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In this spellbinding historical novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea and The Wind Knows My Name, a young writer journeys to South America to uncover the truth about her father—and herself.
In San Francisco in 1866, an Irish nun, abandoned following a torrid relationship with a Chilean aristocrat, gives birth to a daughter named Emilia del Valle. Raised by a loving stepfather, Emilia grows into an independent thinker and a self-sufficient young woman.
To pursue her passion for writing, she is willing to defy societal norms. At the age of seventeen, she begins to publish pulp fiction using a man's pen name. When these fictional worlds can no longer satisfy her sense of adventure, she turns to journalism, convincing an editor at The Daily Examiner to hire her. There she is paired with another talented reporter, Eric Whelan.
As she proves herself, her restlessness returns, until an opportunity arises to cover a brewing civil war in Chile. She seizes it, as does Eric, and while there, she meets her estranged father and delves into the violent confrontation in the country where her roots lie. As she and Eric discover love, the war escalates and Emilia finds herself in extreme danger, fearing for her life and questioning her identity and her destiny.
A riveting tale of self-discovery and love from one of the most masterful storytellers of our time, My Name Is Emilia del Valle introduces a character who will never let hold of your heart.
"The war's horrors come to life under Emilia's unerring and steady eye, as she records atrocities committed by both sides. The thrilling and revelatory wartime narrative dovetails with a poignant family drama, as Emilia manages to track down her elusive father, who still carries the guilt of abandoning her and Molly. Allende's writing is as lush as ever." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Bestselling author Isabel Allende has crafted yet another spellbinding narrative in My Name Is Emilia del Valle, a historical novel about self-discovery, ambition, and destiny." —Harper's Bazaar
"Isabel Allende never fails to deliver on the sweeping and spellbinding front. Her latest historical novel is about an ambitious young aspiring writer who goes after her dreams—much like Allende herself did." —Today
"Isabel Allende is a literary treasure. Her latest novel is a beautifully written portrait of a woman coming of age and finding her voice. In this tale of love, war, betrayal, and redemption, Allende transports the reader wholeheartedly to the nineteenth century, a time when women's choices were limited and their ambitions thwarted. Bold and unwilling to be bound by the conventions of the day, Emilia del Valle dares to forge her own path and break the rules set for women, and in doing so finds herself on a dangerous journey of self-discovery that will challenge everything she believes to be true." —Kristin Hannah, author of The Women
This information about My Name Is Emilia del Valle was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Isabel Allende, born in Peru and raised in Chile, is a novelist, feminist, and philanthropist. She is one of the most widely read authors in the world, having sold more than eighty million copies of her books across forty-two languages. She is the author of several bestselling and critically acclaimed books, including The Wind Knows My Name, Violeta, A Long Petal of the Sea, The House of the Spirits, Of Love and Shadows, Eva Luna, and Paula. In addition to her work as a writer, Isabel devotes much of her time to human rights causes. She has received fifteen honorary doctorates, been inducted into the California Hall of Fame, and received the PEN Center Lifetime Achievement Award and the Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential ...
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Link to Isabel Allende's Website
Name Pronunciation
Isabel Allende: Ees-abel Ay-enday (or ä-YEN-d?)
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