Another masterpiece by Isabel Allende. 'Violeta' is truly a book everyone must read, especially during these troubled times.

I have long admired Isabel Allende’s gift for superior and epic storytelling. Violeta may just be her greatest accomplishment to date. As soon as I began reading Violeta I found that I was transported to another time and place. Once again, Isabel Allende wrote about a strong female protagonist. The female protagonist, Violeta Del Valle, possessed the qualities of independence, superior intellect and common sense, compassion, kindness, good business sense and the ability to make sound decisions. These qualities made this female protagonist, Violeta Del Valle, stand out and shine among men and women of her time. She was a woman that was independent and a woman ahead of the times she lived through. Violeta Del Valle lived to see her one hundredth birthday. In her day, women were expected to marry, keep house and have babies. That was not the life Violeta saw for herself and she would not think of settling.

Violeta Del Valle was born in the year 1920 somewhere in South America. She was the only girl child in her family. Her mother had had five sons before Violeta was born. Everyone was ecstatic to welcome a girl into their family. Violeta had a mind of her own that stemmed back to the time of her birth. She grew up spoiled, often displayed temper tantrums if she didn’t get what she wanted and received little guidance about acceptable behavior from anyone in her family. It was no wonder that her father sought to hire a tutor for Violeta to teach her etiquette and proper behavior. Miss Josephine Taylor was hired and became a strong influence on shaping Violeta’s character and determination. The two women learned so much from each other and continued to keep in touch, see each other and seek advice and counsel from each other long after Miss Taylor was Violeta’s tutor.

Violeta grew up during the Spanish Influenza and survived only to live through Covid years later. She and her family were greatly affected by the Great Depression which altered their lives in ways not one of them could have predicted. Violeta lived through World War II, the Cuban Revolution and the upheavals in the government of Chile. Violeta disclosed the saga of her life in an ongoing letter to Camilo, someone that she cared for a great deal. Violeta revealed how she abandoned her first marriage for a pilot she fell hopelessly in love with. She finally admitted and came to the realization that she was abused both physically and mentally in that relationship. Years later, that impressionable part of her life led Violeta to start a foundation to aid women that were victims of domestic violence.

Violeta lived through significant times in history. Isabel Allende magnificently wrote about the courage Violeta had to possess in order to be able to stand up to what she believed in. Her life was rich, colorful and mostly fulfilling. It did have its set backs and challenges but through it all Violeta became stronger. I believe that perhaps her main regret was not having a better relationship with her son and daughter. I did not want this book to end, it was so well written and impeccably researched. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Ballantine Books for allowing me to read the digital version of Violeta by Isabel Allende through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What an amazing story! This book is told in a form of a letter, the narrator is also the main character who is recalling her life in a span of 100 years. For me, this was a unique story I'd never read before. This book is 100% character-driven, so do not expect twists and turns in the plot. I loved how the story was told about Violeta but still touched on important social issues such as a pandemic, feminism, dictatorship, genocide, war, discrimination, and a war for equal rights. There was a lot of history to unpack which made this book thought-provoking and deep.
The only thing that was lacking for me and that's the reason why I didn't give it 5 stars, is the lack of emotions. I just did not feel anything for any of the characters. I wish there was a more emotional connection, but even without it this book was worth my time and I fully enjoyed it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random HousePublishing Group for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

At surface level, "Violeta" should have been a novel that I loved. The story is told from the perspective of Violeta del Valle in a series of letters to her grandson, Camilo. She recounts her life spanning 100 years, starting from when she was born in Chile in 1920 in the midst of the Spanish Flu to her final days in 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic - beginning in one pandemic and ending at the start of another.

Violeta's life is nothing short of expansive; she covers her (somewhat spoiled) childhood, her failed marriage to her first husband, her passionate affair that leads to her second, and then her third and fourth loves later in her life. Her family (both by blood and not by blood) plays a key part in her life as well, as she helps her oldest brother with a crucial business venture, and she eventually learns what it means to be a mother and grandmother. In between the years are a number of key national and global events - political upheavals, economic shifts, drug cartels, military coups, women's rights - add even greater context to her actions and decisions.

While I loved the plot and the character growth that Violeta goes through, what I couldn't get past was the writing style and tone throughout. I'm not sure if this is due more to the translation of the novel, but Violeta seems to recount so many life events, many emotional and life-changing, with such a detached stance that it was hard to empathize and understand her. Perhaps this is also a function of the fact that too much was covered in just one novel, but it made it difficult for me to continue reading.

Isabel Allende is a master storyteller, and I enjoyed the many characters and places included in this book. This is a sweeping history of one woman's life. Like many books in this genre of "fictional memoir", the timeline of this book is long and detailed, from the 1920's to almost present day. She makes the history in this book fascinating, with her unique, compelling characters and the remarkable settings they inhabit (especially in Chile, as well as the U.S. and Norway).

The book sucked me in from page one as it's often the case with Allende's novels. Isabel Allende must be my favorite non-English writing writer. I love her unique storytelling and fascinating characters that are hard to forget. Violeta was no exception and I highly recommend it.

As a reader and lover of all of Isabel Allende's books I was surprised and disappointed by Violeta.
This book is a long history of the political strife of her native Chile, although the name of the country and any defining characters is never mentioned.
I missed the usual dialogue and character development that have made all the previous books.

Violeta Del Valle was born into an aristocratic yet impoverished family at the tail end of the 1918 flu pandemic. She witnessed all the great events of the twentieth century—Great Depression, Cuban Missile Crisis, summer of love, women’s rights movement, as well as significant political upheavals in her native South American country. But through it all, she overcame adversity to become wealthy and after a time, content.

Told as a letter to her beloved grandson, Violeta unembarrassedly shares her mistakes as well as her successes. She had a long relationship with a faithless pilot and adventurer, who gave her two children and a lot of heartache. The blurb description of a “sweeping historical novel” is so apt I can’t think of another phrase to describe it. Beyond the fictional story, it’s fascinating to view a century bookended by two global pandemics. #VioletaEnglishEdition #NetGalley

Somehow, this was my first Isabel Allende book. I've heard a lot about her as an author and I am intrigued to want to read more of her in the future.

Violeta follows Violeta Del Valle, recounting her life story to someone named Camilo (who will be identified later in the story). As she is in her 100th year, born during the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1920 and dying in 2020 during the Covid pandemic.

Allende writes her female characters as strong, independent women. From Violeta, to her former tutor Josephine Taylor. Violeta is a shrewd businesswoman, in a time when women are not considered to be part of that world. She stands up to the men in her life who have expectations of who she should be and what she should do. Violeta takes a part of her life that was a struggle and uses that experience to help others.

My one complaint is that Violeta seemed so detached from her history. She was telling the story, but I didn't feel any emotion behind her experiences. She lived through the Spanish Flu, her family losing their standing and her fathers death, the Great Depression of the US, World War II, the coup in Chile and has stories of all these events and how they impacted her and her family's lives. For someone who talked openly about the passion she had with a former lover, I, personally, did not feel the passion coming from the pages.

That said, it was an intriguing story and fascinating to see how Allende incorporated all these real life events into Violeta's life and the ways they impacted her.

Violeta was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022 and so far is one of my favorite books by Isabel Allende. The journey with Violeta is an amazing, heartwarming one.

Violeta's life is shaped by some of the most important events in history; through her eyes, we see the fight for women's rights, the rise and fall of tyrants and the experience of poverty and wealth, terrible losses, and immense joy, and not one but two pandemics.

The story Violeta tells Camilo is written with passion and humor: she loses everything—home, fortune, and family —and yet never stops fighting for what she believes in: love and family. Violeta's story is full of life, color, and truth, a story that grabbed me from the first page and will stay with me for a long time.

So, if you're looking for a sweeping and emotionally charged story with a strong female character, Isabel Allende's latest novel is the perfect book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from PRH International through NetGalley. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Violeta is a woman before her time. She separated, had affairs and children out of wedlock and was an independent and successful business woman.
The story is set in and around the time of The Dirty Wars, when multiple South American government’s repression and genocide was prevalent. The story moves through Violeta’s life in its entirety, and has a Forest Gump feel with a female lead and a Guatemalan backdrop.
Although the historical events and their effects on the people were interesting to me, I felt the story a bit sluggish and at times hard to continue with. I wanted to like this one more than I did, yet that’s not a reflection on the writing or the author.

Isabel Allende is a master at evoking political temperature and weaving history with personal tales of transformation. This was a rich read. A century’s worth of love, grief, passion, strength and survival is etched with lyricism and skill, the writing smooth as silk. Beautifully done; my heart was opened and a few tears may have leaked out from time to time, bookended by two massive events in human history, this was a wonderful example of restraint and vividness. Highly recommend. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the great opportunity to review.

Isabell Allende knows how to tell a story like no one else. She captivated me with The House of the Spirits - which became one of my favorite books of all time - and Eva Luna. In her most recent novel, we follow Violeta del Valle, who is telling the story of her life to a beloved person named Camilo, a figure the reader will get to know further in this book.

Violeta was born during the Spanish flu outbreak and when she talks about it, it feels much like what the world is experiencing nowadays, like the lack of masks for workers in the front lines, the stay-at-home measure to contain the spread of the virus, the use of medicines without any proven efficacy. During the first years of Violeta’s life, she did not have any manners, she did not know how to dress, how to feed herself, and behave properly, always throwing fits. She still slept in a cradle next to her parent's bed.

So her father hired an Irish private tutor whose name was Josephine Taylor. Miss Taylor did not tame Violeta’s rebelliousness but taught her the basic societal norms or accepted behaviors. The protagonist grew up and became a woman ahead of her time, a businesswoman with a free soul who lived for 100 years. Violeta del Valle lived through the Great Depression of The United States, telling us readers how it affected her country, her family business, and the fate of her whole family. She lived through World War II, Cuban Revolution, and through the military coup and dictatorship in Chile. This last historical event had a great impact on Violeta’s life and is a recurrent theme in Allende’s novels. The protagonist also discusses the end of the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and ends with the COVID-19 pandemic.

I love how the author writes strong, female characters. Violeta embodies strength with intelligence and compassion, she is a free woman who stands up for herself and who does not spare efforts to achieve what she aims for. She also worked helping women victims of domestic abuse. Violeta is empowered and driven. I also like all the historical background depicted in this coming-of-age novel. With magnificent prose, you end up in this book wishing Violeta had lived another 100 years, only to read what more she would have to say about herself. I highly recommend this book.

My Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐/ 5 stars

This is a beautifully written, coming of age historical fiction about Violeta Allende’s life growing up in Chile. It is written as a memoir to her grandson spanning from the time of the Spanish Flu to the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020.
The cover art is stunning.

It is a slow burn and the tone/pace remains pretty much the same throughout no matter what is happening. From her family losing everything from the stock market crash in 1929 and moving into the countryside with nothing, falling in love with a dashing pilot, having children, and the wars/protests for democracy and women's rights - it all seems very uneventful. However Allende writes so beautifully that you feel that the memoir was from someone you had met before and just learning about their life. Torito’s story broke my heart and I wish he was explored more than the short moments.

Thank you to Ballantine books and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I’ve been meaning to read Isabel Allende for awhile, as her name is one that I’ve been hearing more and more. Violeta is a beautifully told story and I appreciated learning a bit about Chile’s history. But overall I wasn’t blown away by it because of the style. The story is written like Violeta is writing a long letter to her grandson. In doing so, I was being told what happened during her life whereas I would have preferred feeling like I was experiencing it with her. A lot of the story also felt like it was about her daughter’s drug use in the United States. I wish it had concentrated on events in Chile, or even just kept the setting in Chile so I could experience more of her country in some way. Unfortunately, many of the characters fell very flat to me and I don’t feel like I got to know many of them very well. While some moments hit their mark, other emotional moments felt empty. Overall I was underwhelmed, but I do think this could make a lovely movie.

Thank you to Netgalley & Isabel Allende for my copy of Violeta, for an honest review. This story, in essence a 100 year old diary of the main character Violeta.. She came into the world in 1924 during the Spanish Flu and would pass in 2020, during the Corona Pandemic. It is true Violeta has lived a very interesting life, with many interesting twists and turns.. she is also surrounded by many people who are so different.. She is a strong minded woman who is at the forefront of woman’s rights, in an unknown Spanish Country.. She was born into a family of boys, with two parents. Right from the start her father is a shady business man & his family will suffer from his poor business deals.. The family heads to the country side and all but one boy leaves Violeta and her mom & aunts.. They do ok for themselves. Life is hard but they get through.. as time progresses Violeta gets married, has an affair becomes a mother a business woman and a grandmother.. and a feminist.. she lives a busy life and feels after 100 years she is at peace.. Her life happens to follow major events of the modern day. I felt like this book was kind of boring… Even with all the events Violeta must face… plus there is just so much sadness, throughout.. I am not a huge fan of endless sadness.. the characters were ok.. I felt like Violeta, writing this letter was a bit condescending to her grandson.. I don’t know just wasn’t my cup of tea.. I did finish it and it seems my opinion is not like most but that’s how life is.. I have read a few books by Isabel Allendale and will read more.. I am just a bit disappointed.. until the next read…

I’m such a fan of the sweeping, historical narrative fiction that Isabel Allende writes and Violeta continues in that vein.

The story follows Violeta Del Valle from the time of her birth amid the Spanish flu pandemic to her death during the Covid pandemic. These events bookend a life that is filled with family, love, and loss. We see Violeta go through the highs and lows of a long life with the backdrop of South American history unfolding. The book is written as a series of letters to Camilo, whose significance to Violeta’s life unfolds about two thirds into the story.

The book is beautifully written. At times the pacing was slow and difficult to keep track of the timelines, but generally I really enjoyed this.

Content warnings: references to physical, sexual and verbal abuse, drug addiction, death during childbirth, kidnapping

Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for the early copy. All opinions are my own.

Violeta del Valle knows it’s time to tell her story. She pens a lengthy letter to her grandson, Camilo, documenting and detailing her life, spanning a century, from 1920 to 2020. Violeta is her story, in her own words. I have often thought about writing my life story and what better way than to write it as you would write a loved one. It added such a personal touch, deepening the connection between reader and character.

One unique aspect about Violeta’s story is that she was born during a pandemic, the Spanish flu outbreak, and now she is dying during another pandemic, the COVID-19 pandemic, which is remarkable, and oddly thought-provoking.

Violeta went through quite a bit in her century on this earth, but while I was reading I was so captivated by her narrative that it felt like mere moments. I was so absorbed that I seriously felt like this was a true account of a woman’s life, the writing felt that real. I even had to verify that it was in fact fiction and that I didn’t misread the synapsis, which is something I don’t think I’ve ever done before. Violeta’s story stuck with me long after I read her last words, my heart not wanting to let go.

There really wasn’t anything distinguishable about this story, but there is a magnetism that grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go. Violeta lives a life with experiences that are unique in some aspects, but others as old as time. Sex plays a major role in Violeta’s story, especially when she meets her second husband (a story I don’t think I will ever forget!), but the intimate details are not too descriptive, while still giving enough details, which is something I appreciated.

I was captivated by this vivacious woman, who lived life on her terms, even if it was frowned upon by others. Her tenacity was inspiring, being an empowered woman, and helping to empower other women. I loved the author’s writing style, the ebb and flow of the narrative was so natural, it felt like I was listening to a story from my own grandmother, and I felt my heart break a little when her story was over, wishing she would have lived longer, to tell another tale.

This is the first book that I’ve read by Isabell Allende, but I can guarantee it will not be my last. I fell in love with her writing style and storytelling talent, so unique, and powerful. I am grateful and thankful I had the opportunity to read this novel, and cannot recommend enough.

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Violeta by Isabel Allende tells the story of a woman’s turbulent life, through letters she’s writing her grandson. Isabel Allende is a Chilean-American novelist, is known for focusing on women’s experiences, especially in Latin America.

Violeta was born in 1920, the first daughter born to a family, who have five sons, in the midst of the Spanish Flu. Violeta was lives through extraordinary events, from World Wars, family tragedy, loves, lost, political turmoil, as well as women’s rights.

I always enjoy books by Isabel Allende, some more than others as we all do undeniably. Violeta is, generally speaking, no different than the others. The book is a well written and insightful, about a fascinating culture I know very little about.

Violeta’s grandson, a troubled teen now a Jesuit priest, is the person she tells her life story to. Violeta was born in Chile (I assume) during the Spanish Flu, and is recounting her story during the times of COVID. A life lived from one pandemic to the next. Throughout she recounts her love affairs, two world wars, military coup, dictatorship, torture and murder of friends, family, abusive partners, and lastly living in peace with the love of her life.

As in other books of Ms. Allende, the theme is that of strong women, and certainly women’s rights. Violeta has a good head on her shoulders, doesn’t leave it up to her husband, family, or partner, to support her. She always makes sure that she gets a legitimate slice of the pie, always on the lookout for opportunities, while being cognizant of the suffering of other women. Thinking she is a strong, independent woman, in the twilight of her life Violeta realizes that she, also, was a victim of abuse and manipulation, even though she didn’t realize it at the time.

Altogether, Violeta was a solid 4 star book, until the last paragraph. That one, spoiler below, certainly put the book in a whole new perspective.

I rated this book a 4.5. This was the first Isabel Allende book I've ever read but I will be 100% going back and reading her other books. There were so many times throughout this book when I forgot I was reading a fiction novel and not a Biography it was so beautifully written. The book tells the story of Violeta looking back on her life in a letter to her grandson Camillo at the age of 100. Born in the 1920s in Chile, Violeta lives through many important events like the 1918 Spanish Flu, both World Wars, military coups and so much more. This book even takes you up to 2020. Violeta not only tells the story of a woman's life but of the world changing and evolving around her. Allende's character development and writing style made me feel so immersed in the book and I just could not put it down. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!