This story rambles through the main character's life. It may be realistic to have her presented like this, but I wanted the story to be more focused. This is not my favorite selection by this author.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book over vacation. I had a difficult time getting into it at first and I never felt a great connection to any of the characters, but I did enjoy the learning that came along with Allende's story telling. This is a book that I enjoyed, but I didn't fall in love with.

Beautifully written novel! The weaving of personal stories within is so clever. If you have read and loved her books before, you need to pick this up!

Violetta by Isabel Allende is an exciting read that will appeal to historical fiction aficionados. It covers the long and turbulent life of Violetta, a strong and proud woman born in 1920 at the end of the time of the Spanish Flu and who dies in the time of coronavirus. The unnamed country clearly is the author's homeland of Chile, which underwent dramatic changes during the time of the 100 years of the life of Violetta. The story is told in the form of a letter to a dearly loved grandson, Camilo.

Violetta is born into a family of privilege and the only daughter of an adoring father, the same father who created a dramatic and tragic turn in the family's fortunes. Despite the challenges, Violetta is determined to survive and to prosper. She is also determined to gain independence in a time when women had many legal challenges and few chances at resolution.

Allende is expert at drawing well rounded and engaging characters. Violetta is incredible]y passionate, assertive and fiercely loyal to the people she loves. She often makes emotional decisions against her own best interests, such as in her complicated relationships8®†∞ with her second husband and their daughter. Not only are the characters expertly drawn, but the descriptions of the settings and landscapes are vivid and show an intense attachment to detail.

Allende carefully weaves a myriad of events into the backdrop of Violetta's story. There are so many events covered during those 100 years of Violetta's story that they can become a little overwhelming to the reader. I wasf44 a little reminded of The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia who wrote about the many upheavals in Mexico in overlapping time periods. Both are thoughtful and beautifully written novels.

Author interviews say Allende wrote the novel to honor her own grandmother who recently died at about the same age as Violetta. It is not seen as a biography but as a way to honor her beloved grandmother who lived during the same years as Violetta and certainly experienced the same repressions, political upheavals and love of family.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Isabel Allende is a force to be reckoned with and Violeta is not different. It's a sweeping, emotional novel that covers two massive historical events that changed the makeup of the world forever. It's a stunning portrait of family and friendship.

Isabel Allende writes strong, complex women like no other. She is also brilliant at telling an epic story. Seeing Violeta look back at her life capped by two pandemics and through all the history and turmoil of the past century from a Latin American perspective and Violeta's personal life is mesmerizing.

Allende has the most beautiful writing. This letter from Violetta to her grandson does a beautiful job of recapping her life including the good and the hard.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

A sweeping epic of a novel with complex, strong female characters. A great read during the pandemic as it begins during another (the Spanish Flu). It had great potential, but wasn't my favorite as the reading could get tedious at times. Perhaps this would be a better read for those more familiar with the history of Chile during that era. An interesting read all the same.

I absolutely adored Violeta.

This is my first foray into the works of Isabel Allende and it did not disappoint. I stated Violeta on a whim after beginning several books that failed to capture my attention. I found myself reading Violeta deep into the night and finishing half of the book before I realized it was already 2am and I should probably head to bed. For reference I religiously go to bed around 10pm.

Violeta is told in a first-person narration as Violeta recounts 100 years of her life, from the early 1920s to the 2020s in letters to someone named Camilo. Growing up in an unnamed Latin American country Violeta starts off as a very spoiled and bratty child and is eventually humbled by the world and the events in her life.

I loved the emphasis on history. It was extremely refreshing to read about historic events like the Roaring 20s, the Great Depression, the Cold War, and the Spanish Influenza, to name a few, through a non Euro-centric or US-centric lens.

Isabel Allende does a beautiful job weaving in and out different historical events, people, and themes. It is a beautiful tapestry of life and the ways in which people come in and out of our lives leaving their lasting impact.

I loved it and I can't wait to read more works by her.

3 stars
Beginning in the 1920s, during the Spanish Flu pandemic, Allende tells the story of 100-year-old Violeta as a letter to her grandson. I started out really liking Violeta. She was fierce and independent. The secondary characters, particularly the governess, were intriguing and the South American culture was interesting. Part One Exile (1920-1940) was definitely a 4 star story.

Then Violeta met Julian Bravo, “who loved extreme sports, had parachuted into the heart of the Amazon jungle, surfed the world’s tallest waves…” “Julian ripped my dress off like a puma with two swipes of his hands… and from that point on I abandoned any hint of resistance, willing my body to come undone and melt in his arms, wishing I could stay right there with the door shut forever and never see another living soul again, only him.” Dime novel trashy. Part Two, Passion (1940-1960) annoyed me. Why would such a strong, smart, capable woman lose who she is, get pregnant, get her tubes tied because her lover wanted that, barely raise her children, and put up with verbal and physical abuse? The father, now employed by the mafia, didn’t like his ’meek’ son and spoiled his wild daughter, eventually contributing to daughter’s drug habit. “What next?” I ponder, plodding on.

Part Three, Absence, covers Violeta’s forties and fifties. By then, Violeta no longer cares about Julian’s love affairs. “It’s impossible to explain our obscene pattern of attraction and rejection, passion and rage, fighting and making up. I myself don’t understand it.” Violeta tells about her daughter’s drug use and rehab in a very distanced way. Maybe she was protecting herself, but it did not ring true to me, as she was capable and savvy in business and financial decisions. Things get confusing about what is happening with the government in their non-named south American country.

Rebirth, Part Four covers 1983 -2020. The last section was better, more true. (Obviously this is fiction, but I felt the distanced writing and Violeta’s drastic character change felt inconsistent with the beginning.) More happens (a new husband), grandson grows up, mostly I’m glad it’s over.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really appreciate Isabel Allende but this novel wasn't as good as her others. Plot was linear and predictable.

Violeta [English Edition]
A Novel
by Isabel Allende
Pub Date 25 Jan 2022 |
Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books
Historical Fiction | Literary Fiction | Multicultural Interest



I am reviewing a copy of Violeta through Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Netgalley:



Violeta was born on a stormy winters day in 1920, she was the first girl after five boisterous sons. From the beginning, her life was marked by extraordinary events! 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.



With her Fathers prescience there family will come through that crisis unscathed, but they will have to face a new one when the Great Depression transforms the genteel city life she has known. Her family loses everything and is forced to retreat to a wild and beautiful but remote part of the country. There, she will come of age, and her first suitor will come calling.


Violeta tells her story the form of a letter to someone she loves above all others, recounting times of devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy. Her life is shaped by some of the most important events of history: the fight for women’s rights, the rise and fall of tyrants, and ultimately not one, but two pandemics.




I give Violeta five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I enjoyed this book as all of Isabel Allende ‘s have been my favorites. The story is of a woman who recants her life with all its up and downs. Starting with one pandemic and ending with another. The in between is so real and sometimes disturbing but fascinating as the reader travels through history. Violeta is an interesting character and her choices , not always the best shape her life.
As I did enjoy this book at some points it is tedious but worth reading.

I've read Isabel Allende in the past. While I cannot say I loved them, I liked most of them.
This one, no so much.
The main character is, of course, Violeta. While she leads an interesting life, it didn't seem real to me.
I reached the end of the book, and thought, That's it!?!
I was disappointed.

4.5 stars

A sweeping historical fiction novel that spans the life of Violeta, a centenarian leaving the story of her life written to her grandson, Camilo. The story runs from Violeta's birth at the time of the Spanish flu until modern day, under the influence of Covid 19. It is a languid kind of read with great historical context and a bit of globetrotting as Violeta's life takes the reader to multiple countries, spanning South America, North America, and Europe.

Allende's writing is evocative and atmospheric, delivering the history of Chile and the surrounding areas in a marvelous fashion. The style of Allende's writing in this novel does lean more towards the literary, though the internal exploration of character is not overly intense. There is great attention to feminist topics and Violeta's character is a strong, independent woman who really shines throughout the story.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

This book was initially difficult to get into but as I kept reading it became easier. Unfortunately my personal opinion on this book is unfavorable but it may be due to personal circumstances while trying to read this story. I just did not connect with it at all.

This was my first book by Isabel Allende but not my last. This is a very engaging story about a woman - Violeta - and her century of life. It takes place in an unnamed South American country, where we learn about the government, revolutions, the Church, and the CIA’s involvement in the country. The book was totally engrossing.

Violeta by Isabel Allende is categorized as an epistolary novel. This one is not told as a series of letters, however, but more as one long letter to her grandson. The format is very similar to City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert, if you’ve read that.

The story starts in 1918, during the Spanish Flu epidemic, and continues for the next 70 years as Violeta tells her life story to her grandson.

I really liked Violeta. I put off reading this book because in my mind, I thought it would be a hard read since it is written by Isabel Allende. It was very approachable and not a hard book to read at all. The content, however, was hard to read in parts. Violeta does not have an easy life. But she is an extraordinary woman who lives an extraordinary life.

Thank you to #netgalley and #randomhousepublishing for the advanced e-copy of #Violeta.

Violeta is a story about the life of a woman. The trials and tribulations, the joy and accomplishments keep the reader connected throughout the book. The book is written to Camilo, Violeta’s grandson, with the details of Violeta’s life. It shares Violeta’s relationships with men, spouses, children, and friends. I’m a fan of Isabel Allende’s writing and have read many of her books. The Hispanic setting continues in this book as well as the consistent statement on politics. The political points that the author frequently makes is consistent with her previous books. Within this book, the Great Depression, the Spanish Influenza, Coronavirus, Axis powers, and much more are included. Financial struggles, business ventures, suicide, homosexuality, sexual assault, drug abuse, rural living, sterility, mafia, and adultery, to name a few, are all topics touched upon in this book. In true Allende fashion, she often drops one-line “bombs” at the end of a section after giving background information such as the issues in her marriage and then “that’s how I agreed to be sterilized.” These “bombs” keeps the reader intrigued.

Allende does a good job showing “viewed from the outside, it all looked to be true, but nothing is as simple as it seems.” Violeta’s story is not as simple as it seems. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Allende’s books. If you’ve never read Isabel Allende, this is a great book to start!

Thank you to Netgalley and the book’s publisher, Random House, for an advanced reader’s copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A historical fiction novel set in Chile that spans the 100-year-life of Violeta. For being such an expansive novel, it was fairly short and read quickly. Violeta is definitely a person I would have loved to have known.