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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a bit boring for me. Because of that, I lost focus and the book felt slow. I had expected more colorful storytelling, but it was mostly historical. I’m not very familiar with the wars that took place in Chile, so it felt somewhat distant and hard to relate to. The relationship also felt a bit flat, which made it seem unrealistic.
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I admired the heroine's bravery in traveling to report from Chile during a revolution.
I loved three quarters of this book. Allende’s writing was beautiful and engaging. Her books are so easy to read. The history was amazing and Emilia as a character was strong, independent and resolute. I just thought that the book lost its way in the last quarter.
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book tells the story of a girl born in San Francisco in the end of the 19th century who goes to Chile to cover the revolution for a newspaper and look for her father.
This story has the ingredients for a great adventure--Journalism! Politics! War! Love! Unfortunately I've read other stories that felt like this and rang much more true to me. My overall impression was that the author had a deadline and popped in the impressions of a story rather than doing the work to really connect us with her characters. An example of this phenomenon is the romantic love that is supposed to be something of a driving love in Emilia's life. It comes to fruition in an instant realization with basically no lead up. The ending is also odd and rushed, though I wasn't disappointed to get to the end of the novel.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advance review copy for an unbiased review.
This story has the ingredients for a great adventure--Journalism! Politics! War! Love! Unfortunately I've read other stories that felt like this and rang much more true to me. My overall impression was that the author had a deadline and popped in the impressions of a story rather than doing the work to really connect us with her characters. An example of this phenomenon is the romantic love that is supposed to be something of a driving love in Emilia's life. It comes to fruition in an instant realization with basically no lead up. The ending is also odd and rushed, though I wasn't disappointed to get to the end of the novel.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advance review copy for an unbiased review.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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:
Complicated
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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:
No
Published on Peeking Between the Pages (https://peekingbetweenthepages.com/2025/05/my-name-is-emilia-del-valle-by-isabel-allende-audiobook.html)
Somehow this is my first novel from Isabel Allende. To say the least I’m surprised as I’ve read quite a bit of historical fiction in my time. I will definitely be catching up on her books as I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Somehow this is my first novel from Isabel Allende. To say the least I’m surprised as I’ve read quite a bit of historical fiction in my time. I will definitely be catching up on her books as I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Emilia del Valle is born in 1866 to an Irish nun who was led astray by a Chilean aristocrat. She fell in love and became pregnant while he skipped town as fast as he could. Needless to say that instead of continuing in the church, she became a mother. Thankfully Emilia ends up having a loving stepfather who brings her up to be smart and independent. She is confidant enough that she goes after a career in journalism at a time when that wouldn’t have been a popular choice for women. She is eventually hired by The Daily Examiner and is paired up with Eric, another reporter. The Civil War attracts both of them and they journey to where the action is. It is also the time when Emilia finally meets her birth father. As she continues to report on the war she learns more about her own roots and finds she is on her own journey of self-discovery.
I enjoyed the audio which is read by Coral Pena and Johnathan McClain although I did find that I had to speed it up more than I typically would as the narration was a bit slow for me. I enjoyed learning about a time in history I knew nothing about. Recommended for those with a love for historical fiction.