Reviews - Mein Name ist Emilia del Valle

432 reviews for:

Mein Name ist Emilia del Valle

Isabel Allende

3.74 AVERAGE

leahpm's review against another edition

4.0

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.

mrsharviereads's review against another edition

3.0

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