My Name Is Emilia del Valle: A Novel

This was my first Allende novel. I believe it is considered literary.

It was different. Mainly due to the point of view. Most of the book sounded like first person, but I believe it was actually omnipotent. Emilia is telling the reader this story. Most of the time it seems we're in Emilia's POV, but then suddenly Emilia is telling us what happened to Eric when they were apart, and you realize Emilia is somewhere, sometime after the story's timeline. She knows everything and tells everything. And there you go. Telling. I can't help but feel telling a story is so much easier than being a character in real time.

Allende is a huge international bestseller, so evidently omnipotent POV doesn't bother others as it does me. She's the recipient of several highly prestigious awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This book has 2.3 thousand ratings on Amazon and averages 4.4 stars. Allende has sold 80 million books across 42 languages. So I am just odd. I enjoyed the story a lot--hey, there's even a condor--and I suspect parts will be memorable. Still, I didn't love it.

There was a bit too much repetition and some of Emilia's (and Eric's) actions were not only not understandable, but felt ridiculous to me. (No spoilers, but it's about an unnecessary separation.) The history was great and really immerses the reader. The historical story was interesting and Emilia's life full of events.

A great love story & an amazing story about people & their will to survive!

Absolutely crap. No one could make listen to this jibberish

Emilia, the daughter of an Irish nun and Chilean aristocrat, is raised by her mother and stepfather in San Francisco. A creative thinker, Emilia begins publishing dime store novels under a male name. When pulp novels no longer intrigue her, she convinces The Daily Examiner to hire her as a journalist. There she is paired with Eric Whelan. When civil war erupts in Chile, she talks her paper into sending her in country. There, she finally meets her father’s family.

This was an intriguing and fast paced novel. The characters were realistic and well developed. I loved learning about Chile, and enjoyed that the author had Emilia and Eric covering different sides of the war. I’m not going to give anything away, but I was a bit perplexed by the ending. It just seemed different from the rest of the story. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.

Reading at time like a memoir, this novel is the convincing story of the life of a young woman who is determined, resilient, and committed to uncovering the truth. The main character is Emilia del Valle, a young woman raised by a mother who became pregnant while preparing to become a nun, and a beloved stepfather who was a major influence on her life. Toward the end of the 19th century it was not acceptable for women to be journalists, but Emilia prevailed and finally was assigned to report on the political unrest in Chile. She was doubly pleased, because her alleged biological father was a member of Chilean aristocracy, and she was determined to seek him out. She became embroiled in the revolution in Chile and witnessed the horrors of the battlefield, then when volunteering as a nurse she was arrested and brutally punished. Her integrity and indomitable spirit permeate the story, and readers will come to care about her at the same time learning about the history and culture of Chile

If you like to read about a strong female character combined with a pivotal time in history, this is one book you won’t want to miss. Emilia del Valle is the illegitimate child of a former nun and a Chilean aristocrat. She knows nothing of her father other than his name and country of origin.

Fortunately for Emilia, she was raised by a wonderful father that encouraged her education and independence. It’s the late 1800’s and Emilia is already a published author and a columnist for a newspaper, although she works under a man’s name.

When Emilia and another colleague are given the opportunity to travel to Chile to cover the civil war, Emilia sees it as an opportunity to find and meet her father. What she doesn’t realize when she arrives in Chile is that this journey will be a turning point in her life and one that leads to self discovery of who she is and where she belongs.

The story tells much about the civil war and people who played a part during that time. Allende does not sugarcoat the horrors of war and its impact on the people in Chile. Allende also relates the beauty of Chile and their customs and beliefs throughout the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am pleased to recommend this to other readers and give my honest review.

historical fiction - female journalist in 1880s San Francisco and Chile (during civil war).
started off strong, I liked Emilia's voice. It is clear that Allende is a very skilled storyteller! I lost interest somewhat in the middle (lots of war talk and battle scenes) and sort of skimmed over the rest - unsurprisingly, there is definitely a lot about Chilean history that I am completely ignorant about.

Born as a result of a sexual indiscretion in 1866 between a Chilean aristocrat and a nun, Emilia never knew much about her biological father. Her mother, a beauty, married a man who raised Emilia as his own and encouraged her to be independent. When she discovers dime novels, Emilia decides to try to write some, but uses a pen name since women as writers weren't respected. After her success, she decides to become a journalist, interviewing at Hearst. She is paired with another reporter, Eric, and is soon sent to be a war correspondent, along with Eric, in Chile. There, she pursues meeting her biological father, and embarks on a spiritual journey to find herself.
A beautiful story of love, resilience, and determination.