aftermath of Kristallnacht, six-year-old Samuel Adler is sent to England via Kindertransport – his mother’s final gesture of love in a bid to save her son’s life. Samuel, a violin prodigy and the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust spends time in foster care among strangers before finally finding a home with a kindly Quaker couple. We follow Samuel’s story into adulthood, his move to the United States, and his love and talent for music playing an important role in the life he builds for himself.

Letitia Cordero was seven years old when everyone in her family, save for her father, lost their lives in the El Mozote massacre of 1981. Letitia and her father fled El Salvador, crossing the Rio Grande to enter America, where they eventually make a life for themselves.

In 2019, seven-year-old Anita Diaz and her mother, fleeing from violence in El Salvador, is taken into custody at the US-Mexico border while trying to enter the United States illegally. Detained and ultimately separated from her mother Marisol, Anita, visually impaired after an accident that took the life of her younger sister, is left to fend for herself, shuttled between foster homes, alone and desperate to reunite with her mother. Anita copes with her fears and loneliness through conversations with her deceased sister and dreams of an imaginary magical world where she would be reunited with all of those she has lost. Selena Duran, a social worker attached to the Magnolia Project for Refugees and Immigrants, and Frank Angileri a lawyer from San Francisco who represents Anita’s interests pro bono, work together so that Anita is granted asylum while the search for her mother continues. After Anita endures a particularly traumatizing episode in foster care they manage to track down Anita’s distant relation, Letitia Cordero who is sheltering in place in her employer, the elderly Samuel Adler’s home during the pandemic. As the narrative progresses we follow Anita, Letitia and Samuel as their stories converge - three lives, impacted by similar circumstances, decades apart –– and how they impact and are impacted by one another- on a shared journey of hope and healing.

Touching upon themes of forced migration, sacrifice, loss, trauma, healing and found family, the author seamlessly weaves the three threads of this story together to craft a beautiful, heartfelt narrative that will touch your heart. Powerful prose, superb characterizations, fluid narrative, and the author’s masterful storytelling make for a compelling read. The pace is a tad uneven but not so much that it detracts from the reading experience. Though the three characters and their childhood experiences are set in different timelines, decades apart, the author draws out the similarities between historical events and contemporary politics and policies, in the context of the impact of the same on children whose lives are upended in the face of war, forced migration and immigration policies and politics. The author paints a heart-wrenching picture of the plight of innocent children forced to flee their homeland with their fates and their lives in the hands of those who might not always be sympathetic to their cause. This is not a lengthy book (less than 300 pages) but definitely a timely and thought-provoking story. However, I would have liked it if a few aspects and characters in this story had been explored in a bit more depth and the ending did feel a tad rushed. But overall, The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende is an impactful read that I would not hesitate to recommend.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this beautiful story. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be released on June 6, 2023.

This had a really intriguing premise, looking at war and immigration in different countries and time periods. I enjoyed it, especially how the three stories ended up becoming interconnected. I expected they would get there, but had no idea how an 80-year-old man who'd fled Austria in the 1930s would connect to a 7-year-old fleeing violence in El Salvador in 2019, so when it finally did come together it was very touching.
*
Like all Allende books, this has beautiful writing, and I loved all of the main characters. My favorite story was actually the one in the middle, Leticia who left El Salvador after narrowly missing a massacre in the 1980s. Of all the perspectives, I felt like hers ended up having the most depth.
*
I wish there had been a bit more to Anita's (the 7-year-old's) story - despite much of the horror she lived through, I felt like we only really got surface deep with her. Maybe that was intentional, since she was so young?  But it seemed like an opportunity to get a deeper perspective on children being separated from their parents at the border. 
*
I also could have done with less of the relationship between the lawyers working on the case. Frank honestly seemed like a filler character who didn't really advance the story.
*
This was a pretty quick read, for such a heavy topic, and I did really enjoy seeing how these very disparate parts of history end up relating to each other. It was not my favorite of hers, but I'm still glad I read it!

Samuel was six years old when his father, a doctor, disappeared during Vienna’s infamous Kristallnacht. Saved by a veteran neighbor, Samuel’s mother secured passage for him on the Kinderstransport, a train taking Jewish children out of Nazi-occupied Austria. Samuel was delivered to England and, after being bounced between a couple of foster homes, was adopted by a Quaker couple. Eighty years later, Anna Diaz, a blind seven-year-old, was captured with her mother trying to cross the border into the United States illegally. She is separated from her mother and put into a detainment camp for unaccompanied minors. Her way of dealing with the trauma of being separated from her mother and the horrors of abusive foster homes is to escape to an imaginary place called Azabahar. Samuel and Anna’s paths cross when a social worker and lawyer do pro-bono work and find that Anna has a relative in the San Fransisco area. That relative is Samuel’s housekeeper, and she has been living with Samuel since Covid shut the country down. While Anna gets settled with Samuel and Leticia, the lawyer and the social worker continue their search for Anna’s mother. Will Anna and her mother be reunited?

What attracted me to The Wind Knows My Name was the cover. That is why I wished for it to begin with. What also attracted me to this book was the plotline (which I did try to summarize in the paragraph above). I usually don’t read books that closely follow recent (think within the last 3-4 years) events but something about this book and how the blurb was written made me want to read it. I am glad I did because this book was a great read.

There are four plotlines in The Wind Knows My Name. When I figured that out, I was a little wary. In my experience, books with more than one plotline confuse the everliving out of me. I am happy to say that this book did not. The author marked the chapters, stating whose plotline it was and, in some cases, where in time that person was.

The first plotline centered around Samuel. It starts when he is six, and his world implodes during Kristallnacht. The plotline isn’t linear; it does jump around from past to present quite a bit. But, and I stress this, I was not confused or couldn’t figure out where in time it was. Samuel’s singular plotline ends when Leticia and then Anna move in.

The second plotline centers around Leticia. Now, this was a linear plotline, and it follows Leticia from a young girl recovering from ulcer surgery to her growing up in the United States. It details her rebellious youth and how that shaped her into the woman she grew into. Her singular storyline ends when she moves in with Samuel.

The third plotline centers around Selina and Frank. This plotline starts in the middle of the book. But it goes into Selina’s immigrant background and Frank’s white privilege background. This storyline intermingles with Samuel, Leticia, and Anna throughout the book.

The fourth storyline centers around Anna. This is a linear storyline and is told through Anna’s POV. Anna’s storyline details her horrific journey to the United States border and her horrible experiences in foster care/detention. I do want to note that her storyline is also in 2nd person. She is talking to her dead sister through her doll, and it is freaking heartbreaking.

Several secondary storylines flow throughout the book. The main secondary storyline was about Anna’s mother and where she could be. I was heartbroken by the way it ended. I did expect it to end the way it did, but at the same time, I was hoping it wouldn’t.

The characters in The Wind Knows My Name was well-written and well-fleshed out. Even the secondary characters had depth to them. The characters, along with the storyline, made this book.

When I realized that this book would take place during the pandemic (and I realized it fairly early in the book), I did almost DNF it. I did not want to read about the pandemic because I lived it. But the pandemic took a backseat to Anna’s story. But Anna’s storyline was so compelling that I chose to overlook that. I am glad that I did because this book was fantastic.

Immigration was a massive point in this book. The author didn’t sugarcoat what the border was like in 2019/2020 or how overwhelmed the agents were. Instead, she gave a good look into the chaos. And when Covid hit, the chaos just grew. There were some references to the political atmosphere during that time, and you know what? I agreed with what the author wrote. I never agreed with separating families; the author’s details were chilling when she wrote about that.

I liked Samuel, but he did not have it easy in life. I thought his being raised by Quakers was fascinating and wished that more detail had gone into his life with them. His traumatic past was why he was so attracted to Nadine and kept returning to her. Their relationship was exciting and different. The author could have written a whole book could have been written about that alone. Samuel, later on in life, was a better person than when he was younger. He was willing to do whatever it took to help Anna overcome her traumatic past. He was a gem, and I enjoyed his character.

I only got to know Leticia once the author explored her background. It was then that I started to understand her. She was like Anna in a way. She had lost her entire family in a rebel attack that wiped out her village, and she crossed the border illegally (with her father). Her reaction to being Anna’s only relative in America was spot on. But she had a big heart and couldn’t let that little girl stay in foster care. She was one of my favorite people in this book.

I loved Anna and was so mad for her throughout the book. Time and time again, she was let down by the adults in her life. I wanted to reach through the book, hug her, and tell her it would be alright. By the time she arrived at Leticia and Samuel’s house, she wasn’t the same girl she was at the beginning of the book. But, her time with Leticia and Samuel did heal her. She acted like a normal child instead of the withdrawn fearful child she was when she arrived.

The end of The Wind Knows My Name didn’t shock me. I figured it would end the way it did. I did like that Anna got her HEA, though. She deserved it after everything she had been through.

I recommend The Wind Knows My Name to anyone over 21. There is language, violence, and mild sexual situations. Also, see my trigger warning list.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine Books, NetGalley, and Isabel Allende for allowing me to read and review The Wind Knows My Name. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Allende is a writer like no other, lyrical, engrossing, and captivating stories of time, place, and intricately written people and contexts. I learned so much about past and present challenges with family strife and separation, sociopolitical structures that impact family safety, and just what lengths parents will go to keep children safe but to also reunite with them. I loved how the two stories were woven together, how the book was a celebration of resilience and hope despite the heavy themes, and that this was a book that highlights important present day themes on family separation.

Allende's work is a gift; this book is a great option for book clubs who focus on current events/literary fiction as well as historical fiction. Great for fans of the author and for historical fiction readers in particular (and don't let the WWII theme put you off if you aren't into that era... this is different from most HiFi set in that time period, trust me as a general anti wwII setting reader).

With appreciation to Random House Ballantine for the review copy on NetGalley.

This is the first book I have read by Isabel Allende and it won’t be my last. I love a dual timeline that connects. I was most impressed by this authors ability to really develop these characters in a way that connects them to the reader and makes you so vested in their story. It was a truly sad story, but you also saw good in the world with those who helped. It is a timely and relevant heartbreaking story. I would definitely recommend.

This was a moving and emotional book that centered around children being separated from their parents under horrible circumstances- one during the holocaust and one in the modern day. I also gained a greater understanding for the recent immigration crisis and the way children were forcefully separated from their parents. The only complaint that I have is that the writing style tended to be too centered in conveying facts and at times I felt like I was reading a book report.

In this novel, we follow three different stories, past and present with the common theme of immigration in America. I learned what children experienced in Europe during WW2, as they separated from their parents by way of kindertransport to England in order to survive. We follow Samuel Adler, a 5 year old Jewish boy as he stays at orphanages near London before eventually finding a home with a Quaker family.

Then we get Leticia’s story, a young survivor of the El Mozote massacre in 1981. Her village was destroyed and family killed. This resulted in Leticia and her father making an arduous migration to the U. S. border. This was a devastating event in history that I wasn’t aware of. I would’ve liked to see this explored a little more.

Then in 2019, we follow eight year old Anita who traveled with her mother from El Salvador to seek asylum at the Arizona border. Anita gets separated from her mother at a detention center due to the new family separation policy enacted by the president. Her mother is deported. We are introduced to Selena, a social worker who enlists the help from a pro bono lawyer from San Francisco to help with Anita’s case.

Isabel Allende is one of my favorite authors, and I appreciate her using her voice to bring attention to the plight of the immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. This is such a divisive problem that Americans seem to have strong opinions on. Regardless, children should have never been separated from their parents. I felt that Allende did a great job in merging the stories together with sensitivity, but also felt there was a political agenda. Were she excelled in the overall plotting, it lacked in the character development, rich prose and descriptive narration.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an ARC in exchange for my review.

I usually enoljoy Allende's books a lot. This one was good, but not amazing as I thought Violeta was. It felt very drawn out an the ending seemednto happen all at once. Everything felt like it concluded suddenly after a few things were discovered and I thought it was too hurried after the drawn out details of the beginning of the book.

It was interesting how the author managed to combine immigrant situations from two very different times and countries into one story. The way these stories came together was lovely. I did feel that there were a few unnecessary characters and storylines introduced which added to the drawn out feeling I got from the first half to three quarters of the book.