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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Let me start by saying I am a big fan of Isabel Allende! Her last book was amazing and I rated it 5 stars and have loved her previous works as well.
Unfortunately, I could just not get into this book. The first 15% or so I found interesting but there just wasn’t enough character development for me to feel invested in the story. I found myself often spacing out while reading and decided to call it at 30%. I was just bored.
I think many will enjoy this book and I might even come back to it at some point but right now, it was for me.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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:
Yes
Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This was a historical fiction book set in a place of the world I know little about: Chile.
In California in the 1860s, a nun is seduced by a Chilean aristocrat, who swiftly abandons her when she finds out she is pregnant. She gives birth to Emilia del Valle, who is raised by her loving step-father and encouraged to act independently and adventurously.
Defying societal expectations as a woman, she gets a job as a journalist, but is drawn to traveling to Chile to report on the civil war. While in Chile, she sets her mind to visiting her paternal roots. As the war escalates, Emilia and her journalist colleague find themselves in mortal danger, and she questions her identity and her fate.
The writing in this book was quite unique, and took a bit of time to adjust to. It was written in a style that made me slightly disconnected from Emilia, but regardless, I really loved her character and her fierce independence.
While the book started off in California, most of it was set in Chile. It was interesting to get a sense of their culture, and also to learn about the civil war in the 1890s. The vivid descriptions of the landscape in the south at the end of the book were also breathtaking.
I generally enjoyed the first and the middle parts more than the last section of the book though. The ending even left me a little perplexed, and the climax of the book felt like it concluded at the 80% mark. The last 20% or so felt a little out of place.
This was a historical fiction book set in a place of the world I know little about: Chile.
In California in the 1860s, a nun is seduced by a Chilean aristocrat, who swiftly abandons her when she finds out she is pregnant. She gives birth to Emilia del Valle, who is raised by her loving step-father and encouraged to act independently and adventurously.
Defying societal expectations as a woman, she gets a job as a journalist, but is drawn to traveling to Chile to report on the civil war. While in Chile, she sets her mind to visiting her paternal roots. As the war escalates, Emilia and her journalist colleague find themselves in mortal danger, and she questions her identity and her fate.
The writing in this book was quite unique, and took a bit of time to adjust to. It was written in a style that made me slightly disconnected from Emilia, but regardless, I really loved her character and her fierce independence.
While the book started off in California, most of it was set in Chile. It was interesting to get a sense of their culture, and also to learn about the civil war in the 1890s. The vivid descriptions of the landscape in the south at the end of the book were also breathtaking.
I generally enjoyed the first and the middle parts more than the last section of the book though. The ending even left me a little perplexed, and the climax of the book felt like it concluded at the 80% mark. The last 20% or so felt a little out of place.
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I really liked this but felt like some parts were a bit disjointed.
My Name is Emilia del Valle is the latest historical fiction novel by the esteemed Isabel Allende. The novel features Emilia del Valle, an independent, strong willed, progressive woman with a nomad’s heart, attempting to build a life as a female journalist in the late 1800’s. She is raised by her pious mother and beloved stepfather in the Mission District of San Francisco. At 25, she feels a pull to Chile to meet her biological father. She travels there for work and finds a real connection to the country. “Chilean blood weighed more on me than Irish blood.” She and her friend and fellow journalist, Eric, soon become embroiled in the Chilean Civil War of 1891. The description of the horrors of war were compelling.
I found the pacing of the story to be quite slow, but the author clearly showed her appreciation for her native Chile through Emilia’s eventual search for herself. “Emilia is a wild and bright spirit. I will never be able to hold her, I can only hope to accompany her and that love will keep us always together.” I have read and enjoyed many of Ms Allende’s novels. Although this was not my favorite, I would recommend it to specific historical fiction fans who enjoy slowly plotted character based stories. 3/5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Publishing date: 5/6/25
I found the pacing of the story to be quite slow, but the author clearly showed her appreciation for her native Chile through Emilia’s eventual search for herself. “Emilia is a wild and bright spirit. I will never be able to hold her, I can only hope to accompany her and that love will keep us always together.” I have read and enjoyed many of Ms Allende’s novels. Although this was not my favorite, I would recommend it to specific historical fiction fans who enjoy slowly plotted character based stories. 3/5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Publishing date: 5/6/25