My Name is Emilia del Valle, by Isabel Allende

 

Characters
Emilia del Valle Molly Walsh – former nun Francisco Clara “Papo” – stepfather, raised Emilia Three younger brothers   Brandon J. Price – Emilia’s pen name   Gonzalo Andres del Valle – biological father   The Daily Examiner – newspaper Mr. Chamberlain – editor-in-chief Eric Whelan – reporter   Owen Whelan – Eric’s brother in New York City   Josefa Paolmar – neighborhood gossip	Real people
	Victoria Woodhull – First woman to run for president   Cora Hatch – spiritualist   Omene – exotic dancer
Chile
Gonzalo Andres del Valle – Emilia’s biological father Nina Juanita – land given to Emila by her father   Pauline del Valle – Gonzalo’s aunt, made family fortune Fredrick Williams – husband   Rodolfo Leon – journalist, founded newspaper for government   War in Chile: General Barbosa – leader of government armed forces, supported by US (Emilia reported on this side) Rebels, insurgents – England supported this group, victorious (Eric reported on this side)   Canteen girls Angelita Ayalef – died   Captain Janus – Nina Juanita captain, helped Emilia get to land she inherited   Ailen – new name given to Emilia by natives after she almost died, means luminous and transparent

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the 2025 hardback edition.

1.      Before she became a journalist, Emilia successfully wrote dime novels.  How did this influence her work as a columnist?

2.      Eric was a journalist, and Emila was a columnist.  Mr. Chamberlain defined journalism as “based in concrete facts and aimed to objectively inform the public” while a columnist “could be more subjective, providing an interpretation of the events” (page 41).  Have you ever thought about the difference?   

3.      After Emilia had worked for The Examiner for a while, she convinced Mr. Chamberlain to let her do a travel column, crossing the country to New York.  She went there first class, but came home third class, which was very uncomforable.   She said that “the endless days of discomfort allowed each person’s true character to shine through” (page 58).   How well do you think you would handle the discomforts of traveling third class in that time period?  Do we have anything comparable now?

4.      In Chile Eric reported on the rebel forces and Emilia on the government faction.  Were you surprised Emilia was arrested because of who she reported on?   Could she have avoided being arrested?

5.      When you read on page 226 about Emilia and the firing squad, what did you think the rest of the novel would be about?  Where you surprised to read what really happened on page 231?

6.      On her way to find the land from her father, Emilia was overwhelmed by the beauty of the land.  Have you felt those same emotions? 

7.      All through her experiences, Emilia kept notebooks and wrote down everything she experienced.  In talking with Captain Janus, he said “remembering was important, that one had to look to the past to be able to understand the present and face the future” (page 259).  Is that true with you?  Is that true in the larger sense – for a country or a civilization?

8.      How important was the war to the storyline?

9.      The novel was set in the 1870s.  Do you think there are still remote places like Emilia’s property today?  Would you go there?   

10.  Were there any parts of the book you think could have been left out?

11.  After reading the last line, did you think back differently about the novel you just finished?