Call number
FIC ALL
Collection
Genres
Publication
Ballantine Books (2022), 336 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER â?˘ This sweeping novel from the author of A Long Petal of the Sea tells the epic story of Violeta Del Valle, a woman whose life spans one hundred years and bears witness to the greatest upheavals of the twentieth century. â??An immersive saga about a passion-filled life.â?ťâ??People Violeta comes into the world on a stormy day in 1920, the first girl in a family with five boisterous sons. From the start, her life is marked by extraordinary events, for 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. Through her fatherâ??s prescience, the family will come through that crisis unscathed, only to face a new one as the Great Depression transforms the genteel city life she has known. Her family loses everything and is forced to retreat to a wild and beautiful but remote part of the country. There, she will come of age, and her first suitor will come calling. She tells her story in the form of a letter to someone she loves above all others, recounting times of devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy. Her life is shaped by some of the most important events of history: the fight for womenâ??s rights, the rise and fall of tyrants, and ultimately not one, but two pandemics. Through the eyes of a woman whose unforgettable passion, determination, and sense of humor carry her through a lifetime of upheaval, Isabel Allende once more brings us an epic that is both fiercely inspiring and… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member tamidale
This is my fifth novel by Isabel Allende and I believe this just may be my favorite of hers thus far. I love reading novels that span a person’s lifetime and Violeta is just that hype of novel.
Violeta faces much adversity during her lifetime. Her wealthy family suffers a big change in fortune,
She endures one lackluster marriage and then embarks on a romance full of passion, but one that is not a healthy relationship for her. From that relationship her two children are born, each having their own struggles as they grow up, much of which Violeta feels she is to blame for not being a better mother.
She was blessed with a large and loving family and also surrounded by domestic help that stayed with her for most of their lives and were part of her family as well. I loved this aspect of the story.
Readers who enjoy reading about strong women, South American culture and good historical fiction will find this one a must-read. It has romance, family strife, political turmoil and inspiration all rolled up into one amazing story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review.
Violeta faces much adversity during her lifetime. Her wealthy family suffers a big change in fortune,
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reducing them to poverty. Violeta learns to work and gradually acquires a fortune in her own right during a time when many women were dependent on men for their financial security.She endures one lackluster marriage and then embarks on a romance full of passion, but one that is not a healthy relationship for her. From that relationship her two children are born, each having their own struggles as they grow up, much of which Violeta feels she is to blame for not being a better mother.
She was blessed with a large and loving family and also surrounded by domestic help that stayed with her for most of their lives and were part of her family as well. I loved this aspect of the story.
Readers who enjoy reading about strong women, South American culture and good historical fiction will find this one a must-read. It has romance, family strife, political turmoil and inspiration all rolled up into one amazing story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review.
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LibraryThing member sleahey
Violeta's life spans a century, from one pandemic to another, and through her eyes readers will see the cultural and geopolitical changes she observed and experienced. The novel's format is loosely designed as a letter to Camilo, a young member of her family dynasty, but in fact he has little to do
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with the overall story except as a bookend to the history described. I think that if I were not such a fan of Allende's earlier work, this book would not stand out for me at all; as it is, it is another narrative about a remarkable woman who endured many trials and triumphed over great adversity. Show Less
LibraryThing member maryreinert
One woman, Violeta, tells her story to her grandson. Born during the time of the Spanish flu to a family of aristocracy but without money they exiled themselves to a remote part of the country where Violeta met her first husband, a German biologist who worked on artificial insemination. When a
From there the story involves the overthrown of the government, suspected involvement by the American CIA and the mafia. Violeta's two children lead very different and harrowing lives: the daughter becoming a drug addict and the son becoming a revolutionary eventually living in Norway.
The story spans 100 years as Violeta passes away during Covid. Her story is aimed at the grandson, the son of the addicted daughter who becomes a priest.
Occasionally, the story seems to take on an unbelievable slant, but overall is interesting and filled with likeable people, heartless people, and all in between. Eventually Violetta marries at the age of sixty plus to a bird watcher from Norway. Good read.
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flashing young pilot arrives, Violeta immediately leaves her husband to start life with Juan. Although never married, they have two children, a boy and a girl. Juan accuses Violeta of trapping him with the children and their lives take on very different directions. Violeta's brother has a business of pre-fab housing which Violetta becomes a part of and makes her own money.From there the story involves the overthrown of the government, suspected involvement by the American CIA and the mafia. Violeta's two children lead very different and harrowing lives: the daughter becoming a drug addict and the son becoming a revolutionary eventually living in Norway.
The story spans 100 years as Violeta passes away during Covid. Her story is aimed at the grandson, the son of the addicted daughter who becomes a priest.
Occasionally, the story seems to take on an unbelievable slant, but overall is interesting and filled with likeable people, heartless people, and all in between. Eventually Violetta marries at the age of sixty plus to a bird watcher from Norway. Good read.
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LibraryThing member brangwinn
Looking back on her 100-year life in a narration directed to her grandson, Violeta, is unapologetic in the non-traditional life she had. Her father committed suicide and thrust the family into bankruptcy. Fleeing to a rural area farm, she grows up and married a German immigrant, but finding him
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boring she begins an affair with a handsome pilot. Although the country is unnamed, it has to be Chile, and her life documents the events which lead to the rise of a dictator and the Dirty War. Violeta remains with her lover for many years, has two children with him and suffered mental and physical abuse before finally leaving him for good. What is remarkable about Violeta is her ability not to hide what many would consider an adulterous life but shows how the double-standard was reflected on female behavior but not male behavior. Along with her personal life, she reflects on how her search for financial independence led her to accept an evil regime for personal gain. But seeing her daughter die after a life of drug addiction and raises her grandson as her own child, Violeta realizes that others were not as fortunate as she was, and she uses her wealth to help others. Her one hundred years of wisdom show in her declaration that if you want to help others you need money. Show Less
LibraryThing member kayanelson
A 100 year story about Violeta who is writing her memoirs to her grandson. It was a wonderful story. The political history lessons that were intertwined in the plot were good. The feminism message was great. The centuries old suppression of women was also addressed. And underneath it all, the story
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of Violeta’s life kept me turning the pages. Show Less
LibraryThing member mojomomma
I love anything Allende writes. This book is similar in many ways to her other books--strong female main character who isn't frightened by societal conventions, a healthy dose of revolution, men who tend to disappoint. Violeta covers her 100-year lifespan in a series of memoirs written for her
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grandson. She was born during pandemic of 1920 and died during the pandemic of 2020. Show Less
LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
Violeta, Isabel Allende, author; Yareli Arizmendi, narrator
For 100 years, between 1920 and 2020, the world underwent monumental changes. The character Violeta del Valle, lived through that time, and this is the tale of all she became cognizant of during her life. It is written in the form of a
Chile was infested with protesters that were unhappy with the status quo, with instigators of revolt and discontent. One group or another searched for more and more power and provided less and less independence for the citizens, as they gained more and more control over the population. Often, in what seemed the quest for more freedom, more limitations, instead, were placed upon the people. Violence and death, fear and deprivation, were the result of revolutions meant to improve lives. Dissenters simply disappeared as they were taken away without charges and silenced with abandon. Lives were lost and so was the country that had once been loved as a shining example to the world. Only the select few could thrive. Did this happen only in Chile? No, the century was certainly one of turbulence for many.
All the experiences of humanity occurred in Violeta’s time. From what some would consider her own wanton behavior to the chaste life of her grandson Camilo, life in all of its incantations played out on the pages of this novel. Violeta experienced life with several men, some whom she adored and some whom she came to dislike. With her first husband, she had no children. With her lover she had two, Nieves and Juan Martin. With her second husband she experienced true happiness. Those in her life ranged from the meek to the powerful, the intellectual to the visceral, from the emotional to the dispassionate, and all that lies in between. As readers, we witness a world in flux through the letter Violeta is writing to someone she cares deeply about. We also witness the history of her world as it is affected by life and death in all of its fury and grandeur. During her time on earth, many historic and memorable moments occurred. Some, like war and disease were tragic, and some like women’s suffrage and incredible technology were constructive, but all of the events were momentous. Allende has told the story from one pandemic to another. She has told the story of a world that grew in positive ways and retracted in negative ways, in a constant pattern of a revolving door.
Through all the years of disease, war, and other turmoil, Violeta was always able to fall back on her optimism and eventually became engaged in fighting for women’s rights and a more democratic society. Even as much was taken away during her lifetime, much more was achieved. As she witnessed a world of deprivation for those who were not privileged, she realized that much of her life was spent in ignorance of the plight of others. She became an activist for civil rights and a philanthropist for those in need. The book touches on every human behavior and every major event during her century of life, from WWI to the threat of WWIII, from the Spanish Flu to Covid 19, from economic prosperity to the Depression, from religious freedom to anti-Semitism, from the birth of the feminist movement to women’s suffrage, from the Cuban and Russian Revolutions to Woodstock, from villains to heroes, and all that occurred in between.
During her life she met heroes of sorts and villains of another sort, from her father who fell from grace to her brother’s alternate politics, to Julian Bravo, a hero in the RAF who was a scoundrel as well, to Roy Cooper, a man for hire, who had a soft, hidden heart, from the German Fabian Schmidt, a cold Veterinarian to the Norwegian Harald Fiske, a caring birdwatcher, personalities of every stripe are featured. From Josephine to Etelvino, both caretakers, from Yaima the healer, to Dr. Levy the therapist, from the slow-witted Torito to the heights of Edmund Hillary who climbed Mt Everest successfully, to charity and sacrifice to the depths of human depravity, from Latin America to America to Europe, all types of human beings are displayed in their glory and their shame.
No character in the book was one-dimensional, instead there were many facets to his or her own nature and personality. Nothing and no one was all pure or all evil. The book, a whirlwind of facts and emotion, was read by a calm narrator with a soothing voice that led the reader through the wealth of information within Violeta’s turbulent existence.
For 100 years, between 1920 and 2020, the world underwent monumental changes. The character Violeta del Valle, lived through that time, and this is the tale of all she became cognizant of during her life. It is written in the form of a
Show More
lengthy letter to someone she loved deeply. The men in her life ranged from meek and timid, to excessively strong and willful, from criminal to virtuous. The women also ran the gamut from obedient housewives to independent feminists. Governments changed, and the people endured the growing pains of their different leaders, their rules and their politics. Inspired by the events in her own life, Allende has written a multigenerational novel exposing all of the warts of the world. America is not painted in a very positive light as Violeta walks the reader through her memories, in Chile, as those she loved and loved her, eventually spanned the continents, and all of their lives went off in many different directions. Chile was infested with protesters that were unhappy with the status quo, with instigators of revolt and discontent. One group or another searched for more and more power and provided less and less independence for the citizens, as they gained more and more control over the population. Often, in what seemed the quest for more freedom, more limitations, instead, were placed upon the people. Violence and death, fear and deprivation, were the result of revolutions meant to improve lives. Dissenters simply disappeared as they were taken away without charges and silenced with abandon. Lives were lost and so was the country that had once been loved as a shining example to the world. Only the select few could thrive. Did this happen only in Chile? No, the century was certainly one of turbulence for many.
All the experiences of humanity occurred in Violeta’s time. From what some would consider her own wanton behavior to the chaste life of her grandson Camilo, life in all of its incantations played out on the pages of this novel. Violeta experienced life with several men, some whom she adored and some whom she came to dislike. With her first husband, she had no children. With her lover she had two, Nieves and Juan Martin. With her second husband she experienced true happiness. Those in her life ranged from the meek to the powerful, the intellectual to the visceral, from the emotional to the dispassionate, and all that lies in between. As readers, we witness a world in flux through the letter Violeta is writing to someone she cares deeply about. We also witness the history of her world as it is affected by life and death in all of its fury and grandeur. During her time on earth, many historic and memorable moments occurred. Some, like war and disease were tragic, and some like women’s suffrage and incredible technology were constructive, but all of the events were momentous. Allende has told the story from one pandemic to another. She has told the story of a world that grew in positive ways and retracted in negative ways, in a constant pattern of a revolving door.
Through all the years of disease, war, and other turmoil, Violeta was always able to fall back on her optimism and eventually became engaged in fighting for women’s rights and a more democratic society. Even as much was taken away during her lifetime, much more was achieved. As she witnessed a world of deprivation for those who were not privileged, she realized that much of her life was spent in ignorance of the plight of others. She became an activist for civil rights and a philanthropist for those in need. The book touches on every human behavior and every major event during her century of life, from WWI to the threat of WWIII, from the Spanish Flu to Covid 19, from economic prosperity to the Depression, from religious freedom to anti-Semitism, from the birth of the feminist movement to women’s suffrage, from the Cuban and Russian Revolutions to Woodstock, from villains to heroes, and all that occurred in between.
During her life she met heroes of sorts and villains of another sort, from her father who fell from grace to her brother’s alternate politics, to Julian Bravo, a hero in the RAF who was a scoundrel as well, to Roy Cooper, a man for hire, who had a soft, hidden heart, from the German Fabian Schmidt, a cold Veterinarian to the Norwegian Harald Fiske, a caring birdwatcher, personalities of every stripe are featured. From Josephine to Etelvino, both caretakers, from Yaima the healer, to Dr. Levy the therapist, from the slow-witted Torito to the heights of Edmund Hillary who climbed Mt Everest successfully, to charity and sacrifice to the depths of human depravity, from Latin America to America to Europe, all types of human beings are displayed in their glory and their shame.
No character in the book was one-dimensional, instead there were many facets to his or her own nature and personality. Nothing and no one was all pure or all evil. The book, a whirlwind of facts and emotion, was read by a calm narrator with a soothing voice that led the reader through the wealth of information within Violeta’s turbulent existence.
Show Less
LibraryThing member janismack
Violeta was born on a stormy day in 1920, the first girl in a family of five boys. The spanish flu comes to South America but the family survives. This begins the wonderful story of Violeta who dies in 2020 during the corona virus one century later. Isabel Allende is a wonderful storyteller, she
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does not disappoint. . Recommended, Show Less
LibraryThing member amaraki
Just a draft for now. This was an incredibly rich book. A life story narration that spans a hundred years and contains so many lissues and themes: politics, love stories, social issues, family issues and the list goes on. The plot never flags. She is a consummate storyteller and all the time while
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you are turning the pages to find out what happens next she inserts her very keen observations on life and experience. I want to read this book again and underline it despite my aversion to writing in books. But this was such a powerful book, maybe it is time to change my reluctance to 'deface' a book as a way of having a more solid communication between myself and the writer. Kudos Isabel Allende, a very powerful story. Show Less
LibraryThing member Anniik
TW/CW: Sexual assault, allusions to incest, sex, domestic violence, state violence, drug use, family death, character death, homophobic language
REVIEW: This was a very good book. Violeta is the story of a young Chilean woman who lives through a hundred years of history. Being born in 1920, we see
The writing of this book was beautiful, and while the book itself was desperately sad and full of loss, there was also hope to be found within the pages. There are many characters who come in and out of the story – almost too many to always keep clear – but it didn’t matter, since that is how people come in and out of everyone’s life.
This is a beautiful book, and I recommend it to all readers, especially those interested in 20th century Latin American History.
REVIEW: This was a very good book. Violeta is the story of a young Chilean woman who lives through a hundred years of history. Being born in 1920, we see
Show More
her life through the depression, World War II, through Pinochet’s fascist regime, and through the return of Democracy and the discovery of the truth of what happened through those years. This is not just a history book, it is a very personal journey through these years.The writing of this book was beautiful, and while the book itself was desperately sad and full of loss, there was also hope to be found within the pages. There are many characters who come in and out of the story – almost too many to always keep clear – but it didn’t matter, since that is how people come in and out of everyone’s life.
This is a beautiful book, and I recommend it to all readers, especially those interested in 20th century Latin American History.
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LibraryThing member LivelyLady
Intense story told in letter form to a relative of her life in South America, her love and losses. Translated always to me has a different candence and style. This would be a great movie. I cried at the end.
LibraryThing member Castlelass
Protagonist Violeta tells her life story in the form of a letter to her grandson. It is set in what is obviously Chile and covers the economic, social, and political history of the country. It covers a period of time from the 1920 “Spanish flu,” when it arrived in South America, to the 2020
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.
The only part that did not work quite as well is the epistolary choice. I was not convinced that a grandmother would share details of her love life with her grandson. But this is a minor quibble. The characters are well developed, and the descriptions of the region are stunning.
I am a fan of Allende’s writing. I have now read ten of her books, and her work is consistently strong. I received an advanced copy from the publisher, Ballantine, via NetGalley.
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COVID pandemic. 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.
The only part that did not work quite as well is the epistolary choice. I was not convinced that a grandmother would share details of her love life with her grandson. But this is a minor quibble. The characters are well developed, and the descriptions of the region are stunning.
I am a fan of Allende’s writing. I have now read ten of her books, and her work is consistently strong. I received an advanced copy from the publisher, Ballantine, via NetGalley.
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LibraryThing member grunin
Having loved Allende's previous novel, A Long Petal of the Sea, this was a sad disappointment. Not because it was different, but because it reads like a first draft.
The eponymous narrator, born in 1920, is writing down her life story in 2020, and to avoid spoilers I will only say that Violeta's
Flipping through pages at random, here's a typical example: "...It took him under two hours to get me a travel permit from the regional commander. Those were other times, Camilo. Now you can find out someone's identity in under a minute and even the most intimate details of their life, but in the seventies that wasn't always possible." Surely anyone born before 1995 knows this?
And another: "For three years the right-wing propaganda had been sermonizing about the horrors of a Communist dictatorship. Now we were experiencing the real-life terrors of a Fascist one. The military junta claimed that these were only temporary measures, but that they would continue indefinitely, until Christian and Western values were restored to the nation. I held on to the illusion that our country had the most solid tradition of democracy on the continent that we'd been a model of civic duty in the world that we'd soon have elections and democracy would be reinstated."
Moments of impersonal precis are almost inevitable in historical fiction, but there's far more here than needed, as if it were rushed to press without time to edit. In the end it often feels like Allende's true audience is more like a modern high school student than someone well into middle age. And perhaps it is?
The eponymous narrator, born in 1920, is writing down her life story in 2020, and to avoid spoilers I will only say that Violeta's
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intended reader, Camilo, was born around 1972. The passages where Violeta is describing things she has personally experienced are lively, but unfortunately the author feels the need to explain an enormous amount of history that Camilo has lived through and knows well. Time and again the narrator must say "as you know" or "little did I suspect that later on" or "at the time nobody knew" or "did you know that at that time" to shoehorn in facts that are ultimately irrelevant to the story.Flipping through pages at random, here's a typical example: "...It took him under two hours to get me a travel permit from the regional commander. Those were other times, Camilo. Now you can find out someone's identity in under a minute and even the most intimate details of their life, but in the seventies that wasn't always possible." Surely anyone born before 1995 knows this?
And another: "For three years the right-wing propaganda had been sermonizing about the horrors of a Communist dictatorship. Now we were experiencing the real-life terrors of a Fascist one. The military junta claimed that these were only temporary measures, but that they would continue indefinitely, until Christian and Western values were restored to the nation. I held on to the illusion that our country had the most solid tradition of democracy on the continent that we'd been a model of civic duty in the world that we'd soon have elections and democracy would be reinstated."
Moments of impersonal precis are almost inevitable in historical fiction, but there's far more here than needed, as if it were rushed to press without time to edit. In the end it often feels like Allende's true audience is more like a modern high school student than someone well into middle age. And perhaps it is?
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LibraryThing member ZachMontana
Ms. Allende always tells a good story and weaves in history well. Her story of a strong woman and her family does justice to the last 100 years of Latin America History from a personal point of view. She is a great writer who knows how to turn a phase and keep readers engrossed in the story.
LibraryThing member srms.reads
4.5/5
Isabel Allende's latest masterpiece, Violeta, is a chronicle of a woman's life sweeping across a century of history, written in epistolary form.
"There is a time to live and a time to die .In between there's a time to remember."
In her last days, Violeta Del Valle writes a letter to her
Abandoning her devoted husband to be with her lover, conceiving 2 children out of wedlock and embarking on building her own career fueled by her own ambition and refusing to conform to the strictures imposed by restrictive societal norms, Allende's Violeta is a strong and willful woman who lives life on her own terms, makes mistakes and learns from them , takes responsibility for her own fate and reinvents herself every step of the way while gathering much wisdom in the course of her long eventful life. In many ways she is a woman who is way ahead of her time. Her story is one of family and friendship ,her many loves, loss and setbacks, courage and ambition. More importantly,in Violeta, the author portrays a woman with the indomitable will to survive , grow and prosper in the backdrop of volatile political climate , changing societal landscape and personal tragedy and upheaval.
Isabel Allende's prose is elegant and a joy to read. Among the strong female influences in Violeta's life, the characters of Aunt Pilar, Facunda, Teresa Rivas and her family and Miss Taylor are superbly crafted. Strong characters and masterful storytelling are typical of Isabel Allende's novels and in Violeta she does not disappoint.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Isabel Allende's latest masterpiece, Violeta, is a chronicle of a woman's life sweeping across a century of history, written in epistolary form.
"There is a time to live and a time to die .In between there's a time to remember."
In her last days, Violeta Del Valle writes a letter to her
Show More
grandson Camilo divulging in great detail the story of her life, spanning almost one hundred years starting with her birth in 1920 in the midst of the Spanish flu pandemic to 2020 when the world is being ravaged by another pandemic. Having lived through and been directly affected by the Great Depression, WW2 and political upheaval in her home country and around the world, her life has been an eventful one, to say the least.Abandoning her devoted husband to be with her lover, conceiving 2 children out of wedlock and embarking on building her own career fueled by her own ambition and refusing to conform to the strictures imposed by restrictive societal norms, Allende's Violeta is a strong and willful woman who lives life on her own terms, makes mistakes and learns from them , takes responsibility for her own fate and reinvents herself every step of the way while gathering much wisdom in the course of her long eventful life. In many ways she is a woman who is way ahead of her time. Her story is one of family and friendship ,her many loves, loss and setbacks, courage and ambition. More importantly,in Violeta, the author portrays a woman with the indomitable will to survive , grow and prosper in the backdrop of volatile political climate , changing societal landscape and personal tragedy and upheaval.
Isabel Allende's prose is elegant and a joy to read. Among the strong female influences in Violeta's life, the characters of Aunt Pilar, Facunda, Teresa Rivas and her family and Miss Taylor are superbly crafted. Strong characters and masterful storytelling are typical of Isabel Allende's novels and in Violeta she does not disappoint.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member vdt_melbourne
Beautifully written, however wraps up a quickly once you get to the end.
LibraryThing member bookwyrmm
Allende's writing is so powerful that I kept forgetting that Violeta was not a real person.
Pages
336
ISBN
0593496205 / 9780593496206
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