My Name is Emilia Del Valle

It’s the late 1800s and Chile is engrossed in a bloody civil war. The rich natural resources of the land, coupled with the imperialistic ambitions of the British empire, are fatal catalysts for an armed struggle that claims the lives of hundreds daily with no end in sight. Neighbors turn on one another, presidents are assassinated, and a general malaise has swept over the populace as they succumb to the whims of an authoritarian regime (sound familiar?). Yet, this bloody, tyrannical landscape serves as the backdrop for one of the most romantic tales I've read in the past year.

The story begins with Molly Walsh, a shy, pious Irish woman. Like many other Irish immigrants, she and her family leave their home country in search of something better, and land in San Francisco. Molly pursues one of the few options available to young women like her and trains to be a nun, but is soon led astray by a wealthy casanova by the name of Gonzalo Andres Del Valle. Del Valle proves to be a man like any …