You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Thoughts
I am a fan of Allende, I mean who isn't right?, so I was so excited when I received this eARC.
This book was a great historical fiction novel not only about the struggles of women in publishing and journalism but also about Chile. As the main character goes to Chile to cover the war. And you learn a lot.
However, the story is so well told you just can't put it down. The characters are fascinating and just great and multi-faceted.
This is such a great historical fiction novel!
I am a fan of Allende, I mean who isn't right?, so I was so excited when I received this eARC.
This book was a great historical fiction novel not only about the struggles of women in publishing and journalism but also about Chile. As the main character goes to Chile to cover the war. And you learn a lot.
However, the story is so well told you just can't put it down. The characters are fascinating and just great and multi-faceted.
This is such a great historical fiction novel!
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
informative
slow-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
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
informative
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:
No
(Thanks to Ballantine Books & Netgalley for a review copy.) Emilia del Valle is intense and so ahead of her time! The war atrocities described in here made me glad I was listening to it and could breeze by some of the descriptions of war - it was hard to imagine all the gore. What happened to Emilia at the end seemed to all make sense given what she went through during the Chilean Civil War. It was really fun to read about the cross-continental railroad and the novelty of it back then. I was a little surprised with the love story arc - didn’t expect that coming. I do kind of wish there was a reckoning with her Papo bc he sounded like a wonderful person who knew how to love unconditionally. Papo was prob my fave character - I wish I could be that for my kids.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Over the years I have read a number of Allende's book, some I loved and some not no much. With fascinating and detailed research, Allende paints a portrait of a woman, Emilia del Valle, advanced for her time in the late 1880s, leaving San Francisco to go report on Chile as tensions heightened leading to a civil war. This little known piece of history is vividly described, both the political situation and the gruesomeness of the conflict. While the character has substance and pushes against the norms of accepted society, I still felt a certain remove from her. Possibly the translation could be accountable or it may be the author's intention. An excellent example of how historical fiction can transport us to other times. Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Feeling very lukewarm about this. Really enjoyed it at the beginning but then it just kept dragging on and on and I got rather bored.