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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
Isabel Allende has written another powerful historical novel involving real events, deeply layered characters, and a richly adventurous plot. Emilia del Valle is a 19th century journalist with an uphill battle to gain the respect and assignments she deserves. When civil war breaks out in Chile, the homeland of the father she never met, she fights for the chance to travel to South America and report on it. Emilia is an intricately drawn protagonist with a satisfying growth arc over the course of the book. I'm giving this four stars only because I hold Isabel Allende in such high esteem, and I felt like some of this story was lacking in historical detail that would have made it easier to understand Emilia's perspective and her fight against gender expectations in her time. But I absolutely loved the Chilean history and landscape, especially in the end of the book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, War
Moderate: Sexual content
challenging
emotional
informative
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
Another gorgeous, emotional story from Allende that was equal parts heart-wrenching and informative. I love all of her books, but this one might be one of my favorites.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-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
If you asked me to describe MY NAME IS EMILIA DEL VALLE in three words, I might pick adventure, violence, with a bit of romance. But these words don’t really do justice to this novel. Reading this book gave me a chance to meet a determined woman who flaunts the rules and winds up living through exceptional experiences, both good and bad.
Written in the style of an autobiography, MY NAME IS EMILIA DEL VALLE is Emilia’s first person account of her life through her mid twenties. (Might there be a sequel?) In Chile in the early 1890s she is a fiercely independent woman, bucking all the social conventions at a time when the only acceptable roles for women in this deeply Catholic society were marriage and motherhood.
But after an intellectually rigorous upbringing, courtesy of a loving stepfather, Emilia aspires to earn her own living as a writer — unheard of for a woman at this time. After finding success writing 10-cent novels using a male pseudonym, Emilia becomes a journalist, where she hopes to be able to report using her own name. One of her early assignments is to cover the feature side of Chile’s increasing political tension, partnered with a more experienced journalist who will cover the news side.
Aside from Emilia’s ambition and commitment to lead a non-traditional life, the novel tells a second story of the South American country of Chile itself. It’s a story of European Colonialism and the Chilean Civil War of 1891 -- a fight for power between the President of Chile, José Manuel Balmaceda and the country's legislative congress. Wealthy European settlers generally support Balmaceda while impoverished and indigenous people side with Congress. Like the American Civil War, this was a savage conflict.
As with all her books, Isabel Allende’s language is beautiful. (Credit certainly also goes to translator Frances Riddle.) The passages describing battles that Emilia witnesses are so vivid that they are painful to read and I occasionally found the need to take a break. Likewise, descriptions of wild and remote areas in the Andes Mountains are equally powerful and you will long to visit what must have been a true paradise.
The only reason I did not award five stars to MY NAME IS EMILIA DEL VALLE is because I found the start of the book dragged a bit. But by midway, I was frantically turning pages, both eager and nervous to find out what would happen next. Highly recommended.
Written in the style of an autobiography, MY NAME IS EMILIA DEL VALLE is Emilia’s first person account of her life through her mid twenties. (Might there be a sequel?) In Chile in the early 1890s she is a fiercely independent woman, bucking all the social conventions at a time when the only acceptable roles for women in this deeply Catholic society were marriage and motherhood.
But after an intellectually rigorous upbringing, courtesy of a loving stepfather, Emilia aspires to earn her own living as a writer — unheard of for a woman at this time. After finding success writing 10-cent novels using a male pseudonym, Emilia becomes a journalist, where she hopes to be able to report using her own name. One of her early assignments is to cover the feature side of Chile’s increasing political tension, partnered with a more experienced journalist who will cover the news side.
Aside from Emilia’s ambition and commitment to lead a non-traditional life, the novel tells a second story of the South American country of Chile itself. It’s a story of European Colonialism and the Chilean Civil War of 1891 -- a fight for power between the President of Chile, José Manuel Balmaceda and the country's legislative congress. Wealthy European settlers generally support Balmaceda while impoverished and indigenous people side with Congress. Like the American Civil War, this was a savage conflict.
As with all her books, Isabel Allende’s language is beautiful. (Credit certainly also goes to translator Frances Riddle.) The passages describing battles that Emilia witnesses are so vivid that they are painful to read and I occasionally found the need to take a break. Likewise, descriptions of wild and remote areas in the Andes Mountains are equally powerful and you will long to visit what must have been a true paradise.
The only reason I did not award five stars to MY NAME IS EMILIA DEL VALLE is because I found the start of the book dragged a bit. But by midway, I was frantically turning pages, both eager and nervous to find out what would happen next. Highly recommended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Isabel Allende's Emilia is larger than life, an incredible female for any age, let alone the mid to upper 1880s! Born to a teenage Irish novitiate and rejected by her Chilean nobleman father, she is brought up by her extraordinary mother and eventually her loving, doting father from San Francisco's Mission District. He is both her teacher and her protector, though Emilia is strong-willed and ambitious. She is fluent in Spanish and has a surprising career as a writer at an early age. "My Name is Emilia del Valle" gives us an historical peek at early San Francisco history, what journalism might have been like in that period, and also an excruciatingly detailed, on-the-spot recounting of war in Chile. Emilia has traveled there for work, but more importantly, to find the birth father her mother has never forgiven, trying to put at rest the angst and mystery surrounding him. The story keeps readers engrossed with its detailed descriptions of people, locations, and the brutality of war. I found Emilia's love life a bit difficult to believe and the eventual love story needed far more background than the book provides. One final thought, for now: I am in awe of the translators who preserve the beauty of the author's words and present us with a compelling book.
3.75 stars.
Feeling slightly unfulfilled after reading this book about Emilia del Valle and the Chilean civil war.
Isabel Allende returns with My Name is Emilia del Valle, a stirring novel that breathes life into a fierce heroine amidst the tumult of the Chilean Civil War. This time, Allende brings us the story of Emilia del Valle, a young woman caught between two worlds—her Chilean roots and the Irish upbringing of her stepfather—as she forges a path as a writer in a man’s world.
Emilia’s journey begins in San Francisco, where she dreams of breaking through as a writer for the Examiner. Surrounded by men paid more to cover “hard” news, Emilia endures the expectations that women stick to “softer” topics like fashion and home life. But her ambitions won’t let her settle. Determined to cover meaningful stories, she’s drawn to the revolution unfolding in her father’s homeland, Chile—a war both historical and deeply personal to Allende herself, I’m sure. . I really enjoyed reading about San Francisco in the late 1800s - I just wished there was a little bit more of the historical side added to the book. It was interesting to read about the Mission District, a place I am familiar with.
The novel takes readers through Emilia’s search for her father, her quest to capture the war’s brutal reality, and her brush with Chile’s fierce canteen girls who brave the frontlines to support soldiers. Though the plot sometimes skims over pivotal moments, the story never loses focus on Emilia’s emotional journey as she grapples with identity, love, and the calling to write. It's a fast read - almost surface level.
In the end, while this 300-page novel leaves some threads untied, My Name is Emilia del Valle is a gripping tale of courage, heritage, and resilience.
Feeling slightly unfulfilled after reading this book about Emilia del Valle and the Chilean civil war.
Isabel Allende returns with My Name is Emilia del Valle, a stirring novel that breathes life into a fierce heroine amidst the tumult of the Chilean Civil War. This time, Allende brings us the story of Emilia del Valle, a young woman caught between two worlds—her Chilean roots and the Irish upbringing of her stepfather—as she forges a path as a writer in a man’s world.
Emilia’s journey begins in San Francisco, where she dreams of breaking through as a writer for the Examiner. Surrounded by men paid more to cover “hard” news, Emilia endures the expectations that women stick to “softer” topics like fashion and home life. But her ambitions won’t let her settle. Determined to cover meaningful stories, she’s drawn to the revolution unfolding in her father’s homeland, Chile—a war both historical and deeply personal to Allende herself, I’m sure. . I really enjoyed reading about San Francisco in the late 1800s - I just wished there was a little bit more of the historical side added to the book. It was interesting to read about the Mission District, a place I am familiar with.
The novel takes readers through Emilia’s search for her father, her quest to capture the war’s brutal reality, and her brush with Chile’s fierce canteen girls who brave the frontlines to support soldiers. Though the plot sometimes skims over pivotal moments, the story never loses focus on Emilia’s emotional journey as she grapples with identity, love, and the calling to write. It's a fast read - almost surface level.
In the end, while this 300-page novel leaves some threads untied, My Name is Emilia del Valle is a gripping tale of courage, heritage, and resilience.