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At times, the story flowed like an encyclopedia. Was the nuance of the writing lost in translating the book to English? &, is “our country” always Argentina?

On her deathbed, at 100 years old, Violeta keeps journaling her life for her grandson. She is born in 1920 during the Spanish flu and dies during the coronavirus pandemic. Violeta's autobiography explores a century of an unnamed South American country's turbulent history, her long and intense life, loves, achievements and losses.
Overall enjoyable but easily forgettable read.

3/5 ⭐️ Lots of great Chilean history in a fictional life story. Though at times boring. Also it said there was magical realism but I didn't find any

#FoodandLit Chile 🇨🇱

I enjoyed this story, told by a woman to her grandson on her deathbed. While it doesn‘t have a huge amount of plot, it is an interesting look and her life, loves, and historical events in Chile and Argentina, as well as touching on Norway. While I can‘t say I felt particularly strongly for any of the characters, they were well fleshed out and it was a beautiful read.

#FoodAndLit #Chile

Beautiful south American saga

Any book that can bring tears is powerful! Beautifully written!

4,5/5⭐
Come sempre Isabel Allende riesce a farmi amare e odiare profondamente, nessuno dei suoi personaggi mi lascia indifferente.
È stato particolarmente interessante leggere "Violeta" dopo "Paula", visto che mi ha fatto capire (quasi) tutti i collegamenti tra i personaggi fittizi e quelli reali.

Fifteenth prompt completed for @melissajayne #readyourTBR challenge.
#2023challenge

Good. Set in South America this covers not just the tumultuous times the country went through but the tumultuous time the character has been through. Full of passion and heartache.

#Bloomsbury

I found this book to be a bit of a slow read but it is a journey of a woman through almost 100 years of life through different political and personal circumstances, how she finds her true mettle and never stops learning and experiencing new things at any stage of her life.

Light on plot, this is Violeta‘s story, starting with her birth at the height of the Spanish influenza and her lengthy life through the turn of the century. She became wealthy by her own hard work but suffered great tragedy. Boring in places so it was good as an audiobook allowing me to get chores done. Loads and loads of historical detail about #Chile in its violent throes of a dictatorship and in #Argentina. #readingtheAmericas 4 ⭐️

There are some 100% accurate descriptions of Norwegians, and how they “vacation” in their cabins in the hinterlands of Norway. It‘s crazy to me how accurate her descriptions are. I‘ll be married to my own Norwegian for 35 years this September, and I‘ve been back to visit his family many times. It makes me wonder if Allende has known a Norwegian quite so well as well.

#Chile #readingtheAmericas @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

My next audiobook. For #Chile #ReadingtheAmericas @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

This book cover a lot of events but, to me, read more like a laundry list. “This happened and then this happened which led to this happening.” I felt detached from it all and never grew to care about Violeta or the cast of characters in her life story. I liked it but it didn‘t have the spark that makes me love a story. #unpopularopinion #booked2023 #titlestartswithv

New book. New mug. Haven‘t started this one yet, but really liked “Long Petal of the Sea.”

This took me longer than I would have thought to finish, but I appreciate that I didn‘t have to let go of the story so quickly. This was a very captivating read, and it is truly remarkable how Isabel Allende was able to narrate a life in a letter, and depict complicated things such as motherly love with simple analogies.

Thank you, once again, @Reyzl for this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Would recommend to all the feminists out there.

That fairy tale that all humans are equal before the law and in the eyes of God is a lie, Camilo. I hope you don‘t buy into it. Neither the law nor God treats everyone the same.

Teresa said that until men gave birth and put up with husbands, as women do, they should not have an opinion - let alone decide on - abortion and divorce. She didn't believe that men had the right to an opinion, much less to pass laws on the female body, since they'd never know the exhaustion of gestation, the pain of labor, and the eternal bondage of motherhood.

Affection must be cultivated, Camilo; it has to be watered and tended to like a plant, but we‘d let ours dry up.

I hate children. The only good about kids is that they grow fast.

Teaching is learning.

It‘s much easier to be generous with a full belly than an empty one.

The future belonged to the bold.

This is the story about a girl who‘s life has been marked by extraordinary events. It tells her story through the form of a letter written by her to someone she holds dear.

Finally, I will be able to start reading this book (or epic, I‘m not sure) which was gifted by @Reyzl. I am very excited to read this, and I‘m sure it will be great!

Once again, thank you @Reyzl! ❤️

Another very enjoyable read by Isabel Allende. Written in the form of a letter from Violeta over many years of her life.

“El viaje de la vida se hace de largos trechos tediosos, paso a paso, día a día, sin que suceda nada impactante, pero la memoria se hace con los acontecimientos inesperados que marcan el trayecto. Estos son los que vale la pena narrar.”

I've read great reviews about this book, very excited to get it started. It will be my second book by the same author.

Another great book by one of my favourite authors. It is written as a letter by Violeta at the end of her life. She recounts her life and the historical events that she has witnessed. It covers her loves and family tragedies along side the political upheavals during her lifetime. I couldn‘t put it down.

“La realidad es que cada uno es responsable de su propia vida. Nacemos con ciertas cartas del naipe, y con ellas jugamos nuestro juego; a algunos les tocan malas cartas y lo pierden todo, pero otros juegan magistralmente con esas mismas cartas y triunfan.”

#CoverCrush 🧡💜 Glad I picked this audio back up after hibernating it for a few days.
One woman‘s life from 1920-2020 spanning both her personal story and world events.
I never fully warmed to Violeta but I think it was due to the reader‘s monotone detached delivery.
Most reviews are 5 star so I‘d definitely give this a go if you‘re slightly interested.

This can be a little slow going at times but perhaps that‘s the nature of a centenarian reflecting on her life. I loved Violeta and the cast of characters in the world Allende built. I thought this was beautiful.

Library audio hold just came in 😁

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

100 years of life are bound to be full of passion, sin, adventure, pain, regret, and love. Violeta is a strong and smart Latin American woman who lives through social and political change, leaving her own mark on the world, and on readers. She shares her life story through letters to her grandson, which would be such an incredible and cherished gift to remember and honor the life of a loved one in all its complexity. #authenticbooks

I always adore Isabel Allende‘s books and this one was no different. It takes place of over 100 years in an unnamed South American country. A strong woman and her life‘s up and downs.

I finished this wonderful historical family saga set in Chile, although it never mentions the name of the country. I was enthralled and gripped throughout the whole book. Set from 1920 to 2020, it starts with the Spanish flu and ends with Covid. Fantastic book.

Currently reading. 📖🦋🐝

Another gorgeous novel by Allende - I love her slow-burn storytelling. This time it takes the shape of a memoir/letter written to the narrator‘s grandson, Camilo. She recounts her life in an unnamed South American country, surviving economic collapse and political upheaval, sexist expectations and societal disapproval, and all the joy and heartache and regret and passion that comes with 100 years on this earth. I wasn‘t read to let Violeta go!

Loving this slow paced character focused historical fiction that focuses on the life of one woman.

Sweeping historical fiction spanning the life of Violeta, a centenarian leaving the written story of her life from her birth at the time of the Spanish flu until modern day. A languid read with great historical context & a bit of globetrotting. The writing is evocative & atmospheric, delivering historical content in a marvelous fashion. There is great attention to feminist topics & Violeta's character is strong & independent, shining throughout.

“There‘s a time to live and a time to die. In between there‘s time to remember.”

This follows Violeta‘s 100 year life, from birth to death. Written as letters to her grandson this absolutely drew me in and I loved every minute of it. Beautifully written with lots of historial moments and I felt very emotional by the end. Loved the writing in this one and would like to read more from this author
4 ⭐️

“All you regret in the end are the sins you didn‘t commit,”

4.5⭐/5⭐

One of my friends made me a beautiful quilt from my husband's shirts.