Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an ARC of Violeta! I have never read one of Isabel Allende’s books before so I was excited to read this one. The story centers around the long life of Violeta del Valle, a woman who has lived for a century and witnessed political upheavals and social movements. The story begins by Violeta dedicating her life story to a man named Camilo and discussing the circumstances of her birth and her life growing up. Violeta manages to survive pandemics (including Covid) and writes about her experiences through it all. That being said, I was not the biggest fan of how this story was structured. I found the writing to be tedious most of the time and the story did not hold my interest all of the time while I was reading. The events of the book were told in a tone that seemed to distance the story from the narrator and there was barely any dialogue in many parts of the novel, so it just felt like I was reading a collection of random stories that were strung together by the narrator but that did not flow well as one whole novel, in my opinion. I also did not like that the name of the country where the story took place was not mentioned, especially in the beginning of the book, because I would have liked to know where the story and the events of Violeta’s life took place. Overall, this was just an okay read.

Violeta is born in South America in 1920 during the Spanish Flu Pandemic. (Incidentally, I just learned from the book that it was called the Spanish Flu because Spain was the only country to admit that it was happening. The rest of the world was trying to hide it. I find that fascinating!) Anyway, Violeta is born into the Del Valle family which the author has written other books about. I have read two of them and didn’t realize they were connected. Although, when Violeta mentions her grandmother who is decapitated in a car accident and the head rolls off and is lost I put it together. That’s not a plot point I’ll easily forget. However, I’m getting off topic. So Violeta’s life spans the Spanish Flu, the Great Depression, political upheavals, the fight for women’s rights, and wraps up in 2020 in the current pandemic. The book is a letter or journal that’s she’s keeping for someone named Camilo. We don’t find out who that is for quite awhile but it’s a personal firsthand accounting of her life.

Isabel Allende is an icon. Her work is always amazing. The characters, their lives, and struggles are so real and relatable even when they are from generations past.

Thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouse for an advanced copy of this book. It will be released on 1/25/22. In the, meantime look up Isabel Allende’s Involuntary Trilogy.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars I have been a big fan of Isabel Allende since my husband bought me one of her books for Christmas many years ago. She is a very talented storyteller and writer. I was very excited to be given the opportunity to read her newest title. Violeta is a story written as a letter of love to share her story and the things she learned through her experiences. As we follow her story, we learn also about the impact of war, the Spanish Flu, the Great Depression, and political tyranny on her homeland of South America. She shares her personal stories of grief, love, and challenges she faced in defending rights of women and all people. It was an interesting read and covered so many difficult times in the last century.

Epic saga of a woman born in one pandemic, until her death in another. The story reflects on family, heartache and the impact of world events and personal choices on each individual. Infused with culture and fully realized characters this was an enjoyable read from the first pages!

I love (love, love love) Isabel Allende and have read pretty much everything she's written. Perhaps that's why this one is just so much of the same. I'm sorry. I didn't like Violeta all that much and it felt long and tedious. Of course, it's still Allende so beautifully written.

And Norway. That was nice.

"There's a big difference between being old and being ancient."

Thank you NetGalley folks for a chance to read an advanced readers' copy.

Violets by Isabel Allende historically spans decades of wars and pandemics. Violeta endures poverty, the Great depression, decades of wars, family crises, her share of romances during her 100 year life span. Through her the old adage, "what doesn't't kill you, makes you stronger" is certainly fulfilled. This is an enlightening novel.

What a beautiful book. The story of Violeta is the story of a century, the hundred years from pandemic to pandemic. The central focus is on Violeta’s life with the historic events of the 20th and early 21st centuries playing quietly in the background. You are swept along a lazy river of luxurious writing as her life unfolds; a life with love and loss, highs and lows, successes and disappointments all set against the backdrop of turbulent South American times. You will enjoy learning of Violeta’s life, but it is the elegance of the writing that will enthrall you.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Isabel Allende has a way of mesmerizing me with her stories. She goes into fine details without being too wordy. I find myself wrapped up in the characters and the settings. Violeta is no different.

The book follows Violeta from birth to 100 years. Her childhood and the downfall of her family. Her friendships, her relationships, her marriage, and lovers. Her children. Through all of the book you see a determined woman who makes mistakes but has the strength to move on from them and try to make things right.

I enjoyed this book very much. One that I wanted to finish to see how things turn out, but at the same time, wanted to go on forever.

This is the first book that I have read by this author, but won’t be my last. This book drew me in from the beginning. A beautifully written story about the life of Violeta, who has written an account of her long life as she nears her death at age 100. She does so in the form of a letter to her beloved Camilo, who we later learn is her grandson. She recaps her life in an unflinching manner - the highs and lows, her successes and failures, confessing her sins and regrets with honesty.
If you are looking for a book to get lost in, this is the one for you. It will not disappoint!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Protagonist Violeta tells her life story in the form of a letter to her grandson. It is set in what is obviously Chile and covers the economic, social, and political history of the country. It covers a period of time from the 1920 “Spanish flu,” when it arrived in South America, to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

I really like the premise of this book, spanning one hundred years between pandemics – what a great idea for framing a story. Violeta’s life is eventful, full of passion, change, and heartbreak. Violeta’s personal life serves as a mirror for the ups and downs of the historical drama. Other themes include women’s rights and what it is like to live under an oppressive regime.

The only part that did not work quite as well is the epistolary choice. I was not convinced that a grandmother would share details of her love life with her grandson. But this is a minor quibble. The characters are well developed, and the descriptions of the region are stunning.

I am a fan of Allende’s writing. I have now read ten of her books, and her work is consistently strong. I received an advanced copy from the publisher, Ballantine, via NetGalley.

I have read and enjoyed other books by Isabel Allende so I thought I would enjoy this.
Not so much.

It is told first person as if one were dictating a memoir to a specific person, Camilo.
I found the style to be completely off-putting.
Another issue I had is that the country where this takes place seems never to be mentioned. I googled some of the location names, (which distractingly are also names in California) and it looks like Uruguay. Which if your talking about all this political stuff and "my beloved country" blah blah blah why not throw in an occasional line about my beloved Uruguay...

Anyhow between the extremely conversational style of the writing, and all the political machinations this was a total snooze-fest for me.
I would not recommend to any except the most ardent Allende lovers.

In truth, I would have abandoned this book several times, but kept on because I try to be conscientious about reviewing books from NetGalley.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

I do love this authors books as she has the gift of word, situations and a good knowledge of what she writes about, and much more.
This book was fantastic, it has a little bit of everything a reader could want.
It is a beautifully told story of a woman's life over a hundred years, as told to her grandson.
It takes place mainly in South America where the character Violeta del Valle was born in 1920 through present day. The author has given us a view of what happened through history through those years and what that meant to to del Valle family.
There are so many good, and flawed people through out this story, all connected in some way.
Wonderful descriptions of the country, and how her life would be shaped by the countries unrest, pandemics, earthquakes, but also by the choices she made.
A must read in my opinion.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing – Ballantine for a copy of this book.

Beautifully written with a lyrical feel, this novel follows a century of life of the narrator. Set in Chile, the novel offers a great deal of insight into culture, social issues, and events. There are many characters featured in the story, each complex and well written. The writing, while stunning, bogs down the story at times with pacing being a bit more dynamic during the first half of the book. Overall a solid read that is atmospheric, emotional, and informative- just not always entertaining.

Violeta [English Edition] by Isabel Allende was an enjoyable read, however, the prose was heavy and I found myself becoming in and out of interest.

This novel was written as a memoir over 100 years of the life of the narrator, Violeta, but was really a look at the history of Chile – along with the rest of the world – from the viewpoint of a woman born into privilege who survived 100 years of social and political upheaval through her own determination and strong wit.

The story started with the Spanish flu (yes, in Chile) pandemic and ended with the covid pandemic. In between she covered the CIAs involvement in various 3rd world nations in an attempt to save that nation from succumbing to communism during the Cold War era. She covered multiple political upheavals throughout South America and the resulting Death Squads as well as all the other horrors of those regimes. She covered the sins of the Catholic hierarchy in South America as well as the lack of women’s rights. She covered the lost generation of the hippie movement in America. And throughout the book she travelled freely to America and even to Norway.

I’m not sure what her theme would be. It could be a warning to America concerning the political climate right now. It was definitely a spotlight on laws that held women from advancing, but also on how a strong, smart and determined woman could achieve her goal even with the legal restrictions. I loved the characters in the book who reached out with generosity and kindness to strangers.

As with all of Allende’s books, she made me spend hours researching those tidbits of history I was [mostly] ignorant about. That’s always a plus in my book.

I’m greatly appreciative to NetGalley and the publisher, Ballantine Books, for the opportunity to read this newest Allende book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. I highly recommend it – and all her other books.

I want to thank Random House - Ballantine for allowing me to read and review Violeta by Isabel Allende.
“Sometimes our fates take turns that we don’t notice in the moment they occur, but if you live as long as I have they become clear in hindsight.”
This novel covers the life of Violeta Del Valle from an idyllic beginning in Latin America. Her life is told in the first person as a journal to her. grandson. The history spans time from 1920 to 2020, from the Spanish Flu to COVID-19.
This is an interesting book but overly long.
Violeta publishes January 25, 2022.

The title of the book is the main character, fictional and I would guess a composite of many women in the author’s life.It is written in epistolary form to the “ love of her life”- her grandson Camilo, recounting her astounding life of 100 years 1820-1920, born in the Spanish flu pandemic and dying in the Coronavirus one. Allende accomplishes the “impossible”-she makes her characters and the countries alive and vivid and heartfelt, and at the same time creates through her and their stories a work of historical fiction-the depression , the Great War, the revolution in Cuba, the “hippie and drug culture,the intrigues of the Mafia and corrupt dictatorial governments in South America, Jesuit “ liberation theology” in South America- in short, the major events in her lifespan. Patagonia and adjacent area of Chile are portrayed as achingly beautiful as portrayed, and the cruelty of the dictatorships are even now still commemorated in the countries. The final chapter, as she is dying and contemplates her life and what may exist after, should be read at least twice.
Good read-and a life “ well lived”.

This was an enjoyable and informative novel covering the last 100 years in Chile. The first half was more interesting than the rest of the book. The second half of the book started to drag a bit. Lots and lots of characters who are well defined.

Violeta opens with a letter to “Dear Camilo”, introducing this testimony of the 100 year life of Violeta del Valle. The identity of “Camilo” and his relationship to Violeta isn’t revealed until later in the saga. She is the only girl in a large family of sons, and her early
years take us thru the Spanish flu, the Great War and the Depression. A strong sense of place permeates the novel as the reader experiences the lush South American setting as well as cold, pure Norway. Much South American history comes alive in the form of military coos, guerilla organizations, drug wars, et.c. Violeta loved freely, “I’ve lived too long to believe in something as ridiculous as a vow of chastity”. The longest and most colorful relationship was with Julian, the father of her children. His job as a pilot with questionable motives took him all over the world. A successful businesswoman, Violeta worked tirelessly to promote education and equal rights for women. Even though this is a work of fiction, I couldn’t help but wonder if some of Violetas adventures could have actually been experienced by Isabella Allende. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and appreciate the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review in my own words.
#Violeta. #NetGalley

Violeta’s very long letter to her grandson reveals her life and his origins. Her life is bookended by pandemics. Between the Spanish flu of 1920 and the COVID of 2020, we see her move from place to place in order to survive. Her personal life reflects the turmoil, abuse and violence experienced by her country. Through the three principal relationships in her life she learns what real love is. Facing revolutions, demonstrations, democracies and dictatorships, she suffers great loss and realizes the importance of those who influence her most as her role models. Isabel Allende’s protagonist is memorable; unfortunately, for this reader, her epistolary style packed too many stories, especially toward the end of the work. It became a novel within a novel and grew tedious to read.