Like most Allende, I lost sleep reading this novel. It takes place mostly in Chile and at times in the United States as well as Norway. Even Argentina is mentioned. It is a beautiful and descriptive novel about the life, from birth to death of the titular character of Violeta del Valle. Her loves; familial, romantic and life passions. I really enjoyed it but for me, it’s hard not to love Allende’s writing as she is in my top three favorite authors of all time. If you’ve ever enjoyed her work, this one will win you over as well. I liked how Violeta took responsibility for her failings but also thought on them and tried to be better.

Allende is brilliant, again.

She tells an intricately woven saga in the voice of the main character, Violeta, who is (mostly) sympathetic. In fact, none of the characters is perfect or one-dimensionally horrid.

The story begins when Violeta was a young child and moves chronologically through her life, except for some backgrounding sections of the other characters and the perilous political environment they endured. Their relationships ran the gamut between abusive and affirming, but all deeply felt and richly portrayed. The ending is exquisitely poignant.

Somehow, Allende brings together internationality, geopoltical shifts, political environments, people with widely diverse backgrounds, limitations, views, values and life experiences into a coherent, believable story. It should be recommended reading for students of history and cultures.

I have enjoyed several books by Isabel Allende. I appreciate her ability to craft wonderful characters and her flowing descriptions of life in South America and it’s history. That said, I didn’t really take to this book.

Told in an epistle format, it starts out strong. Violeta is born on a stormy night in 1920, during the Spanish flu pandemic. Her personality is fairly subdued in her early years. But once she meets Julian Bravo, she learns to live passionately (in both love and anger). We watch her family live through the Great Depression, wars, political upheaval, and other events in history. Violeta experiences love, loss, oppression, heartache, and rebirth in her 10 decades.

It was around the time of the great earthquake that my interest began to wane. I didn’t find many characters to cling to in this one and didn’t love Violeta. I found the chronological layout boring, to be honest. It felt like I was reading a history textbook. She’s a writer I admire and I will continue to read her work, but I wouldn’t recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for sharing an ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

I really wish I could give this book a better review but it felt like the author wanted to tell us a history lesson by weaving a story of a family into it. A little bit too unrealistic for one woman to experience so much.

I really enjoyed this book and the beautiful writing. It is a book based on family, friends, love, and heartache. The characters are well developed and there are many strong female characters, including Violeta herself, who I felt was "ahead of her time", as we like to say these days.
The novel is written as a letter from Violeta to Camilo reminiscing about her lifetime spanning over 100 years. Her life starts during the Spanish Flu and ends with Corona Virus. Violeta describes in her letter how the way of living in her country changes over time, the political power struggles over the years, and the people she meets along her journey and how they have shaped her life.
One thing that stands out to me is that we can always look back to history and see that life revolves cyclically. Many events that happened in the book are not much different to what we are experiencing today.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced eARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

⭐⭐⭐.4
This is my 6th author, Isabel Allende novel. Totally loved "he Japanese Love" and" Daughter of Fortune"..
I recently read “A Long Petal of the Sea” which, of course, was good. However, a different writing style than her other stories. This story is somewhat similar to that novel. The two novels I mentioned are still on the top of my fav list.
Violeta del Valle was born in 1920 and lived to be 100 years old ~ she lived as they say ‘A life well lived’. She experienced the Great Depression and two pandemics ~ the Spanish Flu as well as Covid.

This historical fiction is based on several true events.
Story is told by Violeta in letters to her grandson Camilo.
Perhaps this story is similar to Isabel Allende, who was born in 1942 in Lima, Peru.
Her fans are going to just loves this. True a few of us miss her original stories.

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 25, 2022.

I find all of Isabelle Allende’s books to be extremely well written, and she never fails to educates me about a completely different culture in a time in history that I know little about. Violeta is no different. Narrated by a 100 year old Violeta in the form of a letter to her grandson, we learn about her life in an unnamed South American country, and what a life it was! Since Allende is a political person, we read about military takeovers and right wing governments that have caused an incredible amount of violence during her lifetime, from 1921 to 2021.
What saves the book from being a history lesson is the story of her love life, her children, friends and family. Her descriptions of the cities and rural places Violeta lived, her family sagas, and her wide range of complex character development in this book compelled me to read the book in a few days. I did not want to put it down.

Masterfully written! The descriptions were written so vividly and realistically, everything felt very real. Violeta was such a great main character; headstrong, ambitious, and determined. I felt a rollercoaster of emotions as she recounts her experiences amid global events such as the Spanish Flu and the Great War; with Isabel Allende’s prose, it was hard to not to feel sympathetic. The backstories for the side characters made them feel more real. Even if some had minimal dialogue, you would know their personality and what they were good at. The ending was fitting, only a bit underwhelming for me.

Gorgeously written as always. There’s something about Isabel Allende’s writing that once I start I find it difficult to stop. Like A Long Petal of the Sea, this is a realistic historical novel that weaves personal history alongside that of global history. The story spans a hundred years (1920 - 2020) – beginning and ending with a pandemic – and is told through letters written by Violeta Del Valle to a man named Camilo.

The book isn’t much on the plot, it’s more like a legacy. It’s Violeta narrating her life experiences in South America. Isabel Allende wrote everything so smoothly and vividly, I felt like I was there with her. The story itself was intense, often heartbreaking and nostalgic. I don’t think this would have worked had Violeta not been such a great main character; had she not been so ambitious, headstrong, and determined to have her way. Her putting men in their respective places was one of the best things in this book. For each place in South America she visits, the cultures and customs were also very much distinct; so were the family dynamics, sometimes it drove me crazy. The side characters were well-written, the backstories provided for each made them feel more real and made me more sympathetic to some, incredibly mad at others. There was something here I didn’t expect to see in a novel like this but I was happy for its inclusion! (don’t want to say what it is, may be a spoiler). However, there were instances in this book wherein I felt bothered, although it’s nothing I haven’t already read in A Long Petal of the Sea. As for the ending, it was satisfying but left me a bit underwhelmed. Despite that, I thought this was a very heart-wrenching, thought-provoking read. I think this will stay with me awhile.

I have been a fan of Isabel Allende for some years. Her books always manage to mesmerize me and “Violeta” is not an exception to that rule?

What an enchanting story. The long life of an extraordinary woman; her experiences with the “disappearing” in Argentina, her many loves and lovers, her work for the benefit of women. What an amazingly well lived lived 100 years of life the main character in this story lead! Written as a long, last, letter from Violeta to her grandson (who she raised), the books radiates pain, sorrow, joy, and the everyday struggles that mark the lives of everyday women.

As always with this author, my only complaint is that the book ended too soon! I am grateful to the publisher for granting me the delight to red this powerful novel early.

Thank you to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley for the chance to celebrate this deftly written, expansive novel Violeta is the newest book from an established and justifiably celebrated Isabel Allende. Despite being a life long reader and fan of literary fiction and women writers, I actually did not read my first book from this author until last year but was an immediate fan of her writing. Violeta, written as a letter to her love, allows for a captivating examination of her life over 100 years, which means that the reader leaves with a full understanding of this character, her life, and her reflections. I am in awe of a writer who can write with such elegant vividness and create a world and realistic characters with words; this is a book that I am still thinking about after finishing it last night and, given a busy work week, that speaks to how much the writing moved me.

What stood out for me is the sense of connection that this book brought to me, a connection from pandemic to pandemic that never felt draining or hard to process but instead allowed for an examination of what it means to live during and through these times, what it means to not give in or give up when days and the world are filled with turmoil and unease. I appreciate a strong female protagonist and Violeta stands out as confident, nuanced, and vibrant, a woman who explored business, love, motherhood and her own place in her world during a time when women faced many challenges and barriers. I am a reader who also truly appreciates multi generational sagas, family dramas, and character driven stories that recognize the importance of the time in which the character lived. Reading such a well written novel from new to me favorite writer is a reward in itself but to have a book that captures so many themes and characters that resonate with me is an unexpected treasure.

This book reflects so much of why I love to read and why literary fiction and multigenerational sagas should be celebrated. I am grateful that I can have the chance to support this book with my reviews.

where to find my reviews for this book now and closer to publication date:
I will be sharing my appreciation and love for this wonderful book on instagram, my blog and book review sites. I am also an affiliate of bookshop.org and will add this book to my recommended upcoming books and my own personal favorites list. I will also be recommending this to my literary fiction book club as a must read next year and adding it to my personal friends and family book club reading list as well.

This is a beautifully relevant book in our current Covid world. The characters each perfectly written and serving the appropriate purpose in Violeta’s narrative of her life. I will highly recommend this book to all my book loving friends!

This is the story of Violeta, her life framed between the Spanish flu pandemic of 1920 and the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The story is written as a letter to a loved one.

Isabel Allende is such a master storyteller! Her writing is precise, blunt, funny at times and always touching. Through her lines she intertwines the coming of age story of Violeta, her family, her personal relationships and their interesting dynamics, with the sociopolitical situation in Chile during those 100 years. She does not sugar coat any passages.

Violeta's recount of her life is sincere and unapologetic. There are as many harsh themes in the book as one can think of, and then some more. There is political persecution and poverty, drugs and prostitution, mafia, love, domestic abuse, there is also beauty and friendship, love and passion, understanding and plenty history lessons. Violeta's life is so complex that it makes everybody else's look dull and simple by comparaison, not a bad outcome.

A very emotional novel, that reads fast.

I enjoyed the read and would like to thank @NetGalley @ballantine @randomhouse for the opportunity of reading this ARC #Violeta[EnglishEdition]

Violeta by Isabel Allende. A multi- generational saga of historical fiction is the 100 year life story of Violeta Del Valle, a woman born in 1920 in South America. The story is narrated through an epistolary monologue between Violeta and her grandson.

In typically candid Allende style, the vivid narration takes you through the history of an unnamed country in South America, through the Spanish Flu, the Great Depression, the rise and fall of democracies, the terrors of a military coup and a dictatorial regime, earthquakes, women's liberation movements and eventually the Covid pandemic. We follow her rising and falling fortune, her passionate love stories and her inimitable zest for life in the face of adversity.

The book is 400 plus pages but it's an easy fast-paced read. It was all the more special for me because I received an advance reader copy from @netgalley.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, multigenerational family sagas and stories about strong, independent women striving for success against all odds then look no further - this is the book for you!!
The book releases on 25th January,
2022. Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollinsbooks for the ARC

Thanks to Random House/Ballantine for my opportunity to read an ARC of Isabel Allende's Violeta.

The saga begins with Violeta Del Valle's birth in 1920 and ends one hundred years later, both events taking place during a world-wide pandemic. Violeta is the sixth child and only girl born into a wealthy family living in a South American "country of catastrophes." At the end of her life Violeta recounts her sometimes tumultuous experiences via letters written to her beloved Camilo.

After surviving the Spanish Flu pandemic her family is ruined during the Great Depression and goes into Exile living in a remote, rural area far from her family home. Despite the reduced circumstances her childhood ultimately provides the ability to face future challenges. She marries twice, has many love affairs and one common law marriage which produces two children and several grandchildren. Though never attending formal school Violeta becomes an astute business woman in later life partnering with her eldest brother.

Catastrophes abound in the course of Violeta's life, both personal and public. Her country is ravaged by earthquakes, political upheaval, poverty, misogyny, racism, war and corruption. She suffers through an abusive relationship, strained relationships with her children and more but in the end remains unbowed by the catastrophes of life.

Isabel Allende has written an expansive, harshly beautiful novel detailing the highs and lows of the last hundred years. The themes she highlights are numerous and daunting making the reader wonder if this is a cautionary tale for us to finally learn from. Fans will not be disappointed with this latest literary offering. Readers new to her work will certainly become fans as well.

Violeta was born in 1920, during the time the Spanish flu hit. The story is written in letter form from the 90 year old Violeta to her Grandson, Camilo. She tells him of the stock market crash that brought her family to financial ruin, causing her father to commit suicide. We learn about her greatest loves and her greatest losses. She talks about her governess who transformed her into the woman she became and she writes about her journey from a life of wealth to living in poverty.

This is a coming of age story, both for Violeta and her family. It has the most wonderful and jaw dropping twists and turns. If ever I could write a book, I hope it would be half as good as this. Five stars for this poignant, beautifully written story of one family’s saga through all of their trials and tribulations. Bravo.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest review.

“Violeta,” told in the form of a long letter written by the protagonist, Violeta, to Camilo, (whose identity is not revealed until later in the book), recounts the 100 years of Violeta’s life, beginning in 1920, during the Spanish Flu epidemic, and ending in 1920, with the Coronavirus Pandemic. The book covered a range of experiences, from her childhood, her brief marriage to a veterinarian from a German immigrant family, her long and painful relationship with a black market pilot who was an abusive womanizer, and historic events such as the casinos in pre-Castro Cuba, the various revolutions and dictatorships in Chile, as well as earthquakes, deaths, etc.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I liked the book, particularly since the first quarter dealt at length with the minutiae of Violeta’s childhood. However, I suddenly realized that I was thinking about the characters and events depicted in the book hours after I had put it down. This was probably due in part to the fact that despite the limitations of a letter as the type of narration, the author was still able to convey the intricacies of character for most of the numerous individuals featured in the book. Moreover, the events described above, including the impact on the characters, proved a fascinating read.

In sum, although the book included a lot of details about many characters and events, the book was still able to hold my interest once I had made it past the first quarter of the book, when the story finally began to pick up momentum. If readers are patient with the slow beginning, they will be rewarded by a richly told tale full of vivid characters and compelling Latin American historical events.

(Note: I have read many of Isabel Allende’s books, including some in Spanish, so I was thrilled when NetGalley and Ballentine Books provided me an ARC copy of the book in exchange for my review.)

I tried really hard to get into this book. I love historical fiction. But this story left me feeling flat. There was no climax. Just a retelling of someone’s story. Which I usually enjoy.

Random House|Ballantine Books 😘
WoW Thank You again for the opportunity to read yet again another amazing story!

Violeta by Isabel Allende is beyond beautiful and entertaining.
This is one of the best fictions I’ve read this year!
This was a completely engaging, beautiful, outstanding story!
The style of the storytelling is nearly flawless in every way possible.
I was immediately drawn into the historical fiction parts. Very fascinating.
And held my attention from the very page!
Violeta is one hell of A woman. And her story is beautiful!

I can't thank the publisher, NetGalley and Author for the chance to read this novel!.
I will post to my platforms closer to pub date!

Another beautiful, thoughtful and captivating book by Isabel Allende. This was a great way to learn history as well and see how it affected the lives of the characters in the book. It is singular in its vision and on whose history it is about. An enjoyable read!