The style of the writing is unusual. It is written as a letter. The author manages to pull this off amazingly.
This is a remarkable work of historical fiction

Allende is such an established author in the Historical Fiction genre, and this book was no exception in its depiction of the Spanish Influenza.

(Sorry, I read this so long ago I don't remember much about it other than that I thought it was interesting, so gave it four stars on GoodReads)

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I received an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing, and the author Isabel Allende.
I thought this was beautifully written with incredibly vivid characters and settings. However I could only give it three stars as it lacked the passion or urgency to keep me completely gripped. There was something missing that stopped it from being un-put-downable, although it did have most of the ingredients for it. Would still recommend it!

I’m late to Isabel Allende, and so this is only the third book I’ve read of hers (A Long Petal of the Sea and The Soul of a Woman are the others).

Violeta tells the story of a woman’s life over 100 years. It starts during the Spanish flu and it’s terrible repercussions, and goes on through both tumultuous political times and Violeta’s own turbulent past - her life and her country’s history pretty much mirroring one another.

I felt consumed by this story and I’d come up for air, wondering why on Earth I hadn’t heard of Allende before A Long Petal?!

This, I believe, is the history of Chile and there are a fair few autobiographical bits of Allende’s own life thrown in for good measure. What a life the fictional Violeta and her family experience - and what a force Violeta is. She needs to be as well.

I can’t believe that 100 years could be fit into such a relatively short book without it feeling rushed.
It really is a wonderful read.

Allende's books are epic and deal with history and family dramas. And this is no different. We learn about the life of Violeta Del Valle, a woman who was born during the Spanish flu outbreak in 1920 and dies 100 years later during another pandemic.

Violeta is a strong woman way ahead of her time. There are so many great characters throughout the book. And I love learning more about the turbulent history of Chile.

I found it dragged a little in the middle, but it soon caught my attention again and I did love this book.

Violeta is a letter to a person called Camillo about a girl born in South America during the Spanish influenza. Like a lot of Isabel Allende's books you take a dive in to the culture and period, live a whole life and come up for breath not having aged much yourself but feeling like you've experienced a whole life. The story shows the ups and downs of society; economic booms and busts, civil wars and consequences choices made. There's love, loss and some really interesting characters that you can't help but warm to. I really enjoyed this book, I loved the colour, depth and especially how Violeta grows over the years into a woman of admired strength.

Such an interesting story spanning 100 years.

The book is written as a fictional autobiography of Violeta. She is telling the story of her life to someone; who at first, we do not know who this person is. The writing as always is so very beautiful by this author.

I was mesmerised by the story which begins with the Spanish flu epidemic. It was certainly educational as well as a good story. That is until the politics began and I lost some interest for a while. Fortunately the characters who come in and out of Violeta's life are interesting and I read on wanting to know what became of them.

What can you say about a book by one of the greatest writers ever? This is superb novel tackling the history of Chile across the 20th century in the form of a history of one determined woman. We get to see a country that has been ravaged by violence for decades yet refuses to cave in. If you wanted to learn about Latin America's turbulent past, you could not do it in a more entertaining way. The biographical elements of Allende's life give this novel that something special that it stands out. Five stars from me!

‘One extraordinary woman.
One hundred years of history.
One unforgettable story.’

My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Violeta’ by Isabel Allende. The English language translation is by Frances Riddle. I subsequently purchased its ebook and audiobook editions. My apologies for the late feedback.

This novel is a fictional autobiography that details the life of Violeta Del Valle, born in 1920 in an unnamed South American country during the Spanish influenza. It closes as Violeta’s long life comes to a close during the pandemic of 2020, creating fitting bookends.

‘Violeta’ is an epistolary novel that takes the form of a long letter from Violeta to her grandson, Camilo, intended as a testimony of her life. She reminds him to burn her old letters following her death describing them as overly sentimental and often cruel. She writes: “This recounting of my life is meant to replace that excessive correspondence.”

Despite its modest length ‘Violeta’ is epic in scale covering the hundred years of Violeta’s life, her various relationships, and the events and upheavals that she witnessed along the way.

I find Isabel Allende’s writing both beautiful and assured. She is one of my favourite authors of literary fiction and I always find myself completely drawn into her richly detailed narratives.

Violeta is the story of the titular character, Violeta del Valle, told in her own voice as she writes the account of her life for the person she loves most.

Born in South America during one pandemic - the Spanish flu - and writing as an old lady of almost a hundred years old during a second pandemic - coronavirus - this was a sweeping, all consuming account of one woman's life during periods of great tumult and economic downturn. I loved how we first meet Violeta as a baby, and then are swept up with her for the duration of her life, bearing witness to her love affairs, political dramas, and travels.

At times, I felt the story leaned a little heavily into the political side of Violeta's life, which was by the far least interesting aspect for me, but on the whole I was engaged throughout. I really love a novel where you feel like you know a character inside and out and have spent what amounts to their whole life with them by the end, and Violeta certainly achieved that. I also liked the epistolary nature of the novel.

Isabel Allende is clearly a respected author for a reason, and I would highly recommend this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, and to the publisher, for providing me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Charting the life of a woman over the course of a century, Isabel Allende's Violeta is an epic saga which tells the story of the eponymous protagonist, as she forges her life through the 20th Century, surviving love, loss, marriages, children, political upheavals, social changes and of course, not one but two pandemics.

Violeta's story begins in the midst of the Spanish Flu and we follow he from birth through a rapidly changing society. Her story is written as a letter to someone we know she loves, and she promises to lay all bear, and she truly does for often Violeta makes poor choices and is a singularly infuriating protagonist.

Whenever you think you might know where Violeta's story is going, Allende takes it in a different direction, leading to an incredibly original story which represents the experiences of women over the decades, living through political turmoil. At times it does feel like the personal elements of the story take over, with little time given to the progress of society, history and technology through the novel. Much of Violeta's life is shaped by these advances but she never passes thought or comment on them, and it would be wonderful to see the reflections of someone who has lived such a long and full life.

Allende is at her best writing these epic stories which are both deeply individual and personal but at the same time universally resonate with her readers. Violeta's story is touching and poignant and despite the hardships she faces it's hard not to say that she's lived a beautiful life.

Not dissimilar to other Allende works, this is another sweeping epic tale of Violeta. The saga starts in 1920s and continues in her first person narrative as she recounts her life to her grandson. As with many of her works, the experiences and adversities of the main character reflect the socio-economic and changing political face of life in Chile. From Spanish Flu, Great Depression, WW2, political tensions between right wing nationalists/ communists, covert US government interventions to present day. Allende’s books are always deeply emotional as we live the experience of the headstrong and feisty female lead. Also, very interesting to include some sympathetic indigenous and LGBT+ representation woven into the narrative. Allende fans won’t be disappointed.

🚨 CW : physical & sexual violence against women.

I found this book incredibly moving.

This wasn’t the kind of thing I would normally go for, but I loved it. It was written with so much compassion and kindness, I felt I knew the characters – flaws and all – like my own family.

Violeta is 100 years old and recounts her life in a letter to her grandson. The novel is a history of both her family, and Chile in general, between two pandemics spanning the period between 1920 to 2020.

Whilst I found it an interesting read from a historical perspective, I never really gelled with the characters. There were naturally great highs and lows in Violeta's life, but they were not reported with any great drama and I was left feeling rather flat as if it were a non-fiction description of events.

Isabel Allende is undoubtedly a worthy Chilean historian, but, for me, this did not work as a novel - it read as a centenarian simply narrating her life from the distance of great old age.

I've finished reading this book I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it. The concept of a 100 years from one woman's perspective was fascinating however, It was slow and a bit long for my liking but there were parts I found very engaging. However, when I put the book down I wasn't in a great hurry to pick it back up again but didn't struggle to either. For this reason, I think I'll go for 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Despite the promising reviews, this didn't really work for me.
Nothing stood out and I struggled to gel with the writing. The characters all blended together, so it was difficult to distinguish between them. Also, the plot didn't feel wholly original nor engaging which, combined with everything else, made it quite dull.

I think I'm in the minority here, so read other reviews if you're interested in the book, but it wasn't a good fit for me.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Always look forward to a new novel by Isabel Allende and this didn’t disappoint, totally immersive historical fiction at it’s best. Violeta is born during the time of Spanish flu and dies during the current pandemic 100 years later. Her country undergoes extreme change, enduring the Great Depression, political unrest and revolution during her lifetime, obviously South America but the country is unnamed. The lives of the multitude of characters within the story are deeply affected by these events and they adapt accordingly, sometimes being separated for many years.

Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers Bloomsbury Publishing for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review

Violeta is an epic story of one woman living through a hundred years of Chilean history, experiencing love, loss, joy and heartbreak. There are some great supporting characters and I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction.