REVIEW - My Name is Emilia del Valle

My Name is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende (eARC/eBOOK)

OVERVIEW

This was another mythical realism/historical fiction novel by Isabel Allende. It was a beautifully written book, but it didn't deliver for me and will not be one of my favorites by this incredible author. 

It was about a journey of self-discovery by Emilia del Valle in Chile, her father's homeland. So much heartache, pain, and true wonderment occur while she is there. 

TRIGGER WARNING: Violence, guns, murder, assassination, war, racism, sexism, xenophobia, sexual violence, and genocide

OVERALL REVIEW: 3.5 stars

 

Writing: 5.0 stars

As always, Isabel writes in pure poetry. Her vivid descriptions of life in San Francisco and Chile are simple yet incredibly beautiful. She writes powerfully, instinctively, and from the heart and soul. No one writes like La Reina, Isabel Allende. 

 

Character development: 3.0 stars

Unfortunately, the character development was weak. The characters were only developed on a very superficial level. 

The main character is Emilia del Valle. She is vividly portrayed as a wanderer, seeker, and writer, but there is limited depth as to her motives, psyche, and innermost thoughts. 

The secondary characters are Papo (Emilia's stepfather), Molly (Emilia's mother), and Eric (Emilia's best friend). 

The tertiary characters were Americans in San Francisco and Chile, Chilean loyalists and rebels in the Chilean Civil War of 1891 (Civil War), various military and governmental figures, the Civil War, and the country of Chile.

Many historical figures and minor characters were mentioned in this novel, but they are too numerous to mention.   

 

Storyline:  3.0 stars

The storyline started out slowly to set everything up. But it included some extraneous side stories, such as Emilia's trip to New York City. As I understood the premise of this novel, it was to be a story about a young woman and her self-discovery. 

But once the story got moving before the Civil War in Chile, then the overwhelming detail of the Civil War took over. The violent descriptions and the visualizations of war made it all about the before, during, and after of this senseless Civil War. It was exceedingly wasteful and horrific, which all wars are, but it was not really about Emilia, period.

The main locations were San Francisco, New York City, and Chile. 

 

Memorable/Informative:   3.0 stars

The violence of this Civil War will stay with me. It was not what I expected to read about, and at times, it felt gratuitous. 

 

Book cover: 4.0 stars

Pretty!

 

Book title: 3.0 stars 

It really wasn't the appropriate title.     

 

Recommend

 

NetGalley ARC (eARC/eBOOK)

My Name is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende

304 pages 

Ballantine Books

FUTURE release date is 5/6/2025

 

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Isabel Allende

My Goodreads review

My StoryGraph review

Ballantine Books

NetGalley

 

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next (physical) book is...

 This One Life by Amanda Prowse (physical book)

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

Amazon First Reads

 

Hi, everyone!!

As part of your Amazon Prime Membership, you receive a FREE monthly Kindle book! It is called Amazon First Reads, and you can find out more about it here: Amazon First Reads.

The Amazon First Reads email for March went out to me late yesterday! There is a free Kindle book and a free Kindle short story for March 2025. I am enjoying the additional short story along with the free Kindle eBOOK!

My TWO choices for March 2025 are:

The Beauty of the End by Lauren Stienstra (eBOOK)

The Sublet by Greer Hendricks (short story)

So what Kindle book are you SELECTING?!? Neither is historical fiction, so I am out of my comfort zone!

Also, as a reminder, remember to "buy" AND download the FREE books from Amazon! You can't read a book or a short story that hasn't been downloaded! Ask me how I know?!?

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

booksbydorothea - February 2025 - Monthly Wrap-up

 

Hello, my blogger friends!!

February 2025 was a much better month, with the fire recovery beginning! #LAStrong. Plus, we keep getting rain! I hope and pray that it is an easy fire year!

I continue to read and listen to books to avoid the news and social media. This was a good reading month with THIRTEEN books (audioBOOKS and eBOOKS).

As an update for book tracking apps, I prefer StoryGraph for ease of use, statistical analysis, and tracking hours listened for audioBOOKS. However, Goodreads is where my bookish friends and authors are, so I will keep it for now!

There were seven five-star books: four eBOOKS and three audioBOOKS in February 2025!

BEST BOOKS FOR FEBRUARY 2025  

eBOOKS

JANUARY

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange

More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova

Paris Undercover by Matthew Goodman

The Bookstore Keepers by Alice Hoffman

Come Fly with Me by Camille Di Maio

The Memory of Cotton by Ann K. Howley

The Secret History of Audrey Jones by Heather Marshall

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall

FEBRUARY

The Sirens by Emilia Hart

Swimming to Lundy by Amanda Prowse

The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez

The Dressmakers of London by Julia Kelly

audioBOOKS

JANUARY

Me by Elton John

Let’s Call Her Barbie by Renée Rosen

FEBRUARY

Never by Rick Astley

Unlovable by Darren Hayes

Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come by Jessica Pan

2025 READING GOAL

My goal is to read 101 books in 2025. As of February 28^th, I have read 31 books, or 31.0% of my goal.

FEBRUARY 2025 STATISTICS

13 total books

9 ebooks; 4 audiobooks; 0 physical books

5 books - ARC (Advance Reader Copy)

7 books - Library

1 book – Purchased

1 book - Amazon First Reads

0 books - Book Club Girl

0 book – author gifted

 

Audio listening time in February 2025: 21 hours, 58 minutes

Pages read in February 2025: 3,595 pages

Average review rating: 4.42 stars

FEBRUARY 2025 BOOK RATINGS with BOOK COVERS 

eBOOKS

5.0-star eBOOKS

The Sirens by Emilia Hart LINK

Swimming to Lundy by Amanda Prowse  LINK

The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez LINK

The Dressmakers of London by Julia Kelly LINK

4.5-star eBOOK

The Rebel Romanov by Helen Rappaport LINK

The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line by Meri K. Eder LINK

 

4.0-star eBOOK

The Medici Return by Steve Berry LINK

3.5-star eBOOK

A Map to Paradise by Susan Meissner LINK

3.0-star eBOOK

I Would Die for You by Sandie Jones LINK

AudioBOOKS

5.0-star audioBOOKS

Never by Rick Astley LINK

Unlovable by Darren Hayes  LINK

Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come by Jessica Pan LINK

4.0-star audioBOOKS

The Time of My Life by Patrick Swayze LINK

NOTE: There were no 4.5-star, 3.5-star, or 3.0-star audioBOOKS this month.

If you want to read my full review of any of these books, there are individual review links for each eBOOK or audioBOOK next to the book title and author (under FEBRUARY 2025 BOOK RATINGS with BOOK COVERS just above). Click on the specific book link to get to that book review.

I hope you find lots of great reads in March! Please share your favorite books and audiobooks, as I am always looking for the next great book! 

 

Happy reading!

Dorothea 💜

P.S. You can find out more about my book ratings HERE.

My next eARC/eBOOK is...

 My Name is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende (eARC/eBOOK)

Yes, my dear blog reader, 

You are reading that CORRECTLY! I am back on track with my pending books to read this Isabel Allende masterpiece (all of her books are masterpieces)!!

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line (eBOOK)

 The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line by Mari K. Eder (eBOOK)

OVERVIEW

I made the right decision by switching from an audioBOOK to an eBOOK for this one!! The personal pictures and visual names of these "bad ass women" were important to me to "feel" them. 

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about these incredible, formidable, and inspiring women who helped turn the tide of WWII (yes, I know, but this was about WOMEN)! The sad part for me was that these heroines are largely unknown, which is another example of history focusing on white men. ARGH!

TRIGGER WARNING: Violence, guns, murder, assassination, war, racism, sexism, xenophobia, sexual violence, and genocide

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.5 stars

Writing: 4.0 stars

Mari, a retired Major General (U.S. Army), wrote this book. She did not know about many of the sixteen (two were a pair of sisters) heroines, and I had read about two of them.  

She wrote well, but not beautifully. Yes, this was a biography, but there could have been more descriptive language about the women, their environment, and their thoughts. The bottom line is that the author writes like a Major General.  

This book was heavily researched with footnotes, a bibliography, and references. What a labor of love for Mari! 

The writing would have been better if there had been more editing. Meri repeated herself in the chapters about each heroine and in the closing three chapters. 

Character development: 5.0 stars

These heroines (and Main Characters) were:

• Alice Marble (American)
• Hilda Gimpel Eisen (Polish)
• Stephanie Czech Rader (American)
• Elizabeth Peet McIntosh (American)
• Virginia Hall Goillot (American)
• Mary Taylor Previte (English-American)
• Ruth Gruber (American)
• Dame Mary Sigillo Barraco (American)
• Berendina Diet Eman (Dutch)
• Ida and Louise Cook (English)
• Marion Armstrong Frieswyk (American)
• Elizabeth Bemis Robarts (American)
• Ola Mildred Rexroat McDonald (American)
• Katherine Flynn Nolan (American)
• Charity Adams Earley (American)

These women were fully described, as well as the "trigger moment" for them and their WWII accomplishments. what they accomplished during WWII. They were simply all HEROINES!!! 

The secondary characters were American, Russian, and English government officials, military, and spy agencies. 

The tertiary character is WWII.

Many historical figures and minor characters were mentioned in this biography.  

Storyline:  5.0 stars

Each of the women had a different storyline in their own chapter. All of these women were called to service by the war and/or felt the need to serve others. Their stories were incredible and memorable!

The main locations were the U.S., China, and Europe. 

Memorable/Informative:   5.0 stars

These women were the real deal! There are other "forgotten to history" women who should be recognized for their accomplishments during WWII. Some of the stories are better than what Hollywood could write. No spoilers here!  

Book cover: 5.0 stars

Perfect!

Book title: 5.0 stars 

Excellent!    

STRONGLY recommend

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrowed (eBOOK)

The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line by Mari K. Eder

400 pages 

Sourcebooks

Release date of 8/3/2021

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Mari K. Eder

My Goodreads review

My Storygraph review

Sourcebooks

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL)

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next audioBOOK is...

 Fearless and Free by Josephine Baker (audioBOOK) 

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come (audioBOOK)

 Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come by Jessica Pan (audioBOOK)

OVERVIEW

This was a funny, tongue-in-cheek, and insightful memoir by an introvert. Jessica took a year to do things out of her comfort zone that an extrovert would do. She had quite the adventures and did things that I would never do as an ambivert and neither would my resident introvert in my family. 

I really enjoyed this memoir and it had me shaking with laughter. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it was mine!

TRIGGER ALERT: Foul language, drug use, and alcohol use

OVERALL REVIEW: 5.0 stars

Writing: 5.0 stars

The writing was so well done and it is apparent that Jessica has a master's in journalism major! Perfectly described, but still done with an appropriate utilization of words.

I am very confident that Jessica did not use a ghostwriter! 

Narration: 5.0  stars

Jessica narrates beautifully and really tells her story her way.

Character Arc: 5.0 stars

The audioBOOK is chronological showing her growth as a person and sometimes extrovert. 

Memorable:  5.0 stars

Oh, my the things that Jessica did! She did stand-up comedy three times, talking to random strangers, online friendship dating, networking, improvisational classes, deep talking to men, traveling alone to a foreign country, going to Portugal to use "magic mushrooms", and hosted her first dinner party. 

She really did a fantastic job getting out of her comfort zone! 

Entertaining:   5.0 stars

At times, Jessica was so funny that when I was listening to this audioBOOK in bed I was afraid I would wake up my husband.  

Book cover: 4.5 stars

Nice..        

Book title: 5.0 stars 

Hysterical!  

HIGHLY recommend

STATISTICS

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrow (audioBOOK)

Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come by Jessica Pan

Penguin Audio

8 hours, 52 minutes

Release date of 5/28/2019

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Jessica Pan

My Goodreads review

My Storygraph review

Penguin Audio

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next eBOOK is...

 The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line by Mari K. Eder (eBOOK)

Hi, everyone!

So I am continuing to read out of order. As I indicated in this post, after I started this book as an audioBOOK, I realized it would be better as an eBOOK. 

 

Since I have not started the Isabel Allende eARC book YET, it will be my next book to read after this one. I promise with no more excuses!

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - The Medici Return (eBOOK)

 The Medici Return (Cotton Malone Series #19) by Steve Berry (eBOOK)

OVERVIEW

Well, this is getting to be a long series - The Cotton Malone Series. This historical fiction mystery novel was an interesting read with information about Florence, Sienna, and the Medicis (pronounced MED-i-chis). 

Sadly, this series leaves us with the same cliffhanger from the last book in this series. C'mon, Steve Berry! This is book 19 - PLEASE, write book 20 and wrap it up. Cotton needs to really retire to his bookshop in Copenhagen!!!

I was so lucky to receive this book from the library the day it was released!! Please get a library card if you don't already have one. There is so much more than books at the library to explore!

TRIGGER WARNING: Violence, guns, murder, assassination, classicism, war, infidelity, and toxic relationships

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars

Writing: 4.0 stars

Steve Berry is an amazing researcher which is evident in his writing. He travels to the locations he writes about which makes me so jealous. Plus, he adds details and descriptions. 

I like that he always includes a detailed Author Note that breaks down the facts from fiction. The only issue for me is the Italian language references and terms in this novel that I couldn't find more via Google Translate. A glossary would be helpful to this reader!

Character development: 4.0 stars

The main character is Cotton (a former CIA-type operative) who gets called by his former boss to help the Vatican with a problem. Cotton is a hugely multifaceted and fascinating character who has been fully developed through the nineteen books in this series. Honestly, I would love to have Cotton as a friend or neighbor!

The secondary characters are Bishops Richter, Stamm, and Ascolani (Roman Catholic bishops); Father Giumenta (Roman Catholic priest); and Eric (Italian political operative). 

The tertiary characters are the Pope, the Vatican, the Roman Catholic church hierarchy, and assorted people in the various locales.

Many historical and current minor characters moved this fictional story along. 

Storyline:  3.0 stars

The story starts with Cotton surreptitiously doing a "sneak and peek" in a church residence in Germany. Then everything goes haywire with five or six storylines that tie up at the end. 

The multiple storylines were hard to follow due to the many characters involved. Additionally, some of the things that were done by these characters were unbelievable and unreasonable (not getting into specifics to avoid spoilers). It seemed like a real stretch at times. 

The main locations were primarily Rome, Florence, and Siena. 

Memorable/Informative:   4.0 stars

I now know how to pronounce Medici correctly (MED-i-chi)! 

But, seriously, I really didn't realize the power and wealth that the Medici family had in Tuscany and beyond including multiple Medici popes. Unfortunately, the line died out along with the wealth and power. 

Thankfully, Anna Maria Luisa Medici left all of her wealth including jewels, artwork, etc. to Florence upon her death. There was a condition that this gift never left the city. This provided a treasure trove of so much beauty that made Florence one of the most incredible cities in the world. 

Book cover: 4.0 stars

So pretty!

Book title: 4.0 stars 

Excellent!    

DEFINITE recommend

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrowed (eBOOK)

The Medici Return (Cotton Malone Series #19) by Steve Berry

405 pages 

Grand Central Publishing

Release date of 2/18/2025

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Steve Berry

My Goodreads review

My Storygraph review

Grand Central Publishing

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL)

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next audioBOOK is...

 Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come by Jessica Pan (audioBOOK)

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜