I was very excited to receive the new Isabel Allende ARC, The Wind Knows My Name, from NetGalley, in return for an honest review.

This latest book weaves in the stories of moments in history where atrocities force people to flee their homelands. This is the narrative that connects the characters, dating back to the days ahead of WWII Austria, El Salvador in the 1990s, and the immigration policies put into place under Trump, leaving families torn apart, with children abandoned or unfound, and the impact of COVID on reuniting families.

This is all very serious, heavy material, but Allende always manages to make historical moments (weird to think of COVID as history) both personal, but yet lighter than it might otherwise be, without diminishing the heft of these moments.

This book begins with a 5 year old Samuel's family life as the Nazi's began invading Austria. We learn about his family and community, and then how he is sent to live as an orphan. This path is similar to Anita's path from her hometown, separated from her mother 50 years later, at the U.S. border, and put into a kid's camp. Throughout the book, there are moments of surprise, of warmth, and of the magic that Allende ads, this time through Anita's stories to her younger sister, as a way to keep herself protected from the world. We also learn about the people who try to rectify these life events, coming to the rescue of these children left behind. Selena and Frank's, immigration specialist and attorney, story was less interesting to me, but also a good storyline.

Often, I don't wish for a book to be longer, or that we could learn more about each character, but I did find myself wanting to know more about characters briefly mentioned, like Samuel (Mr. Bogart)'s children, or learn more about Anita's mother's life in more depth before they fled San Salvador. But this is also with keeping the viewpoint of the narrator for that chapter in mind.

This is a really lovely book, certainly worth reading, especially if you have enjoyed Isabel Allende's other books.

This was an interesting book accounting for the immigration of people from multiple countries. I was unaware of some of the turmoil taking place at the time. I enjoyed reading about the characters. I do wish the book had tied everything/characters together a little earlier so readers could get more about their time together.

Isabel Allende is one of my favorite authors. The Wind Knows My Name is yet another reason this is true. The main theme of her newest novel is immigration but there are other numerous, thought provoking themes that would make this an excellent book discussion choice.

The story begins in Austria during the Nazi reign of terror. Samuel Adler is a five year old music prodigy who is also Jewish. To save his life his desperate mother puts him on the Kindertransport train. He ends up in England but it takes much time before his life has any semblance of normalcy. Allende depicts his life in great detail explaining how he comes to live in San Francisco.

The story shifts to current times and then weaves the story of immigrant families, both legal and illegal. Eventually Allende makes clear how these families and Samuel Adler cross paths to benefit the welfare of Anita Diaz who is separated from her mother while illegally crossing the border into the United States. It is a story that will keep you up at night!

The terror of leaving one's home due to horrific conditions, often life or death situations, is clearly depicted by Isabel Allende. I doubt anyone who reads this book will not be affected. We have learned nothing, it seems, from history and children continue to be the ones who suffer the most. Samuel's and Anita's lives are juxtaposed in a believable manner and their story will resonate with the reader.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity of an early read.

Wow. What a heartbreakingly beautiful book.
First, i'd like to give thanks to Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and Isabel Allende for the honor of allowing me an opportunity to read an advanced copy.
This book connects us to Samuel Adler, a Jew who through his mother's love, managed to escape Vienna during a time where the jewish community was being exterminated, Lety, a migrant from El Salvador who lost her family during a massacre that plummeted her village, Marisol & Anita, a mother and daughter seeking asylum in the US after fleeing a violence ridden El Salvador. With the help of Selena and Frank, the mentioned characters come together to form a bond and family, and overall, heal.
Isabel Allende's writing is so splendid! Although it is an interconnected story, the author made it perfectly clear what was going on and whose story you were following at all times. The timelines were all so easy to follow. As an immigrant myself, I grew to love and care for these characters so deeply. I cannot wait for the official release so that I may purchase and reread for many times to come. I will never stop talking about this book!!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Much of this novel is beautiful and poignant, however I kept feeling like I was reading their back stories and was waiting for the book to begin and connect.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing group, and Isabel Allende for the opportunity to read this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. Like all of Allende’s other books, it goes without saying that the writing in this book absolutely blew me away. It was absolutely beautiful and one of my favorite things about her books is that she has a way of making every character feel so utterly real, showing all of elements of their character whether it be good or bad. This book was no exception.
At the start of the book, we begin to learn about our main characters and at the end of each vignette, I was certainly invested. The experiences relayed ranged from the WWII/Holocaust era, the violence and political unrest in El Salvador in the 80s, to the modern day border crisis. Allende definitely didn’t shy away from the reality of these crises and I was certainly rooting for the characters as they navigated through the book. The book progresses on and we continue to learn about the lives of each of our characters, as they slowly begin to converge and ultimately connect. I did wish that the stories had tied together a bit earlier in the book or that we would get a better hint of how the characters stories would come together. The lack of a connection left me feeling a bit disjointed but, ultimately I was still interested enough to continue on and finish. I would definitely recommend this book to any Allende fan or new readers interested in a character driven story.

3.5 stars I read this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have read many, many books by Isabel Allende. She is my all-time favorite writer. I usually read her work in Spanish, since her writing is so rich and descriptive. This was the first book I read of hers translated in English. There was nothing lost in translation. The writing was just as descriptive and beautiful.

This story is relevant to the times we are living. It deals with families separated at the border and is set during the pandemic. It begins during Kristallnacht and tells the story of a young boy named Samuel Adler. He was separated from his parents during WW2 and his parents were sent to concentration camps. His story is paralleled with Anita, a partially blind girl from El Salvador who escapes with her mom to the border after her mom was shot by a man who became obsessed with her. They are separated at the border and Anita goes from one foster situation to another until a relative is found and she lives with her and, coincidentally, an elderly Samuel Adler.

All in all, I loved the writing. It is a story that includes the author’s political views, although that didn’t particularly bother me. I do think the story dragged on quite a bit and I skimmed through some parts until the story picked up.
I again want to than NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC from my favorite writer. I also want to thank Isabel Allende for writing a book that sheds light on a very real and critical situation taking place at our borders.

The Wind Knows My Name
By Isabel Allende

I have read and loved other books by Isabel Allende and was looking forward to read her latest novel. I was not disappointed.
The story starts in 1938 Austria, after the German occupation and the inhumane treatment of Jews. A desperate mother puts her 5 year old son , Samuel on a Kindertransport to England to protect him from the Nazi atrocities. There, Samuel relies on strangers to give him a home.
On the other side of the world, 80 plus years later another desperate mother, Marisol escapes from El Salvador with her 7 year old blind daughter Anita to reach the United States. This is at the time when children were separated from their parents to discourage immigration.
Letitia, another migrant from El Salvador reaches the US in the 1980’s to escape atrocities in that country. The author weaves these three stories together seamlessly in alternating chapters from each protagonists lives. We also meet Selena, a social worker who is working with attorney Frank to reunite Anita with her mother. This was a 4.5 star book for me, gladly rounded to 5. I am taking half a point off for the relationship between Selena and Frank, which I didn’t feel added to the story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

This is another masterpiece from Isabel Allende.

Monet knew when to stop adding brushstrokes, Mozart knew when to stop adding notes, and Isabel Allende knows when to stop adding words.

I admit, I was not excited about reading one more book set partially during WWII. And then to throw in the Covid pandemic and immigration… But I could not put The Wind Knows My Name down.

The settings are described so clearly they’re easy to visualize. We can picture the characters and get to know them thoroughly. I felt as though I was sitting right next to them, experiencing their lives. I was sorry to reach the last page. I would have been happy to read another hundred or two, and go further into the characters’ futures, but then again, the ending was quite satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Isabel Allende for an ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Isabelle Allende for granting my wish to read an ARC of The Wind Knows My Name. I have loved Isabelle Allende's books right from her first book and jumped at the chance to read her latest. Her skill as a writer and storyteller was clearly evident as she weaved together the stories of Samuel, an orphan from WWII who was sent away on the Kindertransport after Kristallnacht, Anita, a blind refugee experiencing the brutal immigration over America's southern border, and her caseworker Selena. Allende is a master and draws you in with her expert character development and beautiful story of dealing with the trauma of being orphaned as a young child. My only disappointment in this beautiful story is the injection of politics that was completely displaced and took away from this beautiful story. Luckily there were just a couple of Trump hating statements and she never mentioned him by name so I only took one star from my review and didn't give up on the book. Stick to writing and leave American politics out of it.

This book grabbed me by the heart and didn't let go. A very important book for our times, this is a tale of refugees, sharing their tragedies and triumphs across centuries and continents. She has created loveable characters, from an introverted musicians to a passionate social worker, and a fey, gifted girl--and weaves their stories together in a tapestry of humor, empathy and hope.
I can always count on Allende's books to show the power of love and living authentically.

I am so grateful to be granted the ARC for this most compelling book! And I am a big fan of Isabel Allende! This book had many layers and in the end all the pieces come together! And how strong these characters are and what they were able to endure.. And I have to say, how ignorant I was to the immigration issue!
Thank you for this wonderful book!

I must admit the writing style was different for me to get used too. But as the story progressed it became easier.
This story of immigration based on two characters from two different time periods.
One as a young Austrian jew, the other recent boarder cross, their story weave together. Tell a tale of courage, determination, will and hope. A blending a tale of faith, love and how family can be created with open hearts and healing.

This was my both my first Isabel Allende book and first ARC book—yay! I have always meant to read an Isabel Allende book because she is one of my mother’s favorite authors; she’s always said she maybe subconsciously named me after her. I knew that her writing is typically full of magical realism, so that’s what I was expecting. I also knew that the setting was typically in South/ Central America. Imagine my surprise when this novel began in Vienna. This books felt like the adult version of Alan Gatz’s Refugee, and I mean that in the best way possible. It is told through multiple perspectives in different time periods through people becoming refugees throughout modern history. As this is a historical fiction text, I learned a lot. I had no idea the horrors that El Salvador went through in the 1980s. I truly cared for the characters, and they organically weave together. I look forward to reading more of Allende’s works. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Group, and Isabel Allende for allowing me to thoroughly enjoy this ARC.

This review will be published on Goodreads on January 10, 2022.

A lovely book about refugees decades apart, one fleeing Nazi Germany and another from present day El Salvador. This is a story about found families and people come together to help each other.

Isabel Allende, is one of my favorite authors. I have read all her books, and I couldn’t wait to read this one.
I couldn’t image how she would connect two children, one from the holocaust and one from El Salvador. But yes, she does and it’s one great story. That left me crying. Her characters are amazing.. such a timely book.
I don’t ever read the end of the story before I finished the book, but this was one time, when I wanted to see what happened to all the great characters in this book. But I did not.
I’m sure this will make the bestseller list. I know this will be my recommendation for my book club.

A heart wrenching skillfully woven historical novel that combines the WWII era with the political violence in El Salvador during the eighties to present day. I’ll never forget Samuel and his violin.

The descriptive writing style by Isabel Allende is second to none and gives you much to think about in regards to immigration policies well after you finish the book.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

Samuel was made an orphan at the age of five by Nazis in 1940s Austria. Leticia lost her family to political violence in 1980s El Salvador. In 2019, Anita is separated from her mother at the U.S.-Mexico border. All of these lives marked by tragedy and loss are destined to intertwine in their search for a path forward.

This might be my favorite Isabel Allende yet! It feels something like a modern version of The Secret Garden: lost, grieving people finding joy and hope with each other, with a touch of magic. It's beautiful and moving, and I especially love how it draws parallels between humanitarian crises in different times and places. Samuel, Leticia, and Anita's stories are unforgettable.

As the story begins in 1938, Samuel Adler was only five years old, a young music protégé, when he boards the Kindertranport train from Austria to England — (holding tightly to his violin) —eventually he will journey to the United States — his parents were left behind — due to the horrors of Nazi-occupied Austria.
A memorable fifty-two year old neighborhood, Theobald Volker, will never be forgotten throughout of Samuels life …. nor will his parents: Rudolph and Rachel Adler…..or Peter Steiner, a German pharmacist who was very close to his father.

The present story starts in Arizona in 2019…..(with scenes moving to California), a mother (Marisol) and her daughter (Anita) were escaping the El Mozote massacre in El Salvador — seeking refuge in the United States. Anita Diaz was only seven years old — with similarities to Samuel Adler — she too was separated from her family, community, village due to the horrors of war —(then again in the United States due to the inhumane immigration laws)— ‘ripped’ away—from her mother—just as Samuel had been from his family.

Isabel Allende weaves together a powerful - historical fiction novel - past and present- highlighting our history’s tragic-devastations caused from family separation….

The supporting characters (a Quaker couple who take Samuel in, a compelling social worker, lawyer, etc.), are as fully developed as the main ones. I found their stories very entertaining.

Through love, loss, suffering, loneliness, and grief, ….. Isabel Allende balances the emotional pain — not only with great compassion—and history details—but with healthy coping mechanisms — so that rather than dwell on feelings of being victimized — we are inspired by the resilience our characters develop.

Wonderful - enjoyable - important work. Bless Isabel Allende for writing “The Wind That Knows My Name”.

Tidbits ….and or excerpts ….
….The friendship between the Adlers and Steiners (German and Jewish friends was intimate, mutual, and beautiful)
….A deeply moving friendship between Samuel as a young boy…..and his widower, Volker, ex-military man was priceless.
….a reminder of the nightmare that Trump was — with his zero-tolerance policy - and the insane ways he handled our Covid crisis—is all here.

Memories from the Holocaust….
“We can’t live in this country anymore, Peter. The Nazis have us fenced in, they’re drawing tighter and stricter circles around us. We can’t even enter certain restaurants and stores. They bully our kids in school, they’re firing us from jobs and public office, confiscating our businesses and properties, prohibiting us from exercising our professions, or living a person of another race”.

“The German bombings, which killed more than forty thousand civilians and reduced entire neighborhoods to ash, had failed to achieve their ultimate goal of terrorizing the British population into surrendering”.

…..Samuel was twelve ryears of age when the war ended in 1945. The Nazis exterminated eleven million people, more than half of them Jews, are now abandoned. Samuel hoped he might find his parents. Millions of people were displaced by the war, and Samuel never did find his parents. He later was exempt from the military due to having asthma. Instead, he attended the Royal Academy of music, on a full scholarship, the most prestigious conservatory in England, since its founding in 1822.

….During the 80’s…..Leticia was an immigrant who came from Central America. She had relatives back in El Salvador. She never talked about where she came from with her American friends because nobody had even heard of the massacre in 1981, (a war against the poor) in El Mozote, where the Salvadoran Army killed more than 811 civilians….including children….in the village where she and her family had lived.

“The US government has implemented a policy of zero tolerance on immigration, and ordered separation of all families to come here seeking asylum”.
Thousands of children had already been taken from their parents. Children without proper legal representation, simply got deported.

We meet Selena Duran, social worker — heading the Magnolia Project, (an organization that was trying to help refugees and immigrants) …and Frank Angileri a lawyer who stepped forward to help - offering pro bono work. I found this entire part of the storytelling often amusing (ha….a little drama between man, women, sexual tensions, another finance in the background).

“As the death toll rose and the hospitals filled the president trying to downplay the severity of the situation, or proposed ludicrous cures, such as injecting bleach”.
Sound familiar?

“You can find humor in any situation; you sing while you cook, and rumba while you vacuum”.
“That’s how we Salvadorans face life. They used to say that El Salvador was the nation of smiles, but I imagine the smiles have faded some since the Civil War”.

Gems throughout …. Visits in San Francisco….Berkeley…. funnies (with a spaghetti lid > you’ll have to read it yourself)….
And inspiration from healing, productivity and contributions….

Wonderful as can be!

The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende. Pub Date: June 6, 2023. Rating: 5 stars. A beautiful story of two resilient children who face adversity and embrace life following childhood trauma. A boy in 1938 fleeing a war torn region during WWII and a girl in 2019 immigrating to the United States in the wake of an influx of migrants, this story interweaves the struggles of immigration, identity, lost family and overcoming grief and strife to live a fulfilling life. I read this book in 24 hours and found it very difficult to put down. The author writes lyrically and leaves the reader wanting more. I highly recommend this timely novel. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #thewindknowsmyname #netgalley