Typical Isabel Allende. A great read! I would highly recommend if you like this author. No one does historical fiction like her!

This author has created a character that is bold, brilliant, and fascinating. In this book, she has created a tapestry of historical fiction that reads like a memoir. I really dove into this book and was enraptured from the first paragraph. I felt that the end of the book just started feeling like it was a list of things and that ended well past where the natural ending would have been in my opinion. I think this book was really timely because it reaches from the spanish flu and the current covid pandemic. I felt that this book was such a triumph because it created a character that truly lived the human experience through loves, death, triumphs, and failures. Well done, Isabel Allende. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley,.

Oh, bother.

I have to assume (based on an overall 4.12 out of 5 at the time of this review) that my general disappointment in this book is likely more a ~me~ thing than anything wrong the book itself. I was as impartial as I could be with the star rating because the thing is, if I'm rating this book at face value as a work of historical fiction...yeah, it's a solid three star read for me.

If I were to rate this book as a work of historical fiction written by Isabel Allende, well, that's a different story.

Which is why I gave it three stars. I don't think it's fair of me to rate a book based on my expectations of the author when it's objectively not a bad book, it's just not as good as some of the other works I've read by Isabel Allende. My first and favorite was The House of the Spirits, years and years ago. Since then there's been A Long Petal of the Sea, Of Love and Shadows, and Eva Luna.

Violeta runs into the same issue I had with A Long Petal of the Sea, and that is that underneath all that gorgeous writing is a whole lot of really empty sentiment. There is some sort of emotional disconnect for me in both of these when I'm reading that just makes everything seem very flat and emotionless.

Her life encompasses a full century, specifically the years 1920 to 2020. Whether Violeta is focusing on the broader historical backdrop—born during the Spanish Flu pandemic, WWII, The Great Depression , military upheaval, on and on—or is focused on her lifetime's more personal tragedies (of which there were many. Realistic tragedies that could resonate with a lot of readers), there was this constant feeling that something was missing.

Anyway. Thinking I'll probably skip The Japanese Lover now since her more-historical-than-magical-realism books just don't seem to be hitting the mark for me. Gorgeous writing, unbelievably interesting historical backdrop, but just lackluster execution for me. Not bad by any stretch, but kind of a letdown after I was so looking forward to it.

Thank you muchly to NetGalley and Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The story of Violeta is told through her own narrative as letters to her grandson Camilo. We learn that the life of Violeta was never an easy one, from the beginnaing when born in the midst of the Spanish Flu in South America. We see the major historical events happening during her life through her own eyes and involvement. Violeta lived a life of strength, detremination and thedesire to stand up for truth and rights of all. Overall, the story tells of her love of family and life, along with the things she is most proud of and those that still fills her with regret. A very interesting story although I am not a big fan of the way it was written, as her narrative. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/ Ballentine Books for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #Violeta

Isabelle Allende's most recent novel "Violetta" starts off with a quotation from Mary Oliver "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" and the book sets out to answer exactly that. Violetta pens and then types a long and sometimes sad tale of her life from the time of the Spanish flu until current times, seeing the next pandemic of coronavirus. She want to leave her grandson Camilo, the love of her life, a testimony of her life. The book is divided into four sections: exile, passion, absence and rebirth and recounts in vivid detail those part of her life. There is love and loss, abuse and advocacy. There are many strong women and women who band together to help others in need. There is much information about Chile and South America and the government's corruption as well as how some of the characters benefited from that corruption. Violetta is a unique woman who grows and changes throughout the telling. I especially enjoyed the various love relationships she had throughout her life. The different needs she had at different times really was apparent when she described these relationships. I have read almost all of Allende's work and she is a master storyteller. This book took me to another world and made me want to know Violetta.

Violeta Del Valle was born in 1920. In 2020, she decides to tell the story of her life in the form of a letter, which is addressed to Camilo, the person that she loves more than anyone in this world. In the letter she recounts everything she has endured and how she was affected by some of the most important moments of the 20th century.

She divides her life in four chapters: exile, passion, absence and rebirth. During her life she has experienced great loss, love, happiness, wealth, poverty, sickness and health. In 100 years she has witnessed not one but two pandemics, political conflicts, economic crisis, social unrest and the fight for women’s rights.

Violeta was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it totally lived up to my expectations. As it tells the story of a woman over a hundred years, it’s the perfect combination of historical, contemporary and women’s fiction and it explores a wide range of emotions and lots of magical and Latin American elements. As a long time admirer of Allende’s work, I truly enjoyed Violeta’s story. I love how she always pays homage to important women in her life. Now I’ll be (im)patiently waiting for her next book which she started writing on January 8th, like she does every year.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House/ Ballantine Books for the digital review copy of this amazing book.

✨ Review ✨ Violeta (English edition) by Isabel Allende
In this book, Violeta writes the story of her life through an extended letter to Camilo, someone who she loves dearly. Born during the 1920 pandemic and writing during the 2020 pandemic, her century of life spans these two public health crises. While the pandemic focus is minimal, it appeals to some great curiosity of what life was like for people who witnessed both pandemics.

CW: mention of pandemics and public health crises (but VERY minimal discussion of COVID pandemic)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: historical fiction, literary fiction
Location: an unnamed South American country in the Southern Cone
Reminds me of: Silvia Moreno Garcia (without the magic/fantasy element)
Pub Date: Jan 25, 2022 🎉

This is a book to be savored slowly, not devoured, I think, and through the slow pace of the book, Violeta walks us through her 100 years of life - her family life, her great loves, life challenges, and multiple people fleeing from dangers the 20th century held for them. Because of the slow pace of the book, I don't think I realized how invested I was in the characters until close to the end when the book absolutely shook me.

Her writing is masterful, and I'm so glad that this was my first Allende book. I've been meaning to read her writing for years, and this definitely won't be my last.

As a historian, I love how this provides an overview of the last 100 years through the life of one woman. She shows the impact on her life of things like these two pandemics, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, various political movements, cultural changes (like hippie culture in the U.S.), los Desaparecidos and mothers advocating for an end to disappearances, women's rights activism, and SO MUCH MORE.

This book was incredible, but probably isn't for everyone. Read this if you like:
⭕️ slow burn, character-driven writing
⭕️ historical fiction
⭕️ learning more about South American culture and politics

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books, and #netgalley for an advanced ebook copy of this book!

Violeta, by Isabel Allende, is the epic memoir of a woman, facing death in her 100th year. The memoir takes the form of a letter to her beloved grandson in which she chronicles her life, from her earliest memories to her struggle with death. She is brutally honest and relentlessly chronological, with the facts of her life, the historical context of South America, and her relationships with lovers, family, and friends. While Violeta occasionally shares an insight about past events from the vantage of a long life, she generally leaves it to the readers (her grandson and us) to draw conclusions and make judgments.

Clearly, Allende deliberately decided that Violeta tells us her story. We don’t live it with her. She does not show us the action. She does not seek assistance from other characters. We learn her character through her memories. Like Allende, Violeta is indomitable. She changes as she learns and as circumstances require. Violeta sparked new enthusiasm for life past 60!

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read a digital ARC. It was a pleasure.

What an exquisite historical fiction novel written by the Chilean queen, herself, Isabel Allende! Once again, she wastes no time in transporting her readers into this epic saga. I was immediately drawn in by her gorgeous prose, her endearing characters, and her vivid settings.

Allende's newest novel is ambitious, and I am still in awe at the sheer amount of topics covered and handled with tremendous skill and grace.

I sensed this novel was a cautionary tale, especially when discussing the fall of democracy. I couldn't help but here our own political situation echoed in her words:

"𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑐 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑧𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠... 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑, 𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑖𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠; 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑛𝑜 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒, 𝑛𝑜 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒... 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑛𝑒𝑔𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛."

Sound familiar😱?

Thankfully, however, infused into the serious storyline, were hints of dry humor that added levity to the situation:

"...𝑎 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑀𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑙 𝑇, 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑡𝑦 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟."

"𝑀𝑦 𝑚𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑆𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒𝑑, 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝐸𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦'𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑢𝑝 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛."

Allende has truly outdone herself in this latest masterpiece!

Many thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for gifting me with this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've long been a fan of Isabel Allende, and this book confirms her talent and my love of her writing style. This wasn't my favorite of her books - it felt like it lacked a plot - but it read like an authentic memoir. I had a hard time remembering this was fiction. I enjoyed the broad overview of political and social upheaval over the past century, with nods to early feminism and the civil rights movement. However, I would have liked more context - there was no clear indication of a setting, or in which country this story actually was taking place, but there was reference to true historical events. I had a difficult time connecting to some of these events without the context of place. Even so, I was captivated by the story of Violeta's life over 100 years - from one pandemic to another and all of the life lived in between. The writing style and Allende's ability to capture the voice of this 100-year old woman was magical - my Grandmother used to write long letters to me with stories about her own childhood and young adult life and Violeta's voice reminded me so much of the way my grandmother told her own story. It is a beautiful way of speaking through writing that I believe is unique to that generation, and I was impressed by Allende's ability to capture that so perfectly with this character. I would recommend this to anyone who has lived a long life, or hopes to.

Thank you to NetGalley, Isabel Allende, and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Wow! This book is so beautifully written and has left me teary-eyed. Actually, I teared up in a few places in this book. This does read like a memoir as the story of Violeta's life is told by Violeta to someone very important and beloved in her life. She was born in 1920 during the Spanish flu pandemic and later as a woman of 100 years of age lives through another more recent pandemic. Violeta's story will stay with me for a long time. Of the books I have read by Isabel Allende (and I still have many more to read), this one is my favorite. She is an amazing and gifted storyteller. I highly recommend Violeta.

Thank you to the Ballentine Books and NetGalley for the review copy.

Award-winning author Isabel Allende returns with a sweeping epic relevant to our times. Born amid the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1920, Violeta lives through 100 years of events only to die during another pandemic. The narrative demonstrates how major historical events can shape a life. Furthermore, money can isolate you from historical events for a while, but it soon comes marching to your door.

The Spanish Flu is raging in 1920 Chile. Violeta is born amongst the chaos. The Rivas family, with their wealth and status, are largely unaffected. The patriarch mostly gains wealth through swindling people Trump-style, even his own family. His luck runs out during the financial crash of the great depression. The family must escape their failure and shame. The family splits up with some living with extended family on a rural farm. A culture shock for the family they must rebuild their lives and their good name.

Violeta and her brother Jose Antonio find success building houses. Violeta finds a suitor for marriage. Things seem to be going very well until she meets Julian. A rake of a man who ends up ruining her, although unhappy, marriage. It sets her on a course for hardship and heartbreak. Their children will take separate directions. The son is a revolutionary with the daughter gets mixed up with drugs. Even though Violeta has built successful businesses, it does not isolate her from the horrors of dictatorships, natural disasters, or her husband's collusions.

A sweeping epic that tells the tale of one life shaped by history and tragedy. We see each pillar in Violeta's life fall while she must preserve. Her big epiphany is that she is not immune from life's events. They come to great you no matter who you are.

I unfortunately could not get into this book. This book started off very slow but I persisted and still found myself not getting fully immersed in the story. There were far too many characters thrown at me at once and I found the stories of Violeta’s life were just skipped over, never going into detail. This was a flop for me.

“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. At each crossroads or fork we must decide which direction to take. These decisions may determine the course of the rest of our lives.”

A detailed history of the life of Violeta, this novel spans 100 years, bookended by two worldwide pandemics. Written as a series of recollections to her grandson, she shares her memories of the various stages of her life and the people she lived it with and encountered along the way.

The protagonist lives through the deaths of loved ones, poverty, wars, regime changes, natural disasters, economic collapse, and multiple romantic and familial relationships, all of which are chronicled in this account. The book interweaves Violeta’s personal story with the socio-political events that shaped Chilean history during the course of her fictional life. We join her as she recalls a life full of passion and heartache, adventure and adversity, poverty and privilege.

Allende is such a talented writer, and her language throughout is simply beautiful.

Some of the stories the protagonist shared in the account of her life struck me as odd to me since the audience was her grandson, like the history of birth control and the details of her sex life. I also feel like we got bogged down a little bit in the political turmoil in the second half of the book, though I understand it’s probably necessary in understanding her life at that point in time.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and will definitely be looking for more books by Allende in the future!

A mesmerizing story of Violeta del Valle born the only girl in a family of five boys during the Spanish Flu pandemic. This story is about her loves, family and hardships living a life that started out very influential and wealthy but changes many times throughout her long life. She discovers that being a woman costs more than just money and so starts her life for justice for the female bodies in the world.
Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this long but very good book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Fascinating novel that spans over a century over continents of the storyteller’s life. Ms, Allende, with extensive research of the events and description of the countries, mentioned by Violeta, the nearly centenarian, who is writing to someone she dearly loves. It is a tell-all tale—from birth to everyday to special events, from poor to wealth to poor to wealth. A classic written by an author of color; this book ranks in my own Top Ten books I have read. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for an advance review copy. Amazing that in 100 years we keep repeating how people treat one another but if you enjoy historical fiction and women’s fiction make this book your next read.

Violeta, who was born during the Spanish influenza pandemic and turns one hundred years old during the coronavirus pandemic, writes a memoir to hand down to her grandson Camilo.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Isabel Allende, and in fact have several others of her books on hand, piled in the tottering tower that is my TBR list. However, this is the first book by her that I’ve read, and it did not reach the heights I was expecting.

Not that this is by any means a bad book. The writing is so excellent that I slipped through the novel almost without realizing it, coming up for air at the end like after a swim in an extremely placid lake. I found the storyline interesting, following as it does the ups and downs of such a long life through such varied circumstances – Violeta lives in poverty and wealth, has romantic attachments with a variety of personalities, has complicated relationships with both her children, and ultimately turns to activism in her old age. She makes both wise and reckless decisions throughout, and is brave enough to own up to them.

However, I felt like the novel was oddly lacking in emotional impact. There’s a lot of bad things that happen to Violeta, but they felt almost glossed over at times. This may be because Violeta at the time of the writing is so far removed from those previous events of her life, but I felt that this does the reader a disservice. The only time where I felt emotion really break through was with Nieves, her daughter.

I also had trouble getting close to many of the characters. Those written about earlier in the story, such as Miss Taylor and Júlian, are more vivid than those who enter the tale later on. Violeta herself is hard to peg, despite being the narrator and main character – perhaps it is because she stands in the reader’s blind spot, as the purported author of the memoir, but I did wish we got to know her better.

Overall, a decent read, but I expect not one of Allende’s best.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

2.5 stars sadly.
I was really expecting to love this more than I did. In fact I didn’t hardly even like it. The writing is as you would expect from an Allende novel. She’s an amazing storyteller. The storyline however was not for me. There was ALOT going on. Of course, because it’s the story of Violeta 1920-2020. She loved 100 years and experienced every thing you could imagine and it’s shown by way of her life and relationships. But there was too much skimmed and I didn’t connect to anybody and I just felt that the storyline went on and on, Thank you for the review opportunity.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the gifted digital Advanced Copy of VIOLETA.

VIOLETA is about Violeta del Valle, who was born during the Spanish flu pandemic in 1920 and died at the beginning of the coronavirus in 2020. The writing is eloquent and poetic. I could follow the story. This novel is rich in historical details. It is always a joy to read novels written by Isabel Allende.

Violeta Del Valle was born in 1920, in the midst of the Spanish Influenza pandemic, and died in 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. She lived an extraordinary life filled with extraordinary events, including the fall and restoration of democracy in Chile, World War II, the advancement of the rights of women (including suffrage, the ability to divorce, and the right to an abortion in some circumstances), several tumultuous love affairs, and the birth of children and grandchildren. Violeta's life was full of love and full of courage, and is beautifully told, as always, through Isabel Allende's incredible storytelling. Like all of Ms. Allende's novels, this book was educational as well as entertaining. The vivid characters lived through many real-life historical events, which were described with accuracy and intensity. The writing truly makes the past come alive. I was completely mesmerized by Violeta's life. Fans of historical fiction who appreciate a well-developed strong woman protagonist will devour this incredible book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this phenomenal book in exchange for my honest review. Five beautiful stars!