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I wanted to love this, I really did. The story of a woman born during one pandemic who is dying during another is pretty intriguing. And I did like Violeta and her story, and many other characters, especially Torito. But there were things about it that bugged me. The setting is obviously Chile, but it's always called "my country." I also didn't love the format, it's written addressed to her grandson, which is jarring at times and downright took me out of the story at the end. Events that are pretty life-changing are referred to without much detail, while politics are overly detailed, so you feel somewhat distanced from the main character. I seem to be in the minority though and many others loved it.

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I couldn’t put this book down. I found myself completely engrossed from the first page. I was so curious as to what Violeta would reveal at each outcome. I found the characters compelling, amusing and eclectic their place in her life interesting.

The story was by no means cloying, in fact I found Violeta’s history heartbreaking, tragic and beautiful. The story was extremely realistic demonstrating the trials and tribulations of life to the fullest. I do wish Allende delved into Violeta’s personality deeper as opposed to merely telling of Violeta’s choices and circumstances.

Allende never disappoints with her storytelling. Violeta is a comprehensive story of a woman, her family and the turns life takes us. I appreciate the details, the many characters and how Allende masterfully weaves everything together beautifully. I was fond of the ending and I found the ‘letter’ concept wholly authentic. Allende fans will thoroughly find Violeta satisfying.

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A sweeping tale of the ups and downs of a woman's life. I really enjoyed it because it's set in a part of the world I knew little about. This was also the first book I've read that mentioned the global pandemic at all (not a big part, but a passing mention).

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<i> “José Antonio volvió a pedirle por enésima vez que se casara con él, y ella le reiteró como siempre que nunca lo haría, pero no le dio la única explicación que él hubiera entendido: ya estaba casada en espíritu con Teresa Rivas..”

“habíamos hecho voto ante Dios y la sociedad de amarnos y respetarnos hasta la muerte. Eso es mucho tiempo. Si yo hubiera sospechado cuán larga puede ser la vida, habría modificado esa cláusula del contrato matrimonial”

“Evitaba manifestaciones románticas o sentimentales, las consideraba sospechosas. Si se ama de verdad, ¿qué necesidad hay de proclamarlo?.”

</i>
<b>Isabel Allende </b>, una de las grandes autoras contemporáneas que tenemos aún la dicha de contar entre las filas de escritores vivos, ha vuelto a hacerlo. En Violeta encuentras su característica e imborrable huella en prosa y estructura. Un personaje que fue dibujado perfectamente, a través de los ojos de él mismo, que sufrió la ingrata transformación del tiempo y ve todo por medio del lente de la experiencia, va narrando su vida a su nieto Camilo. Una vida bastante larga y por tanto, interesante. Desde sus primeras experiencias como niña malcriada hasta la caída en desgracia de su familia(lo que le dio la fuerza y el temple para llegar a crear su propio imperio, a pesar de las adversidades contra su género en la época).

Te pierdes en sus paginas desde el principio, igual que cualquier otra obra de la misma creadora. Aunque al final, pareciera que el lenguaje que conforma el libro nos brinda un poco de lo mismo (te queda el sabor de las mismas historias). Por otro lado, aparece la duda, si este libro es continuación de alguno de sus otros libros por la alusión a los apellidos y personajes. En definitiva, se necesita releer cada obra y hacer una linea del tiempo.

Recomendable.

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A book that was just "all right." Heavy on the telling, which, for me, made the reading experience far less immersive and powerful than it would've, or should've, been. That being said, the epistolary conceit of the novel definitely lends itself more towards telling, but perhaps epistolary novels simply aren't for me in this case.

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As always, Allende wrote a book of such magnitude and staying power. The narrator, Violeta, was born in 1920 during the Spanish Flu epidemic and concludes with covid's appearance, 100 years later. So many topics are covered. There is war, revolution, poverty, drugs, love, unrest, cheating and happiness. Violeta is a memorable character as are many others, and there are many, many, others.
Her prose is so beautifully constructed. She has such a talent of making you feel angst and joy simultaneously. Her descriptions of war and poverty are so realistic.
Brilliant, as always!

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I very much appreciate being gifted this copy of Violeta by Isabel Allende, and the opportunity to read & review it. Thanks to the publisher.

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Headline: If this book were an Indian movie, it would totally rock the subtitle "The 100-year journey of a privileged Chilean woman towards feminist benevolence"

Author: Isabel Allende

Date of Publication: January 25, 2022

Legacy: Allende is arguably the most widely read Spanish author in the world.

Genre: Historical Fiction

How I heard about this book: Got an advance review copy of the e-book from Netgalley.com. I chose it because of the author's name.

Appropriate Audience: Adult

Rating: 3

This review is going to be a short one because even though I got an ARC, this book has been in publication for almost a year; and most of all of there is to be said about it must have already been said! However, it was compelling enough for me to write something about it, so here we go!

I hadn't read any Isabel Allende books before requesting this ARC, but I surely had read about them - all high praise, of course! This book certainly proved right all of it! Allende's writing is beautiful, mellifluous, and SO well-researched, that you can almost touch the landscape (and the times) while reading about them. And all this without the screenplay-like "show, don't tell" trend of today's novels. What Allende describes is not superficial scenery at all!

As for the story, Violeta is a saga! And as far as sagas go, it is one of the tolerable ones I've read (I love finite stories, not generational sagas) - all thanks to Allende! As a character, Violeta is very interesting, entrepreneurial, flawed, but unique! The other characters are also rather interesting, and make you think long and hard about human nature.

All in all, I enjoyed reading it!

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I have enjoyed reading Isabel Allende since I first read House of the Spirits in the early 90s. I love the way she weaves her stories into historical context to help you to understand more than just the stories of her characters but what the world was like that they are experiencing. In this story, I struggled to connect with many of the characters; however, that did not detract from the overall story for me. If you are new to this author, I wouldn't start with this book, because I have enjoyed other stories more than this one, but Allende is a gifted writer and you really can't go wrong with any of her books.

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Isabel Allende’s Violeta is my favorite book that I read this year. As a huge fan of Allende’s other novels, I had high expectations of this book and can happily say that Violeta smashed through all of them. Violeta, the narrator, was born in 1920 during that pandemic and recounts the story of her life to someone named Camilo (who readers learn more about as the novel unfolds so I will not spoil anything by explaining more here). She lives through revolutions, unrest, peace, grief, and happiness. This novel is beautifully written and evokes much emotion. Another phenomenal books by Allende!

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A beautifully written story with characters that jump off the page. I only found out after I read it that she has written about the extended family in some of her other books and I am anxious to check those out!

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Isabel Allende is an amazing writer and Violeta doesn't disappoint. The characters are beautifully written and compelling.

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It has been a hot minute since reading this book. Here is what I remember....

1. I liked the story overall.
2. Violetta was a bit toxic herself.
3. Men aren't great and they don't deserve unquestioning loyalty
4. The father-daughter relationship made me unconfortable
5. I would of smacked Violetta in the face if she was my friend for her behavior and unwavering loyalty to bad men.

I can understand why this story is well received. But I do find myself having issues with weak women. And while Violetta grows, she let's her weakness cost her a daughter.

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Really good book. The plot was well-written and engrossing. I look forward to reading more from this author.

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Violeta is a sweeping story in the 100 year life of Violeta Del Valle. Violeta relates her life to Camilo, her beloved grandson. Throughout those 100 years, Violeta has seen and experienced much, from her birth during the Spanish Influenza outbreak, through war, and revolution. Allende never disappoints, and this was definitely a gratifying read.

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This book was written in long letter form and tells the story of Violeta's life. It was mostly interesting, but it did get tedious at times. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I don't think it will be memorable.

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Review coming soon. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC; opinions are mine.

5 of 5 Stars! She is an absolutely stunning author!
Pub Date January 25, 2022
#Violeta #IsabelAllende #NetGalley

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Wow this story was an emotional ride. This was my first book by Allende but I may have to check out their other books. I love reading books in journal form, it seems for me at least to make it more intimate. With Violeta’s story. It took me a minute to get into the story and while some of her choices in life I couldn’t understand, although I’ve never been in those situations, you can’t deny the epic life she had throughout all those major events. I hope to one day be able to share my life like that.

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An epic novel about a woman's life. This was an interesting read and it was refreshing to read historical fiction that wasn't about World War II, I'm WWII'ed out at the moment! This story narrates the life of a 100-year-old woman living through private tragedies and triumphs, set the backdrop of real historical events in South America. I learned a lot, which is always nice for someone who enjoys seeing history up close in places I dont know well.

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Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC I am reviewing this a tad late, sorry but the book took me forever to get through. It was a long tough read for me. However Violeta's story was beautiful and there was a lot of life story to cover in 100 years.

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