Like most of Isabel Allende's books, we are given a strong female character who is a non conformist. The beginning of the book takes place in San Francisco with the remainder of the book taking place in Chile during the civil war. I found the pacing good and the book enjoyable.

It is a classic of Allende while being in a slightly different location. It is a beautiful while heart wrenching as only Allende can do.

I enjoy reading Isabel Allende's books, some more than others. This was an interesting story and well written in her usual style and form. The book was entertaining and kept me going through the end. Thanks for the advance copy and good luck.

Sweeping and interesting story of a non traditional woman in a traditional setting. I love the way Allende writes and will.always jump at her new novels.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed reading My Name Is Emilia del Valle. I enjoyed how the story was set up with Emilia's childhood, and then providing a contrasting story with the background on her mother's own less than ideal immigrant story. Allende writes a lovely portrayal of San Francisco in the late 1800s, with all the multicultural elements in one city. Emilia's sense of adventure, hampered as it was by being a woman of the time, was the best part of the book for me. I thought the book was enjoyable but really kicked into high gear once Emilia started getting published. Allende does not shy away from describing war and the darker events surrounding a revolution. I thought the book would end on a vague magical realism note, but nope, it didn't chicken out with that, and it made for a very satisfying read. Note: There is a dog featured in this book who is exposed to dangerous situations, but the dog itself is not harmed.

I'm so excited for this novel but unfortunately the formatting of the download was off and difficult to read.

Setting a 3-star because NG requires one.

This was not good. Zero character development. A travelogue of this character's life with little to no explanation of her motivations, reasons, drives. LIterally at one point the main character says "and then we fell in love" and that's the end of it. Why? What does she love? Nothing. Please give this a pass.

4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read an eARC of My Name Is Emilia del Valle. I have been a longtime fan of Isabel Allende, I’ve read every book she has written and The House of the Spirits remains one of my favorite books of all time. I was so excited to see that the main character’s last name is del Valle as we have met numerous del Valle characters in The House of the Spirits, Daughter of Fortune, and Portrait in Sepia. I love that all of these books can be read independently of one another, but that there are easter eggs thrown in for the more discerning readers.

My Name is Emilia del Valle is about a woman growing up in San Francisco in the late 1800s. Her mother was a nun who was impregnated by a Chilean man who then abandoned her. Emilia is a strong female character who forges her own path in life. She finagles her way to a job as a reporter for a local paper and gets sent to Chile to cover the civil war there. While covering the war she is able to trace her roots and reconnect with her birth father and his family.

Allende is able to transport the reader to another time and place so effectively and her characters are full of depth. She has mastered the art of prose which makes her novels so enjoyable to dive into and so hard to put down. I have enjoyed all of her recent books but felt like they are missing something that the older works had that really made them special. This novel feels more like a return to what I loved about her older works, though there is none of the magical realism that she is known for in this particular book.

Set in the decade prior to the Chilean civil war of 1891, this new novel of Isabel Allende is first and foremost the tale of the lives and people of Chile during this horrible conflict. The horrific particulars of the war were vividly portrayed in all their horror and gore.

The restrictions (to put it nicely) imposed upon women during that period in Chile and in the USA were well defined, especially those having to do with sex. Men ruled the world and especially anything having to do with women.

There were a lot of similarities to previous novels of Allende’s. I loved the history as I have with all her books. And of course with all previous novels, the protagonist was a very strong willed woman fighting against all odds. But somehow this one didn’t grab me the way others have. Personally, I guess I just didn’t like Emilia. I didn’t like the way she seemed to defy all those willing to go the extra mile for her. She was selfish and seemed to care about no one except herself.

So it’s a conundrum for me. This book was beautifully written, very informative, but (for me) featured a woman highly unlikeable.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher, Ballantine, for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emilia del Valle a young woman trying to find her place in the man’s world of journalism. Yet Emilia is a fighter and go getter. Her mother was left pregnant and alone by Emilia’s father. It wasn’t till her mother married her papo that Emilia felt a family love. Then came her love of writing and finally got a job contributing stories to the Examiner under a man’s name. When finally a civil war in Chile broke out. This would talk Emilia on her next adventure , finding her biological father.
This journey takes her to Chile when the country is in a political mess. She meets the women who fought on the front lines to defend their country. She meets her aunt who wants no part of her. Then she meets her father who is at deaths door and tells her he has nothing for her except the fact she is his daughter. Emilia reminds this man her father is in the United States. She now goes on a journey for truth.
Emilia was a courageous women that even in the darkness facing danger and death, Amelia trudged on to find what was hers. Something that she was missing, and it wasn’t until she escaped being killed that she decided she would look for her inheritance going on this journey alone Amelia was able to write the last great story her story. Emilia traveled from California to New York and finally Chile where she saw the terrible effects of war.
Thank you bums. Allende for a beautiful written story of courage and the fight for what is right. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC. 4.5 stars

This book takes the reader on a journey from San Francisco’s mission district to Southern Chile through the eyes of Emilia Del Valle, a strong woman who refuses to conform to women’s roles in the late 1800s. Starting her career as a writer of successful dime books under a man’s name, Emilia talked her way into becoming a journalist for the Examiner. She then convinces the newspaper that she should cover the civil war that has erupted in Chile and is transported there with her fellow journalist, Eric. Parting with Eric, Emilia isn’t content with just writing about the war, so she assists the soldiers on the government’s side as part of the “canteen girls”. After observing the atrocities of war and getting accused of treason, she narrowly escapes death. Upon the war’s end, she discovers she has inherited a piece of land in southern Chile and starts another journey to see that land.
There are many sub themes, romantic interests, and themes around a love for nature, the overlying theme is Emilia’s feminism and her belief that there are no barriers to how she wants to live her life. The story holds your interest throughout, but more importantly, reminds us that strength of character and confidence helps remove cultural barriers. I enjoyed learning more about Chile’s culture and geography and about the civil war in the late 1800s. So explicitly and beautifully described by Allende, it was easy to feel that you were in the story, traveling with Emilia. I also praise the title- a perfect statement that describes the strength of the central character.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

4 ⭐️ Very descriptive, sometimes graphic historical fiction story of Emilia de Valle, an American reporter, sent to cover the Chilean civil war of 1891.

Emilia the spirited illegitimate daughter of a prominent Chilean and a disgraced Irish American nun wants a journalism career. She begins writing under a male pen name but soon gains success and goes into the war zone in Chile.

Along the way she encounters the ravages and brutality of war and love. Isabel Allende’s descriptive prose and an engaging plot make for an engrossing tale.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

As with her other novels, Isabel Allende has again crafted a beautifully written saga of Chilean history and culture. She expertly weaves her characters, helping readers feel as if we’ve stepped into their world. The intense and vivid saga starts in the U.S., focuses in Santiago and Valparaiso, and then drifts to Patagonia. Engaging to read despite some rough spots likely due to translation.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Isabel Allende is known for her historical fictions, typically involving some aspect of Chilean history. This time, My Name is Emilia del Valle tackles the civil war in 1891. The war became a focus of other countries, like America and England because of the manufacturing of nitrate, used for explosives and gunpowder.
The book is told from the POV of Emilia del Valle, one of the few American female newspaper columnists of the day. Emilia was the result of her Irish mother’s relationship with a Chilean aristocrat, who tossed the novice nun aside as soon as she was with child. Emilia was a woman well ahead of her time, not just in her profession but the way she chooses to live her life.
Allende has the ability to put you right in the time and place. I could easily imagine the miner’s camps and later the battles, hospital and prison. It was a brilliant move to make Emilia a columnist, as her articles provide the necessary details about the social and political issues without dragging down the storyline. And while the main characters are fictional, she provides the real background of the country with actual political figures.
I was totally engaged in the politics on both sides. This was no black and white clash, both sides had serious faults. At one point, Emilia tries “to hold all the contradictions of this place in my head.” I loved how Allende brought out the societal and class differences on both sides.
I was less than engaged with the last section of the book which resulted in this being a four, not a five star, read for me.
The book is obviously well researched and I couldn’t wait to read her Author’s Note. So imagine my disappointment when there wasn’t one.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House - Ballantine Books for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for this ARC by Isabel Allende, My Name is Emilia del Valle.
In San Francisco in 1866, an Irish nun, abandoned following a torrid relationship with a Chilean aristocrat, gives birth to a daughter named Emilia del Valle. Raised by a loving stepfather, Emilia grows into an independent thinker and a self-sufficient young woman. She writes by a male pseudo name and is widely published and convinces the editor of The Daily Examiner to hire her when she reveals herself. During this time she is covering the civil war in Chile.
Although a violent conflict, Emilia throws herself in the center of it all. Those years were not kind to her. After she attempts to find herself, no more can be said because of spoilers.
Quite the interesting and intense story. Beautifully written as usual by Allende.

“I finished my story. I am ready to go home,” Emilia said.

My Name is Emilia del Valle follows the story of a bold an unconventional woman. Set between gold rush era San Francisco and Chile during its Civil Wat, we see the upbringing that shaped her and the barriers she breaks for women of her time. Emilia’s story is adventurous, and you can’t help but root for her. There were times that I felt the story could have gone deeper, and I didn’t love the ending, but it was overall a good read.

It’s beautifully written and offers a compelling story of how Emilia finds her way in the world, uncovers her past, and finds love. I didn’t give it five stars because there was some of “this happened and that happened,” especially at the beginning. The story covered much of the Chilean civil war, and that was particularly captivating. It’s a great book.

Isabel Allende is so good at the historical fiction genre. My Name is Emilia del Valle gives us a strong and determined main character. She is unstoppable when she sets her mind to something. She knows what she wants and will work towards her goals no matter what.

Emilia was born in interesting circumstances. Her mother, who plans to become a nun, gets pregnant instead. She struggles and holds on to a grudge with Emilia's father even after she has moved on and built a good life for herself and her daughter. We follow Emilia through life as she discovers herself, love and loss. During this pursuit, Emilia finds herself in danger many times. I was worried about this fictional character's well being. That's how good Isabel is. She makes you care.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the advance readers copy of this book!

#HistoricalFiction
#IsableAllende
#Bookstoread

I found this to be an interesting story and I learned a lot about the history of Chile, which I know very little about. Also the vibrant way that the author describes the people and the society were fascinating.

That being said the POV and the voice that the author used made it really hard for me to fully emerge myself in the story and characters. It may be a translation issue because at times the sentence structure and rhythm felt rudimentary.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an early copy.

Isabel Allende has written another captivating historical novel with a strong woman at its center. This time, the backdrop is the Chilean Civil war of 1891. It is also about one young woman's struggle to become an important story teller in her own right, under her own name.

Emilia is an unusually smart and brave young woman, who must behave more assertively than most women of her time, to become a journalist in the San Francisco of the 1880s. When war breaks out in Chile, she actually succeeds in becoming a war correspondent. It does help that she speaks Spanish.

There are multiple stories housed in this novel. There is also the story of Molly Walsh, her mother, which will inform a large part of Emilia's life. After a loving childhood and an excellent education aided by her kind adopted father, Emilia is still not prepared to see war in a distant country, let alone be in the midst of battle.

The Chilean Civil War comes terrifyingly alive in these pages. It's a brutal, sad story that almost kills its heroine and does end many who she has come to care about. In the end, Emilia struggles to come to herself again and make her own decision about what comes next for her.

I enjoy Isabel Allende's writing and her stories, and this one was memorable. My reservations about this latest novel are minimal. That it did not spell out Emilia's next chapter is a perfectly good decision, even if it surprised me. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good historical fiction novel.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Isabel Allende's latest novel.