Emilia Del Valle is raised by her mother, a devout Catholic, and her stepfather, her nurturing parent, in San Francisco in the 1870’s. She becomes a reporter for The San Francisco Examiner. Emilia is an adventurous, independent woman, a novelty at the time, and after much begging and pleading, she is permitted to go to Chile to cover its civil war for the newspaper. Emilia experiences danger, bloodshed and death in Chile but also love.

I run hot and cold with Isabel Allende. I admired House of Spirits and Paula, liked A Long Petal to the Sea and was indifferent to The Wind Knows My Name. My Name Is Emilia Del Valle is a good read about a strong woman and the descriptions of the civil war in Chile are interesting and informative, but it is certainly not Allende’s best.