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My Name is Emilia del Valle

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My Name is Emilia del Valle

By: Isabel Allende, Frances Riddle - translator
Narrated by: Coral Peña, Johnathan McClain
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Bloomsbury presents My Name is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende, read by Coral Peña and Johnathan McClain

'A spellbinding masterpiece' SANTA MONTEFIORE
'Isabel Allende is a literary treasure' KRISTIN HANNAH
'A captivating novel of love and war from one of our most revered storytellers' KATE MORTON

The new historical novel from literary legend Isabel Allende

Emilia del Valle was always destined for great things.

Abandoned at birth by her Chilean aristocrat father, Emilia comes of age in nineteenth-century San Francisco as an independent and fiercely ambitious young woman, decades ahead of her time. She will do whatever it takes to pursue her life’s passion for writing, even if it means publishing under a man’s name.

When Emilia lands a position as a journalist for the Daily Examiner, her unwavering sense of adventure – and new-found determination to survive in her own name – leads her to seize the chance to cover a brewing civil war in Chile alongside another talented reporter.

But the assignment offers Emilia more than just an opportunity to prove herself as a writer. Before long she embarks on a treacherous, life-changing journey in a homeland she never knew, to uncover the truth about her father – and herself.

A masterclass in historical storytelling from Isabel Allende, My Name is Emilia del Valle is a powerful tale of love and war, discovery and redemption, told by a valiant young woman who confronts monumental challenges, survives and reinvents herself along the way.

PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR

'A grand storyteller' KHALED HOSSEINI
'A new novel by Isabel Allende is always a treat' DAILY MAIL
'What a joy it must be to come upon Allende for the first time' COLUM McCANN
'A global literary great' i©2025 Frances Riddle (P)2025 Penguin Random House LLC Historical Fiction World Literature War Emotionally Gripping Latin American
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Critic reviews

A deeply researched historical adventure, excavating both romantic and journalistic exploits with verve and passion ... The upheaval that Emilia del Valle recounts in 1891 is our clarion call in 2025
Seamlessly blending history with fiction, Allende vividly brings to life one of the most gruesome parts of 19th-century Chile’s history and its lasting impact ... My Name is Emilia del Valle is the perfect addition to the Del Valle literary universe
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
Allende immersed me in this sensuous, alluring landscape, as she unfolded the politics and economics of Chilean society. Magical realism helps dramatically when Emilia is alone and vulnerable. This is a captivating, inspiring novel of love and redemption struggling to survive in the insanity of war
Allende deserves her status as the most-read author on the planet in the Spanish language. She is a master at conjuring a sense of place. My Name is Emilia Del Valle is most successful in its ability to render the US and Chile in the late 19th century. Frances Riddle’s translation serves the prose well
This is historical fiction at its finest
Isabel Allende is one of the great storytellers of our time. Her books are multi-layered, deeply magical, unputdownable and always touch the heart. They’re quite simply beautiful. My Name is Emilia del Valle is a spellbinding masterpiece. I really loved it (Santa Montefiore)
A swashbuckling tale of the life and adventures of a young woman born in San Francisco in the 1860s. Emilia's story is exciting, empowering, and inherently feminist
Isabel Allende is a literary treasure. Her latest novel, My Name is Emilia del Valle, is a beautifully written portrait of a woman coming of age and finding her voice in the midst of the Chilean civil war. In this tale of love, war, betrayal and redemption, Ms. Allende transports the reader whole-heartedly to the nineteenth century, a time when women's choices were limited and their ambitions thwarted (Kristin Hannah)
A captivating novel of love and war from one of our most revered storytellers (Kate Morton, author of HOMECOMING)
All stars
Most relevant
Phenomenal - it held me engrossed and left me in tears. A history and a live story.

A brilliant book

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Beyond like and dislike - hard to listen to in parts- overwhelming but I needed to carry on listening

The story It gets right inside you

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An epic account of a young woman who managed her fears and began a voyage of discovery, I loved the vivid description of the people and places of Chile.

Stunning storytelling

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I wish the author had allowed the main character some flaws beyond youthful naivety. That would have made her more realistic and allowed for some character development, making for a better story overall.

An annoyingly perfect protagonist

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Excellent as usual. Isabel Allende is a beautiful story teller. It is so easy to imagine everything she sets the scene so well.
This is a love story in the midst of the Chilean Civil War. At times the descriptions of war are very vivid, personally everyone should read her description of the horrors of war especially in 2026 with so much unrest in the World. The love story that runs true it has many twists and turns.
I good book to read.

My name is Emilia Del Valle

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