Violeta

 

I usually enjoy epic family novels and Violeta by Isabel Allende was no exception. I especially enjoy when they are set in the context of real world events that are taking place over the course of the story.

In this novel, Violeta is born into a wealthy family in 1920 just as the Spanish flu is starting to spread throughout South America. Her family survives that intact only to suffer great losses during the Great Depression. Violeta lives through World War II and major political upheaval in South America. She manages to live long enough to die during the early days of Covid, from old age and not from the virus.

Violeta is writing the story of her life to share with Camilo, someone that from the start we realize is very important to Violeta. She wants him to have an entire family history. It's 2020, Violeta is 100 years old and it's time to get the story down on paper.

This is a novel full of love, passion, friendships, commitment and the struggles that people face. 

Allende's The Japanese Lover was the first novel of this author that I read. I really loved that epic novel, possibly a tiny bit more than I loved this one.