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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
This is my third novel by Isabel Allende and again this is a story with a strong female protagonist. We start in San Francisco in the 1860s and meet Emilia del Valle Claro. We hear the story of how her mother, an Irish nun, became pregnant by Chilean aristocrat Gonzalo Andres del Valle who deserted her. She married and Emilia’a Papo gave her the education and the imagination and the courage that would guide her through later life. Emilia longs to be a writer and with her father’s help publishes dime novels under an assumed name and then becomes a journalist. Even though in the 1880s it was unheard of for a female journalist to cover anything other than flower shows, Emilia is sent to Chile with a fellow journalist, Eric Whelan, to cover the civil war. In Chile she is deeply connected to the country and wants to find out more about her birth father and her culture. This reads very much like a memoir and is a fascinating story. With the first person narrative we meet interesting characters but we also experience the brutality of civil war and many of the events and characters are actual historical figures. Emilia is courageous and adventurous and very, very vulnerable but she has an inner strength which guides her. With the descriptions, particularly in the latter part of the book this is a love letter to Chile which is where the author was raised. And once again a novel full of beautiful prose. Emilia is a wonderful strong character. I enjoyed this
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first book I read by the author was Violeta and i had a wonderful time. Subsequently, i tried reading house of spirits but I couldn’t get into it( i will try again for bookclub as it is one of the picks this year).
This book started out very promising and i was very eager to get into it. When we got to the part where they travelled to Chile to cover the war, i think that’s where we lost the plot.
It felt like I was reading non fiction about the Chilean civil war. I would have preferred it if it was that.
Also the female narrator was not very good. Her voice was the same throughout, with little to no emotion, each character had the same voice. No passion, no energy.
It became very painful to read but I finished out of spite
If I was reading this physical I would have dnfed it.
The conclusion pissed me off so much.
In conclusion, I am really disappointed because this had the making of an excellent historical fiction but alas.
1.5 stars for teaching me about the civil war in Chile, I learnt something new.
This book started out very promising and i was very eager to get into it. When we got to the part where they travelled to Chile to cover the war, i think that’s where we lost the plot.
It felt like I was reading non fiction about the Chilean civil war. I would have preferred it if it was that.
Also the female narrator was not very good. Her voice was the same throughout, with little to no emotion, each character had the same voice. No passion, no energy.
It became very painful to read but I finished out of spite
If I was reading this physical I would have dnfed it.
The conclusion pissed me off so much.
In conclusion, I am really disappointed because this had the making of an excellent historical fiction but alas.
1.5 stars for teaching me about the civil war in Chile, I learnt something new.
This was my first historical fiction book in a while, and I'm feeling quite conflicted.
I enjoyed Emilia's character as a whole, and found her story the most compelling at the beginning and the middle of the book. I loved reading about her relationship and bond with her father, despite not being his biological daughter.
The writing took some getting used to, and due to this I felt "out" of the story quite often, and wasn't connecting to the events as I would've hoped.
The Chilean civil war is definitely not a topic I'm very knowledgeable about, so I really enjoyed getting to know the background of the events, along with Emilia.
The very end of the book felt completely out of place, and didn't feel connected to the story. While Emilia finding her roots, and wanting to find a connection to her people was a huge theme throughout, I thought the journey to the land left to her by her father was incredibly rushed and left much to be desired. It felt like the author wanted to bring two stories together that didn't really fit well, at least not in the way it was executed.
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital copy of this book.
I enjoyed Emilia's character as a whole, and found her story the most compelling at the beginning and the middle of the book. I loved reading about her relationship and bond with her father, despite not being his biological daughter.
The writing took some getting used to, and due to this I felt "out" of the story quite often, and wasn't connecting to the events as I would've hoped.
The Chilean civil war is definitely not a topic I'm very knowledgeable about, so I really enjoyed getting to know the background of the events, along with Emilia.
The very end of the book felt completely out of place, and didn't feel connected to the story. While Emilia finding her roots, and wanting to find a connection to her people was a huge theme throughout, I thought the journey to the land left to her by her father was incredibly rushed and left much to be desired. It felt like the author wanted to bring two stories together that didn't really fit well, at least not in the way it was executed.
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital copy of this book.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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:
Yes
My Name is Emilia del Valle by Isabelle Allende is a story taking place around 1900 and features a woman, Emilia, who wants to be a reporte and a novelist, but more especially wants to find herself. She is the daughter of a woman who was raised in a convent orphanage and was raised hard. She was then taken advantage of by a man who left and never looked back. She was left with a child: Emelia. She married a man who had been her friend and with whom she worked who turned out to be the best father a girl could have. Her mother kept trying to get her birth father to recognize her, to to avail. Emelia loved to write. She started with journals and loved on to penny novels, which both her parents contributed ideas for. She became very successful and was a huge support to her family. She wanted more so she sent a piece the The Examiner, a medium-sized newspaper. If she stuck to human interest stories she was in. So she did, in the beginning. After several successes she was sent to Chile to help cover the revolution there. She went with the man who was to become her husband, although that was unknown at this point. Her adventures there, both good and bad, were chronicled in this enticing story.
Emelia, like all ground-breakers, was viewed as different. She didn’t care. She forged forward. She did meet her birth father, on his death bed, after many trials and when all was said and done, she wanted to go see the land he had left her. It turned out it was miles from civilization, but she never altered her course, despite the fact it nearly killed her. She was a fabulous character. The descriptions of the native peoples were also fascinating. Without their help, she would not have survived. The resilience both she and her fiance showed is remarkable, and not easy for the time. Beautifully written, it is an entrancing story and one well worth the read. A quest, if you will.
I was invited to read My Name is Emelia del Valle by Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #RandonHousePublishingGroupBallantine #IsabelleAllende #MyNameIsEmeliaDelValle
adventurous
emotional
reflective
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you Ballantine books! Allende is talented here as always with her writing and way that she makes her stories vibrant, captivating, and filled with rich detail. I always tell people I am not a fan of historical fiction, I just prefer contemporary stories, but I make exceptions for some writers who offer stories that still feel connected to today, that are as much about a character and their story as they are about time and setting; the character driven stories are what capture me and here also a story that reveals complexities about family, identity, and self discovery.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-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
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
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:
Yes
Isabel Allende delivers another stellar historical fiction novel. This story transported me in time and place to the Chilean Civil War of 1891. I became utterly immersed in Emilia's journey and experiences - I did not want the book to end. And that is the hallmark of great historical fiction. If this genre calls to you, I recommend you pick this book up. If you are on an around-the-world reading journey, this book is PERFECT for Chile.
Thanks to NetGalley for gifting me an ebook version of the novel in exchange for a review.
Thanks to NetGalley for gifting me an ebook version of the novel in exchange for a review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War