This was my first Isabel Allende read, and I enjoyed it so much! She is masterful in the historical fiction genre, and I can’t wait to dig into her other novels!

Why do I do this to myself! Jeez! When I requested this book on NetGalley it was because I had read some excerpts from a book when I was teaching multicultural literature to high school seniors prior to retiring in 2017. I remembered her name and how much I enjoyed her work. What I didn't realize though, and wish I had, is that the name del Valle was first mentioned in The House of the Spirits which was published in 1982 while My Name Is Emilia del Valle was just published this May. That being said, I loved this book anyway. So, I had to go back and read her 1982 book just for a little insight (review to come later on that one).

I love historical fiction and I found the Chilean history very intriguing, informative and interesting. It doesn't hurt that Isabel Allende's writing is just beautiful and heartfelt. I tend to love books with plots that involve books and/or authors which this one did. It also takes place in San Francisco, about 75 miles from my home. She's only 16 years old when she begins to write under a pseudonym using a man's name, of course. Writing pulp fiction might've made writing using her own name even more difficult. Eventually she becomes a journalist and covers the war in Chile.

I love how smart and innovative she was. Emilia was a strong and courageous woman who stepped out of the box due to her own dreams and convictions. She didn't let societal norms hold her back. Nothing like reading about a woman ahead of her times which encourages women (I hope) or our day and age to do the same.

I love Allende’s writing and was excited to receive an advance copy from NetGalley. Allende’s words flow in a way that pull me in to the story and slow me down. I admired Emilia’s strength and perseverance in a time when that was not valued. The descriptions of the brutality and cruelty of war were vivid as were the descriptions of Chile.

That said this book took me months to read. I put it down for weeks at a time and even forgot at one point that I had left it unread. Partly I think that is because there are many stories is one relatively short book and in Emilia’s young life.

Perhaps this a book best read when you have a couple of days to just sit and read on vacation without distractions.

I really love Isabel Allende’s books. Happy to get a chance to read My Name is Emilia del Valle where independent Emilia ends up covering war in Chile. I found this incredibly engrossing and certainly is up there with The Women about the Horror of War. I actually think this is a much more Real Book. It is Heartbreaking and Heartlifting at the Same Time.

It is a Terrific Book. Love the Writing, love Emelia and all the characters she meets. Such an interesting look of Civil War in Chile in 1897 that I had no knowledge of. It’s always great to enjoy a book, be disturbed, and learn so much. This book delivered on all levels.

Highly Recommend if you can read difficult war scenes and are a fan of Historical Fiction. If you enjoy Isabel Allende, you are sure to love this one 🩷

Thank you Ballentine, and NetGalley for a copy of this book. I always leave reviews of books I read.

Emilia del Valle Claro was born as a result from an innocent nun being “captivated” by a dashing young Chilean in SF. Predictably, he deserted her. But her mother married and worked hard to steer Emilia on a virtuous and productive path, by example. Emilia’s passion was more for journalism. Her focus was on proving herself in this field, where women seldom got the most newsworthy stories. When Emilia talks her way into the SF Hearst newsroom, she is intent on rising and being recognized. She soon perceives an opportunity when war is imminent in Chile and perhaps, she can find her father / his family if she gets to cover that story.

Allende has a few strands here to focus on: her mother’s early life, Emilia’s quest for validation and self-discovery and revelations regarding Chilean history in the late 1800s. Not all the strands worked for this reader. Emilia’s tale seemed less compelling than her mother’s and the Chilean strand got me more interested in actual events than what was happening in the arc of the novel. One could also make a “small” case that the Chilean past has hints of the current political climate in the US. There are better Allende novels to pursue. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title.

It seems weird to say this, but I am a fan of Isabel Allende, despite not being a fan of many of her books. I loved A Long Petal of the Sea, which was published in 2021, and hadn’t really read anything of hers since then, so I was happy to receive a copy of her latest, My Name Is Emilia del Valle, from Random House-Ballantine in exchange for my honest review.

Many people associate her with Chile, and this book is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to learn about Chile’s history, culture, and people while being entertained by terrific writing by a renowned female author…and while the book is set in San Francisco as well as Chile, it is the parts set ibn Chile that I found most interesting.

The protagonist in this one is Emilia del Valle Claro, raised in the 1870s by her mother and stepfather (her bio-dad seemed to me to be somewhat of a scoundrel, living in Chile).
Before becoming a writer at the age of 39, Allende worked as a journalist, TV host, and school administrator, so having Emilia work as both a writer and journalist seems perfect. After meeting Eric Whalen, a fellow journalist, the two of them embark on a series of adventures that had me cheering for them, while learning way more than I expected about what life was like for a woman in Chile during the 1870s.

It is, as expected, beautifully written, and I enjoyed it tremendously. Four stars! And that “not a fan of many of her books” refers primarily to magical realism not being among my favorite genres. Bu as a fan of strong women, I highly recommend this book.

After having read and loved A Long Petal of the Sea, I didn’t hesitate to pick up this book.

This historical fiction revolves around the Chilean Civil War, which occurred in the 1860’s. The main character is Emilia de Valle, a journalist, who travels to Chile both to cover the war, and to uncover the truth of her father and her roots to the country.

The novel is good I just didn’t find it as immersive as A Long Petal of the Sea. It seemed to drag on a bit more and the characters weren’t as relatable.

First, in full disclosure, I am a fan of Isabel Allende. I have read most of her books and am so grateful to the publisher, Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, and the author, Isabel Allende, for the privilege to read this advanced copy through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The book is set in San Francisco, California, and Chile. The story dives into the life of the protagonist, Emilia del Valle Claro. Emilia's mother and stepfather are a delight to "get to know." Through their wisdom, Emilia becomes a strong-willed woman during those times (1870s). Emilia's biological father seems to be a bit of a scoundrel living in Chile. Emilia works as a writer and journalist, where she meets Eric Whelan, a fellow journalist. The reader can't help but cheer Emilia and Eric to be daring. Through their adventures, the reader learns much about Chile's history, people, government, and culture. This book gives accurate and insightful information into the times of the 1870s for women and life in Chile. It is presented with a very interesting approach.

This book has a sense of adventure, romance, and history throughout. If any or all of these categories interest you, I highly recommend this book. Some characters, such as Paulina del Valle, crossover from Allende's previous books, but it is not necessary for the reader to be familiar with those books. I loved reading another Allende story and recommend it.

This author has such immense talent at storytelling. She uses such beautiful language it’s hard not to be captivated from the beginning! This was my first time learning about the civil war in Chile- I enjoyed learning about women’s roles at this times, and of course loved Emilia in particular. She was so brave and independent.

My Name is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende

I hate to say it but I did not really like this book very much. I have read a goodly number of books by Isabel Allende and the only one I liked less was Island Under the Sea and that was so long ago that I really don’t remember why I disliked it. I just finished the short story, Lovers at the Museum and thought it was very good.
But back to this book. The characters were mostly not very likable except for the stepfather. The historical part was interesting but not really compelling and the end section was kind of ridiculous. I plan to read The Wind Knows My Name soon so I am not giving up on this author just because of this one book but it was just not for me.

This was an interesting read about a time period I’m not familiar with. I really loved the opening section in San Francisco! As Emilia makes progressively more and more dangerous life choices seemingly without any plan (getting involved in war journalism, then joining the battlefield in uniform, then wandering off into the wilderness without any training) I did get frustrated with how she keeps getting saved completely by the grace of other characters risking their lives to help her. It’s interesting in a way, because being able to charm other people into helping you presumably is a big part of succeeding at journalism, but the book is in Emilia’s point of view and so it’s pretty clear this isn’t something she’s doing, it just keeps happening to her. But I loved how vivid the setting was and I enjoyed learning about a part of history I didn’t know anything about previously!

Thanks to Ballantine Books for an advanced copy of My Name is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende.

I love historical fiction and this story has you between San Francisco and Chile in the middle of a Civil War. Emilia is a fascinating character and this is a story of family, self-discovery written by one of the best storytellers in Isabel Allende.

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.

This started off strong for me but by the second half of the novel I wasn’t interested. I think this was because I wasn’t connected to the characters especially Emilia. She felt very distant even though she was the main character. I appreciated the setting and the rich historical details but wish there was more connection with the characters.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

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.

Would anyone be surprised that this was my first time reading a Isabel Allende novel? I have had many of her works in my radar but I received an eARC for this book so I knew I had to start with this one. And don’t let my rating fool you, I enjoyed it greatly.

The book is centered around our protagonist, Emilia Del Valle, who can be best characterized as a strong, independent woman that wants to experience the world and all of its mysteries. Her backstory begins with her mother and absent father that brought her into this world, which I thought was a clever way of introducing us to Emilia because through the way her mother was fooled by her biological and brought into this world; it determined a lot for Emilia. Her step-father, who she claims is her true father really shaped Emilia into the person we see throughout the novel. I especially loved this one bit: “He said I needed a profession that would allow me to support myself and do whatever I pleased, without depending on a husband or anyone else.” His support and wisdom that first part of the novel really cemented and foreshadowed in a way Emilia’s trajectory which was brilliant.

The historical fiction genre of the novel cannot not be mentioned in my review because I am one that seldom reads the genre but, I learned so much Chilean history and social structures. Isabel Allende doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of history and presents everything with care and precision to ensure the reader knows exactly what is at play. Emilia’s involvement as being a war correspondent that also finds herself reconnecting with her father and his family and assisting in the war with the canteen girls. There are many things that root Emilia to Chile not only familial roots but also the physical environment that calls to her character.

Some things in this book didn’t work for me, I found some things over explained and sometimes that would stop the flow of the novel for me. The pacing, despite it being a short novel with 287 pages, it was slow and hard to get through those muddy bits.

In short this is what I liked about this book: the beautifully written prose, the progression of Emilia’s character, and the rich history that co-leads the novel’s plot. But if you find it difficult to fully get into a book when the pacing is a bit slow, then please proceed with caution or have that in mind when picking this book up.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A courageous young woman who has seemingly been more influenced and supported by her stepfather than her bitter, scorned mother finds a way to become an author at a young age. Wanting to break free from her pen name, Emilia finds her way into Journalism while covering the Chilean War of Independence.

I received this book as an ARC from netgalley and the publisher. When I’m reading historical fiction I prefer when the main character is an actual person, but in this story this isn’t the case. However, the Chilean War did actually happen and the depictions of war and the lush beauty of Chile are on full display in this descriptive, well written novel.

This is my third book (don’t worry- I plan on reading a lot more) by Isabel Allende. She has a way of capturing you and sending you back in time.

The pace felt a bit off in places and the ending left a bit to be desired, but I will always find myself drawn to Allende’s works.

I also didn’t realize how many of her books follow the del Valle family! I’ve read 2, but I need to get to them all!

I love a book about a strong and bold woman, and Emilia was just that!

The best thing about this story is Emilia’s sense of adventure.
At a time when women were bound by social convention, Emilia defied that. A reporter who had to write under a pseudonym she traversed sea and land to discover not only the story but also her roots.
In typical Allende fashion, it’s a sweeping narrative that straddles both Americas, enhanced by the richness of the details.

i loved the beginning of this (the photograph image brought me right in!) and the way history was conveyed kept me invested throughout. i wish that the romance had been scaled back or removed entirely, because it paled in comparison to that for me!