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Isabel Allende, author of My Name Is Emilia del Valle

In San Francisco in 1866, an Irish nun, abandoned following a torrid relationship with a Chilean aristocrat, gives birth to a daughter named Emilia del Valle. Raised by a loving stepfather, Emilia grows into an independent thinker and a self-sufficient young woman. At the age of 17, she begins to publish pulp fiction using a man’s pen name. When these fictional worlds can no longer satisfy her sense of adventure, she turns to journalism, convincing an editor at The Daily Examiner to hire her. There she is paired with another talented reporter, Eric Whelan. As Emilia proves herself, her restlessness returns, until an opportunity arises to cover a brewing civil war in Chile. While there, she meets her estranged father and delves into the violent confrontation in the country where her roots lie.

Week of May 4, 2026

Paperback releases for the week of May 4th include DON'T LET HIM IN, a kaleidoscopic thriller from Lisa Jewell in which three women are connected by one man; Megan Miranda's YOU BELONG HERE, a gripping work of psychological suspense featuring a decades-old secret that haunts a mother and her college-bound daughter; MY NAME IS EMILIA DEL VALLE by Isabel Allende, a spellbinding historical novel about a young writer who journeys to South America to uncover the truth about her father --- and herself; THE VIEW FROM LAKE COMOa bighearted, hilarious novel from Adriana Trigiani that revolves around one woman’s quest to build her own life before it’s too late; and THE END IS THE BEGINNING, a lyrical portrait of the life of Jill Bialosky's mother, told in reverse order from burial to birth.