We follow the saga of Violeta's amazing life mainly through a letter to her beloved Camilo whose identity is only revealed later in the book. It chronicles the political and social upheaval in South America for much of the 20th century and we are shown much of the turmoil and corruption which impacted Violeta's life and that of her family. She is a strong character who succeeds against the odds in a world dominated by men and it is that strength which helps her survive and find peace. Another excellent novel from Isabel Allende.

It's interesting to see how the life lessons change Violeta herself, while allowing her to stay fundamentally true to her own nature. She becomes much more worldly wise in her old age, but it is her naivety which makes her such an appealing character and allows the reader to forgive her mistakes and missteps. Indeed, it was easy to empathise with her when she wrote about not understanding the greater political ramifications of certain events. One of the things politicans of all persuasions excel at is making the unpalatable sound not only reasonable, but often attractive, especially when compared with their version of 'the alternative'.

In literature, we often only meet a character as an adult, when their personality etc is fully formed and although they may change throughout the course of the plot, it's often as a direct result of a particular event, in the manner of an Ebenezer Scrooge. However, with Violeta, we witness the events of her childhood which mould her character and this allows the reader a greater insight into her mindset as she develops physically and mentally. Although she does change in reaction to particular events, there is much more of a feeling of steady progression in her maturity which although less dramatic, feels far more realistic than can sometimes be the case.

The plot does cover some incredibly dark themes, but it does so in a way that meant I never felt weighed down by them. Violeta's commentary on these themes and events was such that I never completely lost sight of the light and I think this is another thing that added to the utter realism of the book. People often find humour and hope in the darkest of times and Violeta's way of dealing with things always felt very in keeping with her character. I loved the fact that in a time when women were second class citizens, she refused to accept that and found ways to work around it in order to get the life she wanted.

Her asides to Camilo - the recipient of the letter she is writing - serve to draw the reader into the personal nature of the revelations, without a fracturing of the fourth wall and this works incredibly well because it serves to include the reader (it feels at times as though these asides are addressed to you personally) without pulling them out of the fictional world completely.

Full review will be on my blog 25.01.2022

Lovely new book by a brilliant author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read a digital arc in exchange for my feedback.

A really fantastic life narrated wonderfully. I knew a little about the history of South America but not told in such everyday detail so the historical aspect was particularly interesting. My only complaint would be the mention of covid at the end but it makes sense as her life started during a pandemic. In truth the thing that pulled me in to begin with was the author but I"m so glad I was able to read this. It's such an interesting story and I'll be reading more of her books in the future.

The description of this book says ‘she tells her story in the form of a letter’ which is what drew me in, I really enjoy books that are told in that form but this one didn’t live up to my expectations. It was told more as one long story with the occasional reference to her grandson Camilo who she has wrote this for.
It spans 100 years and covers every aspect of Violeta’s life, all the ups and downs, the relationships built and lost, the people she has met along the way and what she has learnt from all of this.
This book has such fantastic reviews that I really wanted to like it but I didn’t, I felt distanced from the characters and story, it was more like I was being talked to from a history book rather than being invited to share someone’s life journey. There was also a lot of political talking, sometimes too much, for me it detracted from getting to know the characters. It wasn’t all negative though, there were some poignant parts in it along with some laughs, I loved the nanny Miss Taylor, she brought a bit of light relief.
My thanks to Netgally and the publisher for an advanced copy of this title.

The story follows the life over the course of 100 years from 1920 of Violeta, born into an aristocratic but impoverished Chilean family. The story is narrated by Violeta as a long, slightly meandering letter to her nephew. I wanted to really love this book but the writing fell a bit flat for me and the story telling felt didatic. The result was that I didn't feel invested in Violeta or her story as much as I felt I could have been.

A poetically written fictional memoirs of a girl growing up in South America, spanning one hundred years from the Spanish Flu pandemic after WW1 to the coronavirus pandemic of 2020.
I was gripped by this story, the political backdrops and experiences of the characters, the passions and tragedies. It is such a wonderful, heartbreaking and beautiful book, capturing someone's life in all its tiny moments.

One of my favourite books is “The House of the Spirits” which I read many years ago always intending to read another book by Isabel Allende but for some reason or other, her books passed me by with the exception of the heartbreaking story “Paula”. I therefore leapt at the chance of reading “Violeta”. Thank you Netgalley. This has been a delight to read over the Christmas period when it has been possible to sit by a fire and read this beautifully written historical epic. The descriptions take your imagination to all the places where Violeta has lived. She is born in a pandemic and dies in the current pandemic that we are all living through. During her long life, she has lived through wars and political unrest. The characters are well depicted and the reader gets to know each one of them and feels Violeta’s passion. Violeta is talking via letters to her grandson. How I wish someone had written these letters to me!

The life and times of Violeta is an epic novel, a very detailed biography of the 100 year life span of the central character. Whilst the writing is superlative, as I would expect from this author, I found it difficult to connect with the various characters, and Violeta herself.
Another reviewer described this as being like a very interesting history book, and that is how I feel about it. At no point in the book does Violeta divulge which country she is in fact living in. This makes the political content of the book difficult to relate to, and hard to be interested in.
This is not an easy read, and is hugely descriptive, rather than character- driven. It is also very long. I was relieved to finally get to the end, it felt like a reading marathon.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

100 years of a life in an unnamed Chile, bookended by pandemics

Violeta recounts her life, as the first person narrator of Isabel Allende’s latest novel, within the structure of a confessional and history, both personal and political, written for ‘Camilo’ whose identity becomes clear during the course of the novel.

Born in 1920, to a rather privileged family, the first disasters loom early when the Spanish Flu hits South America, a year or so after it ravaged Europe.

Violeta is the only daughter in a family of boys, spoiled, wilful, tempestuous and a handful. Raised in part by a governess from Britain, changing family circumstances as the Depression hits, sees her brought up within a still loving, less urban, and more radical group of people

The twists and turns of Violeta’s own life play out against the history of her country, swinging between democracy and dictatorship.

This is very much a family saga, and much more anchored to realism than Allende’s early ‘magic realism’ writings.

Violeta herself is a flawed, likeable person, who makes many mistakes, (as do most of us!) often in response to the madness of love. She is fiery, open hearted, but also open minded, and develops hugely over her very long life. This book teems with a multiplicity of well drawn, complex characters, from quite a wide canvas of backgrounds and cultures.

I wasn’t completely satisfied with the structure of the ‘document’ which Violeta is writing for ‘Camilo’ – it is the account of her whole 100 year old life, and some of it is already known to the recipient, though the earlier parts may not have been.

Nonetheless, Violeta’s world is one I surrendered to.

3.5 rating, raised

The last review of the year: between Christmas and New Year’s Eve I finished Isabelle Allende’s upcoming novel “Violeta”, a perfect read for the “in between days” as I call them. I am always amazed at the limitless fantasy Allende seems to possess ever since her world famous “House of Spirits”. I have been a fan of her unique storytelling talent whether her narrations are set in South or Northern America or Europe, they have fairy tale, magical, epic qualities. “Violeta”, her latest book coming out January 25nd (thank you Bloomsbury for the early galley) is firmly moored in that tradition. Violeta Del Valle, the heroine of the book, reaching the end of her tumultuous, rich life shares her memories in a letter to a relative, you find out later who it is. Born into a rich, entrepreneurial family in the 1920ties with a typical patriarch of a father, the family fortune takes a turn for the worse losing their entire wealth during the Great Depression. With her father’s death, they are forced out of their mansion and Violeta and her mother find a new home in a remote rural part of the country. Allende never names the country but in my view it is modeled on Chile, her home country, as are actual historical events she weaves into her heroine’s life story It is a perfect escapism, a great story full of drama, passion, heartbreak, love and historical events.

Violeta's life story spans a century, from one pandemic to another.
It will appeal to fans of family sagas, to those who enjoy literature with feminist themes, and to anyone looking to escape into a narrative that is detailed, rich and a little magical.
The translation appeared seamless - I forgot I was reading a work that had been translated into English.
I don't want to give too much detail as I don't want to spoil it, but it seemed as though every aspect of the story had been thought out very well.
Many characters are featured, and I came to love the lovable ones very dearly, and to be glad if and when the less lovable ones received their just desserts.
The imagery of the tropical settings and city scenes alike was excellent.
Overall, I would really recommend this book.

Review copy supplied by NetGalley

Violeta arrived on this world on a dark and stormy day in 1920, a hundred years ago. The first daughter amongst five sons, her birth is the first of many extraordinary moments in her life.

The Great War has left a mark on the world, the Spanish Flu is ravaging its way through her homeland and the Great Depression is looming in the not-so-distant future, waiting to threaten the life she has always known. And this is just the start for Violeta as she grows into a beautiful young woman in an ever-changing world.

Now, after an entire century of life, Violeta pauses to write a letter to her precious Grandson, one she has loved more than most, reliving a journey of love and loss, and of major turning points in modern history through her own eyes.

There's a reason that Allende is the undisputed Queen of magical realism - she invokes a sense of beauty and wonder, finding light even in the darkest of nights. And we definitely go through darkness throughout this epic novel - wars, pandemics, poverty and loss are just some of the trials Violeta lives through, along with the harsh truths about being a woman and a Mother even a hundred years ago and the dangers it held simply to exist.

Told through a poignant and touchingly honest letter, Violeta not only manages to convey striking emotion but stunningly mesmerising settings and gentle, almost poem-like prose that flows seamlessly into one another like a dream.

Allende knows there is love at the heart of every story - and never fails to bring it to the surface and reveal it with tenderness and joy.

This book gripped me from the beginning. Violeta tells her life story to her grandson as she reaches the end of her long life. It is set against the history of South America, particularly Chile. This is not a history I knew much about. Violeta led a long, prosperous life, despite the many upheavals tragedies and unpleasant experiences she had, some of her own making.!
Although written entirely from her own perspective, it never faltered or became long winded. I highly recommend this book to all.

I love Allende's books but her latest releases have left me underwhelmed. Here once again Allende relies much too much on 'telling' the story or events rather than showing us said events. Because of this the narrative lacks urgency and I felt distanced from what was being recounted in what seemed to me a dry fashion. Fans of her last novel, A Long Petal of the Sea, will probably enjoy this more than those readers who liked her earlier stuff.

Wow, what a book! It’s an incredible story, so full of meaning and relevance to our existence. I was drawn into Violeta’s life from the very beginning and travelled with her until her death 100 years later. The text is beautifully written, and all the characters come to life. This is the first novel of Isabel Allende that I have read, and it certainly won’t be the last. A truly gifted writer who does not mince her words and tells a story from the heart. When I reached the conclusion I confess to shedding a tear for the heroine I had lost.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Press for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book like no other. It is an incredible read, a real emotional rollercoaster of a read in fact, as I sit here having finished the book feeling quite teary. This book is called Violeta but this story is as much about the country she lives in and its journey as it is about her, and for that reason I was quite surprised to find myself so affected by the story but both Violeta and Chile have had a bigger impact on me than I realised.. It is a remarkable story that spans 100 years and neatly starts and ends with a pandemic. The story is written in the form of a letter and is biographic in style This story flows so well and although it is easy to read it is an incredibly powerful story of one country and one woman’s journey through life.

This novel follows 100 years in the life of Violeta from 1920 to 2020 in a South American country which I assumed to be Chile.
Violeta is a delightfully flawed character and daring for the time in which this was set. Isabel Allende takes us on an enjoyable history lesson with sweeping descriptions of the events of this period.
Like a lot of British I imagine, I have very little knowledge of South American involvement in world events like WW2 and the Cold War and so I did learn things as well as enjoying the fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Even though this book is set in the past, it is so easy to relate to. The post war, post Spanish flu depression, seems to be quite similar to the work we are currently living through.
The Main characters were really likeable and so the story was really easy to read. I found it was one which once you pick up, you can’t put it down.

Utterly readable - I was entirely absorbed in the writing. The narrator was not entirely likeable, and certainly made some mistakes in life; but who amongst us hasn’t I guess.
Really historically interesting - it spans a lifetime across a full century, from pandemic to pandemic.