Thank you to random house publishing group for this opportunity to read rage and review this arc which is out June 6 2023

I have loved this author since her first book in the 90s. She is word sorceress and a story weaver. This book was moving, powerful and impactful with our world today. It is told in dual POV. One is little Sam in 1938. He is out on a kinder transport train out of Austria to England. His story broke me.

The second POV is Anita in 2019. She and her mother come to Arizona on a train from El Salvador. It speak on the policy of separation of immigrant kids from their parents. I was an uncontrollable sobbing mess.

This felt real to me. It felt like my heart was ripped in two and I loved every second of it. This is a must read book.

This is the story of two children, separated by age and by country of origin whose stories run on parallel roads. Each torn from their families, brutalized and forced to make their own way in strange new lands, their stories separated by years, the trauma of one echoing the trauma of the other.

Peter Adler is forced to flee Germany in 1938 after the events of Kristallnacht devastate his family. He is brought to England, by way of a Kindertransport, where he must cope with the effect of separation from his family and suffer the brutal lot of a child with no friends or allies. Anita Diaz flees a corrupt and murderous regime personified by an evil security guard who has taken a fancy to Anita's mother. This time, it is the policy of the US government which effects the separation of a child from her mother. Yet, somehow, fortune and a pair of dedicated advocates unite the two refugees amidst a worldwide pandemic and they begin to help each other heal.

As with Violeta, Allende populates her story with strong, likeable women who must separate themselves from the men around them in order to live the lives they want and need. As with Violeta, she brings us into worlds few of us would know and makes them vivid through the power of her storytelling. I read this book over the course of two nights, finishing at 230 in the morning still wide awake with the power of the story. I am very grateful that I was given this ARC by Penguin Random House and Netgalley in turn for an unbiased review.

Allende is a brilliant author, and the story contained in this book is an important one, but I didn't feel like the work overall was well-executed. The novel meandered and was a bit repetitive and needed some brutal editing. I cared about the characters, but they fell flat and I didn't find them believable. Allende's other works are lyrical and show a depth of character that was remarkable; this one was lacking. I wanted desperately to love this story, and to feel it, but about halfway in, I began to wonder if the book was submitted against a deadline. It just didn't feel full.

Allende is such a heartfelt moving author. Her characters become so real you feel you are right there in the room with them. Samuel Adler is a Jewish child transported on the last Kindertransport never to see his family again who die during the Holocaust. Anita is removed from her mother’s arms in the US after seeking refuge fleeing El Salvador. The resulting story is moving reminding me of the sacrifices people make for those they love. Thank you #NetGalley for the advanced copy of #TheWindKnowsMyName.

Gorgeous book! Each story is perfectly woven into the other. I cried happy tears as the book came to a close. This tale brought me so much joy during such dark times. Allende handled such sensitive but real topics with care and respect. I can’t wait to re-read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the advanced reader’s copy of the book in return for an honest review.

3.8. Isabel Allende is a very talented writer and I very much enjoy her novels. Although I liked this novel and found it very poignant, I just personally felt it was a wee bit more political for my taste. The premise was good and focused on separation and loss of parents among very young children and the profound impact on them throughout their lives, mostly emotionally. The story weaves around very young children who are separated from their families: Samuel lost his parents when he was sent to London with other kinder during WWII after Kristallnacht in Austria, Anita who was forcibly separated from her mother after crossing the border into the United States after a treacherous trek from El Salvador to escape from a person who was terrorizing her mother., and Leticia who lost her mother and other family members to a Salvadoran death squad who erased a whole village on the false premise the occupants were “communist.” The story is about the pain of loss, parental separation resulting in the children living in foster homes or orphanages without knowing what happened to their parents and forever hoping to be reunited, the legitimate plight of immigrants including escaping from horrors and atrocities inflicted on innocent populations, but it also shows love, compassion, the strength and temerity of the human spirit in spite of daunting odds and circumstances beyond a persons control, and the oppression of women generally. All characters were very well defined. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for a candid and unbiased review.

This book definitely pulled on my heart strings. Anita is such an amazing young lady, taken away from her mom at the border to enter the United States. Anita had to go through so much at such a young age. Reminded Samuel of his life as interrupted by the holocaust. Such similar situations many years apart. Now it is only women being killed and tortured. Such a compelling likeness.

As I was reading this book I got so mad, so upset, and also felt some hope and love this book made me feel so much! I wish I could do something to help the current situation with our borders

This was a great book that I will be recommending to everyone I know!!

Thank you to net galley for this earc copy.

I enjoyed the 3 different perspectives/stories and how they intertwined with each other due to many factors including war, immigration and covid.

I have read one other book by isabel allende and I am willing to read more . her writing style is unique and very descriptive. At times it feels like it drags on for not good reason. the first book by her I dnf'd , however I finished this one. I like the character development and I love how her stories involve real life events from different timelines that we find out intertwine with each other is some way. the storylines were easy to follow and you get invested in all of the characters.

overall I rate this a 4 star rating . it was hard to get into but once I did I enjoyed the stories involved.

Though not my favorite book from the great Isabel Allende, I appreciate her take on the Covid pandemic through her trademark characterization and political lens. A sweet story of found family, this novel shows that the care and support from others can be a source of hope and safety for those who have lost everything.

Allende’s new novel blends historical and current events, and she tells it with detailed imagery and entwined relationships. The story reminds us that although distance, age, race, and religion may separate us, there is still an underlying sense of familiarity. As a human race, we still have a connection, and I saw that in Samuel and Anita. Allende reminds the reader that the spirit of our loved ones never leaves us, no matter how tragic the experience is, and these characters face severely harsh and horrid moments. There’s also a moment that makes me think that a child’s imagination can be the best refuge. If you’re a sensitive soul, prepare to cry. If you enjoy Allende’s ability to provide all the details she delivers, be prepared to pay close enough attention to the chapter you’re on so you can recall whose story you’re on, the back-and-forth switch between characters is my reason for the four stars.

Thank you, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the ARC and a fascinating new read.

This is a poignant and moving novel that brings together a cast of characters that you can't help but root for. It's so gut wrenching when a story begins in Europe in 1938, because we already know from history what is going to happen over the next seven years; the atrocities that will be carried out by Hitler and the Nazi regime. Samuel, at the age of five, is put on the Kindertransport to England by his mother to save his life.

In a dual timeline in 2018, Anita Diaz is spirited out of El Salvador by her mother to protect them and escape possible massacre by guerilla soldiers. However, after a long journey. mother and child are rudely separated at the US/Mexican border. The stories of both Samuel and Anita open our eyes to the injustices endured by children over the decades who are involuntarily separated from their families. Samuel and Anita had some of the same experiences; group homes, foster homes, abuse, subpar educations, and loneliness. What was supposed to be a temporary situation in their lives, in order to escape brutality, turns out to change their lives forever and eventually brings them together.

With beautiful prose and extraordinary tenderness this author paints a sweeping portrait of unforgettable individuals who experience tragedy and triumph and end up finding each other.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for giving me the opportunity to read and review a digital ARC of this novel.

I always look forward to a new Allende book, and this one did not disappoint. The novel links the stories of man who, as a child, lost his family in war-ravaged Europe during WWI and an El Salvadorean girl who escapes violence in her country only to be separated from her mother at the U.S. border. It's a powerful story about how children suffer from the world's brutality. At the same time, the story is infused with love and hope.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 starts is that sometimes the summary-style writing and lengthy backstories didn't provide the buoyant reading experience Allende often provides, even when writing about difficult things.

Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy.

Well told tale that makes the tragedy of child separation at the southern border personal. As usual, Allende does not disappoint.

Isabel Allende remains one of my favorite and consistent authors. Her early work of magical realism drew me in. Still, in the past 15 years or so, she's shifted focus to historical fiction - often tied to her familial experience as an emigrant from Chile. The Wind Knows My Name is reminiscent of her other recent title, "A Long Petal of the Sea," in that it focuses on refugee crises throughout the years. However, "The Wind Knows My Name," is the first of her books I can recall that is set in the present and a direct commentary on American immigration policy. It is an incredibly successful rendition of the horrors of crossing the US border from Central America, the dangers that push people to make the dangerous journey, and the challenges of social workers and attorney's attempts to challenge the US immigration of policy of separating children from their parents at the border. Some will find her approach to be a bit too on the nose.

Nonetheless, she beautifully weaves the similarities between the Jewish Holocaust immigration challenges with those perpetrated by the United States during the Trump administration. The book calls upon the reader to reflect upon the real people who risk everything to seek asylum. Once again, Allende grabs you from the beginning and forces you to consider real people regardless of your political position.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up. There are a good amount of characters and the story is told from several points of view across the span of many years. It’s a little disorienting in the beginning, but you catch on quickly. It all ties together in the end, have no fear!

Equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, this is a beautiful read! It’s fairly heavy subject matter, so probably not a beach read, but still a great novel!

Thank you to #netgalley for this ARC of #thewindknowsmyname

4.5/5 stars! The time jumps and shifting perspectives in this story were so interesting. I don't often read historical fiction because I find many books in this genre lack the balance between the time they take place and the character they create. Isabel Allende handles this beautifully. The struggle for me was the pacing of the story. Some of the chapters were overly descriptive, which took me out of the story. But outside of pacing, it was a stunningly charming and insightful read.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

As usual, Isabel Allende has presented a fascinating and timely story of immigration, family, and connections. During the holocaust, young Simon is sent by his mother from Austria to England before she and his father are fatally sent to concentration camps. Eighty years later Young Anita is brought to the US by her mother to escape the brutality of El Salvador, only for the two of them to be officially separated at the border. The novel traces all that happens to Simon and Anita, and it is only toward the end that we see how their stories become intertwined. The points of view of a social worker, a lawyer, and a Salvadoran-American housekeeper are also interspersed in various chapters, and add to the breadth of the novel.. Although I found the plotline very interesting and relevant, I thought the narrative style was awkward, and much of the dialog stilted, didactic, and inauthentic, perhaps because of the translation?

This is a richly crafted, powerful story about the effects of war, immigration and injustice. Isabel Allende is a master of her craft and this book will have you in tears many times over.

Samuel is a very young child when he was sent to Britain via the Kindertransport to escape probable death by the Nazis as a Viennese Jew. He eventually emigrates to America where he marries and lives the remainder of his life.

Leticia is spared from a brutal death during the El Mozote massacre as is her father, though she lost the rest of her family to that brutality. They flee to America to seek safety.

Anita, a young blind girl, and her mother, Marisol, cross the border into America in 2019 trying to seek safety from a man who has tried once to kill Marisol and no doubt will try again. Anita is separated from her mother by the authorities and ends up in numerous foster homes.

These three stories converge seamlessly while shedding light on the plights of migrants and the heroism of those who help them. Although very sad, the story is beautifully written and will stay with me awhile.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Group for the ARC

A timely story of what it means to be a refugee in unsettling times. Anita is an 8 year old Salvadoran girl ripped from her mother's arms at a detention center after having crossed the border into the US. Told partly in her own words, partly by Selena, her social worker, Eventually we learn that Anita's mother is not coming back for her, Her story is heartbreaking and all too real. Adler (Mr. Bogart) is an elderly man who was sent off by his mother on the Kindertransport during WWII in order to save his life. After growing up in England, and learning that his family perished in the Holocost these two eventually come together with the help of a dedicated group of committed professionals . Their relationship with each other and their friends help heal old and new wounds. A fine story, well written, by a sensitive author. I recommend this book

It’s not that I didn’t enjoy this story but I felt like it was two separate stories that they tried to combine at the last minute. The connection happens later in the story and it just didn’t happen for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early read.