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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
informative
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:
No
I have long been a fan of Isabel Allende's writing and while My Name is Emilia del Valle was not my favorite of her books, it was still a fascinating story woven into the Chilean Civil War.
Emilia is born in tough circumstances, she is the result of a relationship where her father took advantage of her mother and then he left them on their own... sort of. Emilia is not fatherless, the man who helped raise her left his imprint on her... in delightful ways. With his help, she publishes some sort of risqué stories under a pen name... which sets her feet on the path of the desire to be a writer. She eventually gets a job at The San Francisco Examiner and heads off to New York to write some stories but eventually she and a co-worker head off to Chile to cover the war. The bonus for Emilia is that she meets and develops a relationship with her father and his family.
Allende does a fantastic job of portraying how challenging it was for any person to cover war... male or female.
For me, the ending was the most moving and it seemed the perfect way to bring My Name is Emilia del Valle to a close.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the digital copy of this book. It was published May 6, 2025.
Emilia is born in tough circumstances, she is the result of a relationship where her father took advantage of her mother and then he left them on their own... sort of. Emilia is not fatherless, the man who helped raise her left his imprint on her... in delightful ways. With his help, she publishes some sort of risqué stories under a pen name... which sets her feet on the path of the desire to be a writer. She eventually gets a job at The San Francisco Examiner and heads off to New York to write some stories but eventually she and a co-worker head off to Chile to cover the war. The bonus for Emilia is that she meets and develops a relationship with her father and his family.
Allende does a fantastic job of portraying how challenging it was for any person to cover war... male or female.
For me, the ending was the most moving and it seemed the perfect way to bring My Name is Emilia del Valle to a close.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the digital copy of this book. It was published May 6, 2025.
adventurous
informative
reflective
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:
No
The pacing is so slow. I rarely stop reading but was so bored waiting for something to happen that when it finally did, I didn’t care.
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
This is another captivating story by one of the world’s greatest historical fiction writers. By creating the fictional character of Emilia Del Valle, Allende tells you about a turbulent time in Chile’s history during a civil war. The writing is incredibly powerful and compelling, it was interesting to read about a period of history I knew nothing about.
Emilia is bold, inspiring and brave. Her fight to have her name printed in news articles she writes instead of a male pseudonym in a male dominated industry to her being physically on the battle front with other civilians shows you just how much courage she holds. The sheer determination she had to give ordinary citizens a voice by writing about them in her articles was remarkable. She also discovers love and is on her own personal quest to find her father.
It’s quite political and war-heavy yet important to learn about these devastating events from the past. Allende’s research is always impeccable.
My Name is Emilia Del Valle is a tale of self discovery, love, war and resilience. Another great book by Allende I devoured.
The Chilean civil war was interesting; the rest not so much. I skimmed over many parts.
adventurous
hopeful
fast-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
I love Isabel Allende’s writing. This one is the perfect mix of historical events and fictional characters that experience those events on a deeply personal level
“Being a woman is a serious inconvenience to success in general and particularly in a profession dominated almost entirely by men”
“Being a woman is a serious inconvenience to success in general and particularly in a profession dominated almost entirely by men”