Violeta was my first Allende novel, and I can fully see why she has a reputation for writing beautiful, sweeping, magical, romantic novels! I am a sucker for the 'old protagonist recounts their wild and varied life' genre, and this is a great addition to the canon. A rich and detailed walk through the twentieth century from the perspective of a bourgeois Chilean woman, Violeta walks a fine line between dumping historical fact and giving its heroine room to confront her changing worldview. At times, that developing political consciousness feels a bit forced (or lacks reflection--the stock character of the 'simple, kind giant' Torito played into ableist stereotypes). A worthy read nonetheless, particularly for someone curious about 20th-century South American politics and culture!

I love the way Isabel Allende writes her novels. I started the book and could not put it down. The life of Violeta was so beautiful. Full of hardships, richness, love, hate, adventure, a woman who really knew how to live her life to the fullest with what she gave to life. I found the story a page turner as I wanted to find out what was next in this woman's life. Every character was interesting and the life in the country amazing. Read this, you will be glad you did.

I have been a fan of Isabel Allende for many years. Once again she has written an engaging and intimate novel filled with details and character. The historic aspects are informative and interesting. I must mention, however, that she never identifies the country as Chile, it becomes apparent that is the country she is writing about. Is that to try to keep the book in the fiction venue? Is it because of political connections? Who knows. The fact she refers to other South American countries such as Argentina and Brazil, as well as the US and Norway, lends credence as interest. It is an engaging book, and I highly recommend it. Thank you for letting me access an advance copy.

Violeta is another beautiful offering by the great Isabel Allende. The saga follows Violeta's life and adventures from her birth during the Spanish flu epidemic till her death during the covid pandemic. It is a sweeping tale, full of characters and places and politics and emotions. In short, classic Allende.

It was interesting to view the world events of this century through the eyes of a wealthy South American woman, I was especially interested to learn more about the complex political scenes that took place there and also in Cuba.

Violeta is quite the iconic character. She lived life fully and experienced adventures all over the globe. She loved and lost, worked and suffered. Yet she survived, and thrived. Some of the characters surrounding her in this book have the potential for their own book some day! There were side stories and people who were introduced and then disappeared. I wanted to know more about some of them. They enhanced the journey.

I want to thank NetGalley, the author and Random House publishing- Ballantine books for this ARC of Violeta. Much appreciated!

I had a hard time getting interested in the title character. Beautiful writing but a tad... slow? for me? I'm not sure. I liked it but didn't love it.

Another sprawling and compelling work of historical fiction from Ms. Allende. While I truly enjoyed it, the device of "talking/writing" to Camilo got a little old. I'll still recommend to readers, but will likely recommend A Long Petal of the Sea before this one to anyone who is interested in Allende.

I'm honestly struggling a bit with how to rate this book. There weren't any glaring flaws with it; it had some beautiful passages and wonderful imagery in the writing. And there really was some stunningly wonderful writing throughout the book. Violetta's character was pretty damn incredible. But overall, the storyline simply didn't grab me like I wanted it to. I really wanted to be pulled into this book and not let go. But I wasn't. The best I can explain it is the format of the entire book being in the form of a letter just simply wasn't my comfort zone, and it made an otherwise good book fall flat for me. My other issue that smacked me in the face was the Covid connection at the end. I'm sure it was deliberate, since Violetta was born during the Spanish flu. But I'm just flat tired of books with Covid storylines, even in a minor way.

So for me, despite such beautiful writing, I can't get past what, for me, were some major flaws in the book.

4.5 stars, rounded up
This is only my second book by Isabel Allende, but once again I was entranced. She manages to weave personal stories into the details of the time and place.
Violeta is 100 years old and is writing out the story of her life for her grandson. Starting with the Spanish Flu, which hit Chile in 1920, the story progresses through the Great Depression, The Cuban Revolution, the Chilean military dictatorship and all the major stories of the 20th century. It was interesting to learn how those major events affected the country. “It’s a strange symmetry that I was born in one pandemic and will die in another.”
Violeta was a fascinating woman. She starts as a child of privilege, but after her father loses everything, she’s forced to learn to make due in a rural setting in a remote part of the country. She’s got a wild streak, a desire to do and see it all, to be her own woman. She’s also a passionate woman. She was so realistic I had to remind myself not to be so distressed by her often violent relationship with Julian Bravo, her lover of many years.
It’s a fine line with historical fiction between making us truly see the time and place rather than just telling the reader. Allende walks that line, doing a fabulous balancing act.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

I have been a fan of Allende’s work since I first discovered The House of the Spirits in the 90s. Violeta is a lush, vibrant novel that spans a century, starting in 1920 with the Spanish Flu in Chile until today. With this novel, Allende keeps her distinct style while creating something that feels fresh and new.

I absolutely inhaled this book. As a loyal fan of Isabel Allende’s incredible writing, this one did not disappoint. Following Violeta’s life over a 100-year span, her firsthand narration bears witness to many riveting periods of history, from her birth during the Spanish influenza pandemic, to exile in the Chilean countryside, to political upheaval and heartbreaking personal and familial strife. This novel is a testament not only to Violeta’s life, but also those of the people she is surrounded by and the lasting impact they have on her. While reading, I felt so connected to the characters, and the emotions they elicited in Violeta translated right off the page.

I recommend. Keep me engaged and interested, thank you for the advance chance to read this. I’ve already told family and friends about it

Violeta is a lyrical story that tells the life story of a character who witnesses 100 years of history - through the Great War, Spanish flu pandemic, Great Depression, and so on, she and her family show resilience and persevere. This book is well written and allows the reader to look back at history though the eyes of Violeta as her story unfolds.

I am a fan of historical fiction but admit that I knew little of South American history and was fascinated to learn about it’s history through the telling of Violeta del Valle’s story to her grandson through a series of letters. This is the history of the life and times of one South American woman spanning 100 years. Violeta del Valle comes into the world in 1920 just as the Spanish Flu becomes a worldwide pandemic. Her life ends in 2020 as COVID cripples the world with another pandemic. Although Violeta is born into an upper middle class family, everything is lost in the Depression when her father committed suicide. The family moves to a small farm in a remote area of the country. As Violeta comes of age, she takes us through not only her personal life events but the major events happening in her country and the world. WWII, political unrest, Democracy won and lost, Women’s Rights, love, passion, joy and sorrow, all the makings for an interesting and entertaining read.

I cannot believe how quickly this book brought me under its spell. This magical, wondrous story.

I was extremely impressed by the author’s writing; her words were woven together in such a way that I went through this story with the feeling that I had been given a great gift, the pages so beautifully presented.

I would recommend this title to anyone interested in historical fiction set in the 1920’s, life in South America during the early 20th century, sweeping family sagas, and daily life during previous pandemics.

I had never read Ms. Allende’s work before this title; I’m planning on rectifying that during the upcoming year.

I was in a mood for a historical fiction and this didn’t disappoint. I love books that follow characters from their early life to present day or death to completely tell their life journey, and that’s what you had here.

This woman experienced every major event of the 20th century, starting with the Spanish flu, and it’s all covered. Her upbringing and family life was very traumatic, but the whole time you felt like you were talking to an old friend about what has happened to her. The writing was beautiful, heartbreaking, and I learned so much between these pages.

My only criticism is it felt way too long - by the end, I loved Violeta, but I was ready for the story to be over. It just felt a bit dragged out, even for covering her entire life.

Nevertheless, this was a beautiful book, and it hits shelves 1/25. I would definitely read more from this author!

VERDICT - 4 STARS

Song Rec - “When You Were Young” - The Killers

Thank you @netgalley @randomhouse @ballantinecorp for this one!

I really enjoyed this book! Violeta, the narrator, is born in Chile during the Spanish flu pandemic and her life ends 100 years later during the Covid pandemic. This is the story of Violeta's life as told in a letter to her grandson. Violeta's story takes us through the Depression, WWII, the fight for women's rights, political upheaval in her country. Her story is extraordinary and beautiful and even though there is plenty of turmoil in her personal life, there is also great beauty and purpose. Her story is her legacy.

This is the beautiful, atmospheric book we’ve come to expect from Isabelle Allende. Allende spins a vivid tale exploring the history of Chile and the exceptional woman, Violeta, who lived through 100 years of it.

I liked how Violeta followed her own path in breaking free of many expectations of women. It was fascinating to read about class upheaval as Chile went through changes in political power, some violent.

One weakness in the book is Allende’s treatment of the servant characters. She oversimplifies them and writes them as if they want to be servants. This rubbed me the wrong way. That said, overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to lovers of historical fiction.

Beautiful story by Ms. Allende., written as a letter to one she loves. This is a treasure recounting one woman's life of 100 years, beginning with the Spanish flu pandemic and ending with the Covid pandemic. And, what a life it was. Violetta recounts her life of love, loss, wealth, poverty and all the upheavals of the 20th century.

The inimitable style that Isabel Allende provides is available to us once again.

I have read 6 books by this author previous to this one. The average rating of those is 4.5.

This book has similarities to my all time Allende favorite (and first Allende read): The House of the Spirits. Both take place in South America, for instance. This book falls a little short of that masterpiece, but still worthy of a read.

Violeta: sixth child and first girl. Born in 1920. 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. Her family is negatively impacted by the Great Depression, but survive.

Violeta tells her story in the form of a letter to someone she loves above all others, recounting devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, times of both poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy.

Very good read and perhaps priceless: it IS an Allende after all.

4.5 stars





READING PROGRESS

Thank you to netgalley for this ebook. Another gorgeously written novel from Isabel Allende. Violeta is born in a South American country during the height of the Spanish Flu pandemic. Her family is part of the upper class, and lives an insulated life. When her father loses everything during the 1929 stock market crash, the remaining family moves to the wilderness, and Violeta learns to live life without being cosseted. Violeta's story mirrors the events of the twentieth century. She is a women who works- at her family, her career, her love life. This sweeping story is engrossing and the prose (even with translation) draws you in.