Honestly very disappointing. It was boring and not much happened (despite it being literally over 100 years). Violeta was unlikeable, which is great in a book, but she was boring too. And both of those together do not make for a good book. This was not the caliber expected from the Allende name and I’m super disappointed. The idea is great but the execution was way too boring.

As she nears the end of her long life, 100-year-old Violeta del Valle recounts her life story in a memoir-like letter addressed to the one she loves best, her grandson Camilo. She was born on a stormy night in the midst of the Spanish flu pandemic and ironically, those next 100 years were also stormy for both the South American country in which she was born and the world at large. It's a fascinating story of a passionate woman who experiences much and makes many all-too-human mistakes. But I always think when you lay dying, it's not so important what you accomplished in life, but whether you loved and were loved that matters most.

I received an arc of this new novel from one of my favorite authors from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Kudos for the lovely cover art as well.

I have read many books by author Isabel Allende. starting with The House of the Spirits (from 1982) to her most recent novel, Violeta. She writes lovingly of the people of her native Peru, but not of it's historically corrupt government. She has a way of making historical events come to life through the characters in her books. While I liked the characters in Violeta, and appreciated the one-hundred year span of the story, I wasn't blown away by this book. I think the reason for this was the format that she used for the story's structure. It made it hard to connect with any other character besides Violeta, herself.

What I Liked:

Historical Details:

Although Violeta never tells us which country in Latin America she is from, we can guess from the details of the book that it is the author's home country of Peru. I really appreciated how she wove in the evolution of the country's political history along with the story. All I knew about Peru before this book was what Allende wrote about in The House of The Spirits. The brutal and corrupt military dictatorships of the late nineteen-sixties on through the nineteen-eighties, brought unimaginable heartache to civilians. But this book puts this in a larger historical context.

Characters:

Violeta begins life as a pampered child in a large, wealthy family, complete with an English nanny. But very quickly her family's fortunes change and the real strengths of the characters begins to show.

The nanny, Miss Taylor, shows resilience as she has to move on from being a nanny to making a life for herself in a new country. Once she is free from the social constraints of being a proper member of a rich household, she realizes she is drawn to Teresa, a free-thinking woman who isn't afraid to live life on her own terms. I loved these two characters and would love to read an entire book about them!

Violeta's brother, José Antonio, turns out to be a strong, dependable supporter of Violeta and her mother. As their father lost their fortune and later dies, the family is thrown into debt. But José Antonio does what he can to keep everyone together.

Violeta, over the long course of her life, has a number of relationships with men, and it is hinted that she had affairs with women, as well. Her longest, and most volatile relationship is with the dashing Julian. He sweeps her off her feet, and their passion turns her life upside down. But, Julian shows himself to be a brute. And for all of Violeta's strength, she just can't resist him. Their relationship is very complicated and I thought the author did a good job of exploring this.

What I Didn't Like:

Structure:

The story tells Violeta's life in a series of letters to someone in the present day. Much of the story centers around Violeta's love life. I just didn't believe Violeta (a one-hundred year old woman) would write letters freely discussing intimate details of sexual encounters! While we don't know until near the end of the book who she is writing to, this just didn't seem realistic.

The letter format also made the novel limited in scope to only Violeta's point of view. With such a rich array of characters to explore, I wish the book would have been written in more of a narrative style, so we could dig deeper into some of the other characters. I would have loved to read about Violeta's nanny and her affair with a woman. This was in a time when people would never be openly gay, so I wanted to know more about the obstacles the couple faced.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy- this was a book I was hoping to read when I first learned of it!

Reminds me of 100 Years of Solitude meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

What I Liked: I enjoyed the variety of events that occurred in Violetas life. It read like a memoir of a fictional women in a fictional country but with real life or real life-like events. Through the story we journey through the journey of South America over last 100 years

What I Found Challenging: the book, while interesting Plot- felt a bit detached for me. The narrator glossed over events sometimes in ways that felt boring and difficult for me to read and as result was a struggle to finish. I always struggle with books that have been translated - I’m sure it’s much more elegant in Spanish.

Literacy and Historical fiction at its best.

I've been waiting for Violeta for what it feels like a long time, and it did not disappoint. ​Violeta's story is mesmerizing and beautifully written and to be honest with you all I felt this story deep in my heart. I connect​ed with Violeta's character in so many ways, it was the good and the ugly of her character that made me love and appreciate her this much.

The fascinating ways of Isabel Allende to tell personal stories with such vivid details of time and a place. The story had no sense of urgency to be told because La señora Allende leaves no rock unturned & I absolutely love her for her magical storytelling ways.

I highly recommend Violeta to anyone who Loves a strong MC and who will be able to heart talks like Women Civil rights, Domestic Violence, Substance abuse, Dictatorships, lost of a loved one and overall injustice that rule those times.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Isabel Allende is one of those authors I keep meaning to read, but never seem to get around to. So I was very glad to be approved for her new novel, Violeta, from Netgalley. Now I was sure to read one of her books!

Set in South America (Chile?) Violeta is the story of Violeta del Valle as told by herself in a long letter to her beloved grandson. It’s a memoir of sorts, of a very full fictional life.

Violeta was born in 1920, in the midst of the Spanish flu pandemic, to a wealthy, conservative, and very traditional South American family. They were not much affected by the pandemic because of her father’s wealth and influence. However, the next shattering event, the Great Depression, hit them hard. It seems her father was a crook and his wealth was largely an illusion. So Violeta spends her formative years in what her mother and aunts referred to as “exile,” out in the country, in poverty. But here, all the previously “sheltered” del Valle women have more independence and seem much more content.

The novel follows Violeta through her return to the city, her first marriage, her budding businesswoman career, her affair with a dynamic but evil and abusive man (another wealthy, powerful crook), her difficult relationships with her children by this man, and how she finally moves beyond this. She lives out the rest of her life in healthy relationships, finding causes she can believe in. During this time, democracy in her country fails and a right-wing military coup occurs. The country descends into a brutal, violent dictatorship. The people in her life are either complicit with the new regime or are protesting and fighting against it. (The right wing coup is sponsored by the U.S. because it’s the Cold War.) The novel draws to a close in 2020, when Violeta, at the age of one hundred, is dying during another pandemic (though she does not die of covid.)

There is A LOT happening in this book. Many fully-rounded peripheral characters populate Violeta’s life and seem so real that I was swept along in the story. That said, I wasn’t all that emotionally involved. Violeta’s life was interesting, she lived through fascinating times, but there was a disconnect. Maybe it was because her wealth and privilege isolated her (though not friends and family) from the worst of the violence. Or maybe it was the distance created by the format of looking back over a life and recounting it. It’s a compelling story, but I didn’t find it a particularly moving one.

This is a lovely story of a long, full, passionate life. Violeta, born during the Spanish Flu, writes her life story as she is dying during yet another pandemic, Covid-19. No, she doesn’t die of Covid; she’s 100 years old and still has a sharp mind & feels compelled in her final days to share all she has retained of a life well lived.

This was an absolutely stunning piece of historical fiction! It genuinely felt like I was reading the memoir of an actual person with how detailed events were and how close I was left feeling to Violeta. Isabel Allende continues to be an incredible driving force of literary fiction!

My quest to read more internationally led me to Violeta, an epic saga of one woman’s life that encompasses a century of Chilean (and world) history. Written as a letter to her grandson, the novel follows Violeta’s life, from her birth in 1920 during the outbreak of the Spanish Flu to her death in 2020 in the midst of our current pandemic.

I went into this knowing virtually nothing about Chile, so I really enjoyed learning more about its history - which is why I want to read books set all over the world in the first place. I also really enjoyed Violeta as a character, but the letter format didn’t work for me. It felt too much like a listing of events than an immersive experience.

Like any life, there were interesting bits, but also bits that dragged. The pacing felt odd, with a lot of time spent on Violet’s childhood and her later years breezed through in summary. Overall, I enjoyed it more than I didn’t.

I was so excited to be approved for an ARC of Violeta by Isabel Allende. It was amazing! It's a perfect blend of realistic romance, history and biography.

This book is written as a letter from Violeta to her grandson Camilo. Violeta uses this "letter" to share her life story from her birth during a pandemic until her death 100 years later. She definitely had an adventurous, dramatic and sometimes tragic life!

Violeta's story begins when she is a child in Chile. Her father loses everything and commits suicide, leaving the family to survive without him. Violeta has the added challenge of being a girl/woman in a time where women not have anything without a husband. She is forced to recalculate and maneuver to survive many times. She makes friendships that last her lifetime and trickle down through their descendents. The honesty and realness of Violeta while telling her story will make you love her!

Violeta is very transparent in the telling of her truth. She bares it all- good and bad- so that the reader can get a true sense of the strong woman she is. Violeta is also very good at describing the political situations in her story which gives a clear setting to her actions and thoughts.

Violeta will definitely be in my top books read this year. It's such an honest and revealing story that will stay with me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this epic story.

Violeta will be published January 25, 2022. This review will be posted to my Bookstagram and Goodreads today and Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com upon publication.

Mesmerizing, Addicting and Full of Life

This fictional memoir is an exceptional epistolary triumph and I am thrilled to have new words from Allende, an international treasure.

I dare you to not project yourself into Violeta's mesmerizing account of her life and the impact history's significant events. But it's so much more. I could not put it down! An emotional, riveting first person story written exactly as you'd expect an elder to write to her grandson, with all the joy and angst of a life well-lived.

I wanted to like this so much. Violeta was my first fiction book by Isabel Allende, so perhaps my expectations were too high. At first, it seemed interesting drew me in, perhaps because it starts in 1920, with a pandemic that mirrors the one we are currently in. But after a while, Violeta failed to keep my attention. I think the biggest cause was that the storytelling felt emotionally detached. We were seeing life through Violeta's eyes, but I didn't feel any connection to Violeta herself. I didn't find myself rooting for Violeta through any of the hardships she endured, and towards the end, I struggled to continue picking up the book because it didn't feel like the story was going anywhere, even though it covers a hundred years' worth of history. I was perhaps waiting for the reason why Violeta chooses to begin writing this letter to Camilo, but that never came to be.

Also there are some comments that Violeta makes that were a little uncomfortable - not sure if that's showcasing the author's true thoughts, or a device to show that the narrator's flaws.

Similar to Soul of a Woman, if Allende had covered less ground and gone more in depth, this probably could have been more impactful.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

I was granted access to this book by #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #VioletaEnglishEdition

Violeta was born in 1920 in South America during the Spanish flu pandemic, she lives to be 100 - dying during the time of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. This is her story, written as a letter to one who is close and beloved by her. We follow Violeta from the capital city to a remote part of her country, to Miami, to Cuba, to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and even to Norway. She lives life with determination, passion, and a zest for life that is almost enviable.

Beautifully written, I could almost not bring myself to put this book down and would highly recommend.

I received a digital advance copy of Violeta by Isabel Allende. Violeta is scheduled for release on January 25, 2022.

Violeta is a woman looking back over her long (100 years) life in the form of a letter to someone she loves dearly. Through her life, she experiences passion and heartbreak, poverty and wealth, grief and joy. Woven through these emotional experiences are historical events including the fight for women’s rights, political upheaval, and two pandemics.

As I expected with a novel by Allende, this is a big story, covering a large expanse of time and space. It is also a novel with characters that are fully developed, particularly Violeta. While we do get her story from her perspective, which could mean she is doing some editing of her experiences, as a reader you feel as if you are truly getting to know this woman.

While the characters were very well developed, I was missing a bit of the world in this story. It primarily takes place in places I have never been, and I would have loved to have more of those locations described in the novel.

I did enjoy the device of Violeta telling her story to a loved one. For the first half or so of the novel, we are not sure who the person is she is speaking to. This touch of mystery worked for me, until it was revealed who she was sharing her story with. From this point forward, I was looking for a reason for her to share this story with this person. As a reader, I never got that, which made the story feel a bit incomplete. I found myself looking for the point of the story, the message Violeta wanted to share.

Violeta is an epic story exploring one woman’s experience of the world. While I did miss a bit of purpose, I still enjoyed following her through her life of love and loss.

Violeta was born in 1920, South America -The Camellia House is where Violeta spent her childhood - after her birth — we follow The Great War, The Spanish Flu, and The Great Depression.- for which we will learn a lot about her personality- temperament/naturally rebellious - her family, and Violeta’s governess, Miss Josephine Taylor an Irish immigrant with her own fascinating story— who eventually tamed Violeta’s childhood sassy inappropriate public behaviors. The height of her family to the destruction of the family by a Narcissistic father who destroyed so much. The learning out in the country to her becoming an adult. Violeta tells her story - in the form of a letter - to Camilo - her grandson. Her stories are endless, from 1920 until 2020 historical fiction. Though readers spend time learning about the men she loves, her children, people within her community, Allende is also careful in covering the major political events that occurred at the same time including the women's suffrage movement, the Cuban revolution, the Great Depression, the Chilean dictatorship, and more. The realistic portrayal of how Indigenous people were treated, adds the depth that is often missing from "approved" History books and the often cleaned up history taught in schools. 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.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, NetGalley, and the author Isabel Allende for providing me an advance review copy of this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- {VIOLETA - Isabel Allende}

Absolutely astounding! I am in awe of Isabel Allende’s powerful storytelling. Historical fiction is my favorite genre so she just won a permanent place in my heart for the masterpiece that is Violeta.
Violeta is such a strong female character - born in the year of the Spanish Flu and dying the year of the coronavirus pandemic, she lived her 100 years in South America weathering earthquakes, experiencing different levels of wealth and poverty, war and civil unrest, fighting against female abuse and injustice and riding the ever changing tides of love and passion throughout a lifetime. From the mafia, to drug addiction, suicide and spiritual awakening - Violetas life never has a dull moment. This book is so rich with history and shows so many depths of family and friendship I really felt drawn to it in a way I haven’t been to reading in awhile. I did not want to put it down. Thank you thank you thank you to @netgally for this gifted copy! I will be telling everyone about this book 🥰

This is a 100 year epic that truly reads like a personal letter from a friend. As you read on, you find out more about why it is written in this style, but I loved the writing throughout. The story covers so much history, so many personal events in Violeta's life, and so many themes. Yet, despite how much ground is covered in a relatively small amount of pages, nothing gets lost or feels rushed and you really feel like you know Violeta and many of the other characters throughout. This was on a lot of most anticipated books of 2022 lists and I think it will be on a lot of end of the year best books list too. It was definitely a joy to read.

Isabel Allende is a master storyteller, and Violeta is her latest proof of that. I was torn between a 4 and 5 star review, but went with the 5, since it's been a long time since a book touched me like this one did. I had read some of Allende's books many years ago, but lately had been favoring mysteries. However, when I heard this book was coming out, I just had to reacquaint myself with her writing. I was not disappointing! I love family historical sagas, and this book did not disappoint. In fact, I am inspired to go back over the list of Allende's writings and find more. Anyway, Violeta covers the 100 year period between the Spanish Flu and current day COVID. The stories of people who actually lived through both pandemics are fascinating. I am not familiar with much of South America, and Allende's writing painted a vivid picture of the landscape, both geographical and political, through this 100 years. Violeta was a wonderful character, and I really felt I liked each of the main characters for many different reasons. Allende definitely developed each character well and gave them all depth. I could actually feel their feelings in reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates good storytelling and especially historical family sagas.

From Isabel Allende comes her newest masterpiece, Violeta, that centers on the 100 year life of the title main character. Born in 1920 during the Spanish Flu epidemic, she witnesses some of the biggest events in the world throughout her life. As she narrates her life story to her grandson, she reflects on her achievements and her regrets, longing for a future where her grandson can grow up in. It's quite fitting that the end of her life is bookended by another pandemic raging across the world in 2020.

There's a sense of strength and determination that Violeta possesses throughout her life, as illustrated by her independence and struggle at each significant moment. She makes mistakes, of course, but she learns from them. And there's something about this quiet reflection that's quite uplifting, even in times of upheaval and strife. But as long as this story is, I sometimes wish I could have lingered in certain characters lives just a little bit longer. Seeing as we're spanning 100 years of Violeta's life, these people come and go, just as fleeting and ephemeral as a leaf on the wind. But again, it's this yearning for more of the same people and good times that makes it so relatable in our own lives. People come and go, and sometimes we wish for certain people to come back in our lives, knowing that that chapter is over. But there's always new chapters to look forward to.

This is a stunning book that is both singular and multi-faceted. The characters around Violeta all play a vital role in her life and in their community, whether for good or bad. It's as much poetic as it is heartbreaking, but from the embers of Violeta's story a new flame will start burning, bigger and brighter than before. It's a feeling that will stick with you long after you've finished the book.

This is a wonderful story that everyone should read.

It's Isabel Allende doing what she does best, telling a story. I loved how raw and open this book was. At times I was taken back by how open she was with her grandson. I think about how guarded my mom and grandmother has been at times because of what they felt they couldn't tell their children and grandchildren. I made me write down questions that I wanted to ask my mother and also questions that I asked my mom if she knew about my grandmother. It made us both realize just how little we really know about the people we love. This book was beautifully brilliant!