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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Born as a result of a sexual indiscretion in 1866 between a Chilean aristocrat and a nun, Emilia never knew much about her biological father. Her mother, a beauty, married a man who raised Emilia as his own and encouraged her to be independent. When she discovers dime novels, Emilia decides to try to write some, but uses a pen name since women as writers weren't respected. After her success, she decides to become a journalist, interviewing at Hearst. She is paired with another reporter, Eric, and is soon sent to be a war correspondent, along with Eric, in Chile. There, she pursues meeting her biological father, and embarks on a spiritual journey to find herself.
A beautiful story of love, resilience, and determination.
A beautiful story of love, resilience, and determination.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My Name Is Emilia del Valle was my first Isabel Allende novel, and wow. Her writing is beautiful and engaging; the story immediately grabbed my attention.
Set in 1866 San Francisco, the book follows Emilia, the daughter of an Irish nun and a Chilean aristocrat. Raised by a kind stepfather, she grows up sharp, independent, and completely unwilling to sit on the sidelines. By sixteen, she's writing pulp fiction under a male pseudonym. Soon she's working as a journalist for the San Francisco Examiner, where she's paired with reporter Eric Whelan. Sparks fly, but the focus stays on Emilia and her ambition, which I appreciated.
The real turning point comes when she travels to Chile to cover a civil war. There, she's forced to confront both the history of her father and the country she barely knows. The pace slowed a bit in places, but it was worth powering through. And I came away with a deeper understanding of Chilean history, which I hadn't expected.
If you're into historical fiction with heart and smarts - and a fierce female lead - you'll want to give this one a shot. I'll definitely be reading more Allende.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Set in 1866 San Francisco, the book follows Emilia, the daughter of an Irish nun and a Chilean aristocrat. Raised by a kind stepfather, she grows up sharp, independent, and completely unwilling to sit on the sidelines. By sixteen, she's writing pulp fiction under a male pseudonym. Soon she's working as a journalist for the San Francisco Examiner, where she's paired with reporter Eric Whelan. Sparks fly, but the focus stays on Emilia and her ambition, which I appreciated.
The real turning point comes when she travels to Chile to cover a civil war. There, she's forced to confront both the history of her father and the country she barely knows. The pace slowed a bit in places, but it was worth powering through. And I came away with a deeper understanding of Chilean history, which I hadn't expected.
If you're into historical fiction with heart and smarts - and a fierce female lead - you'll want to give this one a shot. I'll definitely be reading more Allende.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
I absolutely loved this! I was so surprised I enjoyed it so much as I’ve never read a war story before. There were parts that were hard to get though but it was such a beautiful story of Emilia’s journey through life experiences and to find herself. Loved the writing and I was so engaged with the storytelling.