"My Name is Emilia del Valle" | Reviewed by Pat Sainz

“My Name is Emilia del Valle,” by Isabel Allende, is a rich portrait of a young protagonist named Emilia del Valle. Her mother is Molly Walsh, a woman raised in a convent in San Francisco in the late 19th century. The day Molly is to take her vows to be a nun, she tells Mother Superior that she is pregnant by a man with whom she had one assignation and who has since disappeared.  Molly leaves the convent. 

            Molly continues her work with Francisco Claro, under whose tutelage Molly has received an education. When Francisco learns of Molly’s plight, he offers to marry her and offers her a teaching job with him. Although he is significantly older than Molly, he loves her and is willing to raise Molly’s child as his own. 

            Emilia has an enchanted childhood with her parents. Emilia’s father and mother teach her to be independent financially and emotionally. Emilia loves writing, and at age 16 publishes dime novels under a man’s name. The sale of her books helps support her family.

            When Emilia is old enough to work outside the home, she gets a job with “The Daily Examiner,” a Hearst publication. She convinces the editor to hire her as a news correspondent rather than as a society reporter.

            Emilia is paired with Eric Whelan, a fellow reporter, to cover a civil war brewing in the country of Chile in 1891. Emilia, fluent in Spanish, is to write human interest stories from the Army’s viewpoint, which supports the current Chilean president, and Eric is to cover the news of the Navy, which is revolting against the current regime. 

            The coverage is relevant to the position of the United States which supports the Chilean government because the U. S.  has access to nitrate mines, vital sources of gunpowder. That access would be lost to the British if the Navy were to win the war.

            While in Chile, Emilia meets her biological father through his aunt. Emilia’s father is living out the curse given to him by Molly, Emilia’s mother. He is lonely, sick, childless, regretful and destitute. Molly is kind to him and with him when he dies.

            Emilia believes she has protection from harm as a journalist. She embeds herself with Army nurses who follow soldiers onto the battlefield. She witnesses the horrors of war which Allende describes with detail and precision. Once captured, Emilia faces indescribable terrors in a Chilean prison. 

            This historical fiction novel is one that led me to research the 1891 civil war in Chile, something I am sure I haven’t thought about (ever). I liked “My Name is Emilia del Valle” for its historical accuracy and its portrayal of strong women, kind men, and touches of humor.

The danger the journalists faced in Chile is a reminder of the danger journalists face today (124 killed in 2014).  Allende has written a war story that rivals the war stories of Ernest Hemingway, Tim O’Brien, Erich Maria Remarque, and more recently, the writings of Alice Winn.

Isable Allende is a prolific author who often sets her novels in South America. She lives in California.

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