Learning about other cultures is one of the best reasons to read so this book is a gem! It follows one woman’s amazing life in Chile from 1920 to 2020 including 2 pandemics, political upheaval, WWII German immigrants, and the coming of age of “women’s” issues like abortion, voting rights, and domestic violence. Not to be overlooked are more personal issues like drug use, religion, and lots of passion. Written as a letter to her grandson, this novel is a personal account of a century of life and change—easy to read and filled with love and caring.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC to read and review.

History, culture, and women of depth are a few of the poignant concepts we have come to recognize and love from Isabel Allende’s novels, and Violeta is no exception. Minuscule hints of magical realism are present, blink, and you’ll miss them, but they're there. In Violeta, readers take part in Violeta’s 100-year life bookended by historically marked moments, the Spanish flu, and the Coronavirus pandemics. Reminiscent of Paula, Violeta has written an extensively detailed letter to a loved one. A loved one we come to learn later on is her grandson. I was slightly annoyed by that at first. I wanted to know who this person was and why was he deserving of all these details? From her daughter's atrocious behavior to the history of her lovers, Violeta bared all, and these aren't details you share with just anyone.

For me, the story started slow. When Violeta talks about the Spanish flu, my first thought was: "oh no, Allende is jumping on the pandemic bandwagon." It's not the first story I've read, read about, or seen that addresses the pandemic as part of the storyline. But it's just one of the backdrops in Violeta; once I realized it, I felt better about the book. As the story progressed, I was involved and intrigued. I noticed parallels to both Paula and A Long Petal of the Sea but Violeta's voice takes over, and a somewhat clueless woman evolves into a woman of worth. While we know where the story takes place (Chile, duh!), Violeta could be a woman in any Latin American country. A woman who lived in a country that has faced war, political turmoil, dictatorships, and this pesky thing called machismo. She plays it smart when it comes to money, but that was a lesson she learned the hard way.

"The fairy tale that all humans are equal before the law and in the eyes of God is a lie, Camilo. I hope you don't buy into it. Neither the law nor God treats everyone the same. That is especially obvious in this country." I think this line could be a gut punch to any religious devotee, regardless of your religion. Applicable to any country, not just those in Latin America, and applicable to any point in history. It's phrases like these that made me think Violeta was more than just another story about a common woman. A woman considered the everyday woman who watched, learned and grew with each generation. It's significant also that she shares this statement with a priest. This was one of those moments in the book I wished Allende would have given Camilo a voice. What reaction would he have given? Would he have given his opinion as a priest or as a family member? Violeta saw how things changed, but also how so many things stayed the same. And when you give things enough time (100 years), history is bound to repeat itself.

Written in the beautiful prose we know to love and expect from Isabel Allende. Violeta is 100 years in the life of a South American woman. Starting from her birth during the 1920 pandemic and continuing to her death entering another pandemic, Violeta recounts the story of her life to Camilo. You don't know the relationship to this person until halfway through the story, so I won't spoil it here. Violeta is a strong woman who recovers from family tragedy, loves and losses. Overlaying her story is the story of South America, communism, democracy, and US involvement in supporting and overthrowing governments. Violeta is joined by an interesting cast of characters, especially her nanny who remains a part of the family for her entire life. You will be amazed at Violeta's strength, impressed by her business acumen, and angry at some of the poor choices she makes in love. It's a beautifully written story and I loved every word of it, although I didn't love everything that happened.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A marvelous sweeping saga of South America and the upheavals of both the country and its people in the 1800's and 1900's. It cover shte flip flops in Government from democracy to dictatorship and back again and it's effect on society from the abject poor to the middle and upper classes. Allende's beautiful prose style draws you into the story and makes you care about the characters. A very satisfying story.

Violeta by Isabel Allende comes from the point of view as Violeta a young child of the elite in Chile.
Only daughter in large family socialite family roles take a different turn. However life takes on a different turn throughout the years of Violeta. When it comes from growing up its always a different change and obstacle.
Violeta meets new people and runs into old friends. Political climate changes constantly and so does relationships. So do socioeconomic circumstances as readers we go throughout the years of Violeta's life. The book yanks at your emotions and sometimes you just can't believe your eyes at what you just read. You feel empathy, sadness, happiness and sometimes horror. However overall its an amazing book and the writing is strong as always.

It does time hop over Violeta's life and also it is written to Camilo ( a character)

This book was such an amazing chance to read and review. Check it out January 25 2022, you won't be disappointed!

Violeta is a beautiful, moving novel that speaks to the heart in a way that only Allende's novels can. While fictional, this book reads like an intricate memoir which follows Violeta through the milestones of her life in South America. Timely in that Violeta's life began during a pandemic and also ended at the time of another (spanning 100 years), the characters and setting are rich with detail and emotion. Beautifully written and gives a great amount of detail to really bring the reader into the story. I really enjoyed this book!

I was unable to get to this beautiful novel but I do plan on purchasing it. The cover is absolutely gorgeous and thr synopsis has my attention

An amazing story that truly transports one into the story from an as-if perspective. Written with beautiful literary prose as only Ms. Allende can.

This is the gracefully told story of Violeta, and her journey through every stage of her life. From her first steps until her last dying breath, I was mesmerized from the start. An epic journey through time and change for the country, you get to experience every moment of Violeta’s life through her eyes.

I really liked the way this story was told in the form of letters written to Camilo, her grandson. It was written beautifully and having the book be divided into four time period made it easy to follow. I fell in love with each and every characters in the book and was heart broken by each of their deaths. This book had it all: feminism, politics, romance and drama. Truly an enjoyable read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC. What a beautiful, sweeping and timely story! I was happy not to be on a library deadline to finish it because it is truly a book worth taking one’s time to enjoy. Loved it.

This was such a detailed and compelling read. Following Violeta’s journey through her life really showed the true meaning of life. We saw her high and low moments, her connections and struggles with friends and family, and we saw her reflect and adapt throughout everything.

I really love historical fiction because I feel like I am constantly learning new things. I learned so much from reading this story. It starts in a pandemic in 1920 and it ends in 2020, and there were so many haunting events that took place in between.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC!

I love Isabel Allende's writing. I don't know how she does it, she sweeps you into the lives of her characters and you begin to feel like you know them and are right there experiencing the story with her. This is a beautifully written saga covering 100 years, 1920 to 2020. We follow the life of Violeta writing her story to give to her grandson.. I highly recommend.
I have read several of this authors books, each one has been well researched and tells a gorgeous tale.
I thank Random House and NetGalley for an ARC. High 5 stars!!

I first fell in love with Isabel Allende's work when I read House of Spirits as a senior in high school. It was my favorite novel assigned throughout high school and I even read it again in college as a choice. This was reminiscent of that novel. While House of Spirits captivated me with the way both past, present, and future haunt us - Violeta was a more concrete story. Violeta was a woman before her time; and she forged her path ahead as a woman who was not afraid to be smart, and in some instances selfish. She also wasn't afraid, upon reflection, to admit that there were mistakes in her past. Violeta's story was both beautiful, tragic, and triumphant. Her journey took us from lows to highs and back again, simultaneously exploring the decades she lived in, social class, business, and political paradigms, all while still maintaining Violeta's personal story and connection with the reader. As always, I am left a little heartbroken, a little breathless, and heavy with emotion when I finish Isabel Allende's works.

My expectations were high, and I am happy to say they were met. Such strong female characters are a staple of this author and she seldom disappoints. Women of color are only now seeing more frequent representations, and this is a welcome contribution. The story itself was wonderfully layered and held my interest. The unfolding development of the principal players was convincing. I was reminded of some of her other novels with strong women, Ines of My Soul, and The House of Spirits. I would highly recommend this novel.

This is an engrossing story of a woman who is born during the flu epidemic in the early part of the 20th Century and goes on to live a tumultuous and life-affirming existence until the pandemic of the early 21st Century.
She retells her life story to her beloved grandson so that he can understand from whence he has come, but also to explain her motives for doing one thing versus another. She is very open with her emotions and opinions, and in so doing, she paints a picture of a woman: which includes all her faults, her good points and her passions.
I found the story fascinating and unflinching in its honesty. Her portrayals of various characters., including her husbands and lovers, her family members and her long-term friends all come under her microscope. And we, the readers, are the richer for it.

4 solid stars for book of historical fiction, set in Chile, from 1920 until 2020. It is a series of letters by a grandmother to her grown grandson. Violeta was born during the Spanish flu epidemic in 1920. She lives to be 100 and dies of old age during the coronavirus epidemic.
She recounts her life story for her grandson, who is now a Jesuit priest. She has seen much turbulence in her life--WWII, a military coup, dictatorship, murder of friends and family, divorce, being abused for decades by her lover and rebellious children.
I enjoyed this book and recommend it to fans of the author, literary fiction and historical fiction. The descriptions of life in Chile are vivid. This is the first book that I have read by Isabel Allende.
Two quotes:
Home birth in 1920 Chile: "Under my Aunt Pilar's direction, Torito, the boy we employed for a wide range of chores, climbed a ladder to hang a labor sling from two steel hooks that he himself had installed in the ceiling. My mother, kneeling in her nightdress, each hand pulling on a strap, pushed for what felt like an eternity, cursing like a pirate, using words she'd never utter under normal circumstances. My Aunt Pia, crouched between her legs, waited to receive the newborn baby before he could fall to the floor."
English governess: "She had straw-like blond hair, and that skin as transparent as rice paper, that girls from cold countries sometimes have, which over time become spotted and mercilessly wrinkled."
Thank You Isabel Allende and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books, for sending me this ebook through NetGalley..
Pub. date Jan. 25, 2022

4.5/5

Isabel Allende's latest masterpiece, Violeta, is a chronicle of a woman's life sweeping across a century of history, written in epistolary form.
"There is a time to live and a time to die .In between there's a time to remember"
In her last days Violeta Del Valle writes a letter to her grandson Camilo divulging in great detail her life spanning almost one hundred years starting with her birth in 1920 in the midst of the Spanish flu pandemic to 2020 when the world is being ravaged by another pandemic. She has had an eventful life impacted by historical events spanning from the Great Depression, WW2 and political upheaval in her home country and around the world.
From abandoning her loving husband to be with her lover, conceiving 2 children out of wedlock and embarking on building her own career fueled by her own ambition and refusing to conform to the strictures imposed by restrictive societal norms, Allende's Violeta is a strong and willful woman who lives life on her own terms, makes mistakes and learns from them , takes responsibility for her own fate and reinvents herself at every step while gathering much wisdom in the course of her long eventful life. In many ways she is a woman who is much ahead of her time. Her story is one of family and friendship ,her many loves, loss and setbacks, courage and ambition .More importantly it is a portrait of a woman with the will to survive, grow and prosper in the backdrop volatile political climate , changing societal landscape and personal tragedy and upheaval .
Isabel Allende's prose is elegant and a joy to read. Among the strong female influences in Violeta's life the characters of Aunt Pilar, Facunda, Teresa Rivas and her family and Miss Taylor are superbly crafted. Strong characters and masterful storytelling are typical of Isabel Allende's novels and in Violeta she does not disappoint.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing an eARC of this book for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review.

I enjoy some of Isabel Allende's books. The book is told from Violeta's perspective in a letter to a loved one. Telling the person about her life from the day she was born to present. Also going through so many things throughout her life.

I love Isabel Allende, she has always been one one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint.
Violeta del Valle is born in the year 1920 when the Spanish flu pandemic is raging through South America. Allende skillfully draws the reader into the next 100 years of Violeta's life through love, heartbreak, dictatorships, domestic violence,and substance use. Allende has such a way with language that immerses you fully into the story of Violeta and the cast of characters in her life

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! I had to stop reading quite a few times to make sure that this was a fiction novel. Because it reads like an actual memoir. What I connected to most was the familial bonds, both of blood and love relatives, that are throughout the book. This story is a true testament to how family plays an important role in our overall mental emotional well fronts through good and bad times in our lives.