Welcome to another Hot New Release Review where I tell you about the “Must Read” new releases, like Violeta!
This sweeping novel from the New York Times bestselling 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.
Violeta comes into the world on a stormy day in 1920, the first girl in a family of five boisterous sons. From the start, her life will be 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 father’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 all 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 devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, times of both poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy. Her life will be shaped by some of the most important events of history: the fight for women’s rights, the rise and fall of tyrants, and, ultimately, not one but two pandemics.
Told through the eyes of a woman whose unforgettable passion, determination, and sense of humor will carry her through a lifetime of upheaval, Isabel Allende once more brings us an epic that is both fiercely inspiring and deeply emotional.
4.6 stars
This was perfect. Allende Perfect (which may not be for everyone as I explain below). Probably one of the best Allende’s books I’ve read.
You’d enjoy this book if you love (really love) Latin American culture and history. I mean LOTSA of it, like LITERALLY 100 years of it, all told with exquisite detail, exquisite writing, through the lives of exquisitely realistic characters
Emphasis in “told”, though.
There is always LOTSA telling and little showing and dialogues in Allende’s books. So people that are really into “show not tell” (like me) may find it difficult to get into Allende’s books.
The story is told in first person POV in the form of a letter written by Violeta, who has lived over 100 years. So, she is writing about distant memories and the narrative did feel void of emotion to me and I didn’t get to connect with the character as I would have liked to.
Howeeeeeever…. Violeta’s life, packed with 100 years of wonderful historical facts, is described in such a rich, wonderful way, that it is a fantastic immersive experience despite all the telling. I always say that Allende is her own cross-genre “nonfiction history/historical fiction sprinkled with some supernatural magical realism.
The best way I can describe the experience of reading Allende is that it is like reading a lyrically written, magical encyclopedia.
For me the absolute best of this book was the accurate and relevant social content of the time period about government corruption, colonialism, classism, racism, white supremacy (from actual Nazis living in South America), colorism, gender and sexual orientation inequalities.
This was just such a relevant, beautiful book. A pleasure to read!
You would enjoy this book if you like books of these categories and topics:
ADULT, CROSS-GENRE, FAMILY, HISPANIC, LGTBQAI, LITERARY FICTION, MAGICAL REALISM, MARRIAGE, MOTHERHOOD, MULTICULTURAL, OWNVOICE, POLITICS, SOUTH AMERICA, WOMANHOOD
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UPCOMING HOT NEW RELEASES REVIEWS
Have you read Violeta or any of these similar books? How did you like them? Any hot new releases you are excited about that I should add to this list? Let’s chat in the comments!
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