Description

‘A spellbinding masterpiece’ SANTA MONTEFIORE
‘Isabel Allende is a literary treasure’ KRISTIN HANNAH

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, told by a valiant young woman who confronts monumental challenges, survives and reinvents herself along the way.

Publisher Review

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 * Washington Post * 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 * New Statesman *