I had a hard time getting interested in the title character. Beautiful writing but a tad... slow? for me? I'm not sure. I liked it but didn't love it.

Another sprawling and compelling work of historical fiction from Ms. Allende. While I truly enjoyed it, the device of "talking/writing" to Camilo got a little old. I'll still recommend to readers, but will likely recommend A Long Petal of the Sea before this one to anyone who is interested in Allende.

I'm honestly struggling a bit with how to rate this book. There weren't any glaring flaws with it; it had some beautiful passages and wonderful imagery in the writing. And there really was some stunningly wonderful writing throughout the book. Violetta's character was pretty damn incredible. But overall, the storyline simply didn't grab me like I wanted it to. I really wanted to be pulled into this book and not let go. But I wasn't. The best I can explain it is the format of the entire book being in the form of a letter just simply wasn't my comfort zone, and it made an otherwise good book fall flat for me. My other issue that smacked me in the face was the Covid connection at the end. I'm sure it was deliberate, since Violetta was born during the Spanish flu. But I'm just flat tired of books with Covid storylines, even in a minor way.

So for me, despite such beautiful writing, I can't get past what, for me, were some major flaws in the book.

4.5 stars, rounded up
This is only my second book by Isabel Allende, but once again I was entranced. She manages to weave personal stories into the details of the time and place.
Violeta is 100 years old and is writing out the story of her life for her grandson. Starting with the Spanish Flu, which hit Chile in 1920, the story progresses through the Great Depression, The Cuban Revolution, the Chilean military dictatorship and all the major stories of the 20th century. It was interesting to learn how those major events affected the country. “It’s a strange symmetry that I was born in one pandemic and will die in another.”
Violeta was a fascinating woman. She starts as a child of privilege, but after her father loses everything, she’s forced to learn to make due in a rural setting in a remote part of the country. She’s got a wild streak, a desire to do and see it all, to be her own woman. She’s also a passionate woman. She was so realistic I had to remind myself not to be so distressed by her often violent relationship with Julian Bravo, her lover of many years.
It’s a fine line with historical fiction between making us truly see the time and place rather than just telling the reader. Allende walks that line, doing a fabulous balancing act.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

I have been a fan of Allende’s work since I first discovered The House of the Spirits in the 90s. Violeta is a lush, vibrant novel that spans a century, starting in 1920 with the Spanish Flu in Chile until today. With this novel, Allende keeps her distinct style while creating something that feels fresh and new.

I absolutely inhaled this book. As a loyal fan of Isabel Allende’s incredible writing, this one did not disappoint. Following Violeta’s life over a 100-year span, her firsthand narration bears witness to many riveting periods of history, from her birth during the Spanish influenza pandemic, to exile in the Chilean countryside, to political upheaval and heartbreaking personal and familial strife. This novel is a testament not only to Violeta’s life, but also those of the people she is surrounded by and the lasting impact they have on her. While reading, I felt so connected to the characters, and the emotions they elicited in Violeta translated right off the page.

I recommend. Keep me engaged and interested, thank you for the advance chance to read this. I’ve already told family and friends about it

Violeta is a lyrical story that tells the life story of a character who witnesses 100 years of history - through the Great War, Spanish flu pandemic, Great Depression, and so on, she and her family show resilience and persevere. This book is well written and allows the reader to look back at history though the eyes of Violeta as her story unfolds.

I am a fan of historical fiction but admit that I knew little of South American history and was fascinated to learn about it’s history through the telling of Violeta del Valle’s story to her grandson through a series of letters. This is the history of the life and times of one South American woman spanning 100 years. Violeta del Valle comes into the world in 1920 just as the Spanish Flu becomes a worldwide pandemic. Her life ends in 2020 as COVID cripples the world with another pandemic. Although Violeta is born into an upper middle class family, everything is lost in the Depression when her father committed suicide. The family moves to a small farm in a remote area of the country. As Violeta comes of age, she takes us through not only her personal life events but the major events happening in her country and the world. WWII, political unrest, Democracy won and lost, Women’s Rights, love, passion, joy and sorrow, all the makings for an interesting and entertaining read.

I cannot believe how quickly this book brought me under its spell. This magical, wondrous story.

I was extremely impressed by the author’s writing; her words were woven together in such a way that I went through this story with the feeling that I had been given a great gift, the pages so beautifully presented.

I would recommend this title to anyone interested in historical fiction set in the 1920’s, life in South America during the early 20th century, sweeping family sagas, and daily life during previous pandemics.

I had never read Ms. Allende’s work before this title; I’m planning on rectifying that during the upcoming year.

I was in a mood for a historical fiction and this didn’t disappoint. I love books that follow characters from their early life to present day or death to completely tell their life journey, and that’s what you had here.

This woman experienced every major event of the 20th century, starting with the Spanish flu, and it’s all covered. Her upbringing and family life was very traumatic, but the whole time you felt like you were talking to an old friend about what has happened to her. The writing was beautiful, heartbreaking, and I learned so much between these pages.

My only criticism is it felt way too long - by the end, I loved Violeta, but I was ready for the story to be over. It just felt a bit dragged out, even for covering her entire life.

Nevertheless, this was a beautiful book, and it hits shelves 1/25. I would definitely read more from this author!

VERDICT - 4 STARS

Song Rec - “When You Were Young” - The Killers

Thank you @netgalley @randomhouse @ballantinecorp for this one!

I really enjoyed this book! Violeta, the narrator, is born in Chile during the Spanish flu pandemic and her life ends 100 years later during the Covid pandemic. This is the story of Violeta's life as told in a letter to her grandson. Violeta's story takes us through the Depression, WWII, the fight for women's rights, political upheaval in her country. Her story is extraordinary and beautiful and even though there is plenty of turmoil in her personal life, there is also great beauty and purpose. Her story is her legacy.

This is the beautiful, atmospheric book we’ve come to expect from Isabelle Allende. Allende spins a vivid tale exploring the history of Chile and the exceptional woman, Violeta, who lived through 100 years of it.

I liked how Violeta followed her own path in breaking free of many expectations of women. It was fascinating to read about class upheaval as Chile went through changes in political power, some violent.

One weakness in the book is Allende’s treatment of the servant characters. She oversimplifies them and writes them as if they want to be servants. This rubbed me the wrong way. That said, overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to lovers of historical fiction.

Beautiful story by Ms. Allende., written as a letter to one she loves. This is a treasure recounting one woman's life of 100 years, beginning with the Spanish flu pandemic and ending with the Covid pandemic. And, what a life it was. Violetta recounts her life of love, loss, wealth, poverty and all the upheavals of the 20th century.

The inimitable style that Isabel Allende provides is available to us once again.

I have read 6 books by this author previous to this one. The average rating of those is 4.5.

This book has similarities to my all time Allende favorite (and first Allende read): The House of the Spirits. Both take place in South America, for instance. This book falls a little short of that masterpiece, but still worthy of a read.

Violeta: sixth child and first girl. Born in 1920. The ripples of the Great War are still being felt, even as the Spanish flu arrives on the shores of her South American homeland almost at the moment of her birth. Her family is negatively impacted by the Great Depression, but survive.

Violeta tells her story in the form of a letter to someone she loves above all others, recounting devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, times of both poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy.

Very good read and perhaps priceless: it IS an Allende after all.

4.5 stars





READING PROGRESS

Thank you to netgalley for this ebook. Another gorgeously written novel from Isabel Allende. Violeta is born in a South American country during the height of the Spanish Flu pandemic. Her family is part of the upper class, and lives an insulated life. When her father loses everything during the 1929 stock market crash, the remaining family moves to the wilderness, and Violeta learns to live life without being cosseted. Violeta's story mirrors the events of the twentieth century. She is a women who works- at her family, her career, her love life. This sweeping story is engrossing and the prose (even with translation) draws you in.

This is another gem from Isabel Allende. Violeta's sweeping and storied life is a microcosm of the upheavals happening in her region of the world. Beautiful.

Isabel Allende has done it again! She is a masterful writer at the top of her craft. The entire book is a letter Violeta writes to her grandson explaining her life story, the choices she made, and how she got to where she is. She explains that she was born in a pandemic and will die during another pandemic. She doesn't look at her life through that lens, however. She is honest about her life, how she lived it, and how those around her lived theirs. As with other Allende titles I've read, I could not put this one down. Highly recommended.

As usual Isabel Allende does not disappoint with her story, In this case the story is of a woman’s long life told within a lengthy letter to a beloved grandchild that has been written as a legacy to this grandson. In the telling there are history lessons around events through the years of the woman’s life. There are also parallels to common experiences in many, if not most, women’s realities like joyful and sometimes ill advised passions, the blessings and sometimes sorrows of motherhood, and the struggle for economic independence.

Violeta was a girl born in a South American country during the Spanish flu pandemics in the 1920s. She lived for another 100 years to the current pandemic.
As a child she saw her upper middle class family lose everything in the Depression after her father committed suicide. They moved to a small country town where she met the man who she would marry. After a few years she left him for a dashing pilot with whom she had 2 children. Theirs was a tempestuous relationship and they separated after many years.
In the 60s when Cuba was a hotbed of illegal activities and the ruler overthrown by Castro, the pilot became involved with covert and illegal operations. Her daughter’s involvement with drugs resulted in the girl’s death soon after the birth of a grandson. Then Violeta’s own country saw the rulers overthrown by the military and a reign of terror lasted for many years. Yet Violeta survived and was able to dictate her story to her grandson, a young priest.
Although she never specifies the country where Violeta lived, this story recalls many of the historical events that have occurred throughout Latin America within the last 100 years. Allende, who was born in Chile, is able to give the reader an insight into life in that part of the world.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.